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| wise words ::. | | What is the difference between genius and stupidity? Genius has limits. - Albert Einstein. |
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| headline. | 05/10/02 |
Jogi meets PM after arrest drama
Aizawl Oct 04:After an arrest and release drama, Chattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi met the Prime Minister on Friday over the issue of Central procurement of paddy in his state. He reportedly expressed 'dissatisfaction' over the meeting.
"The problem still persists. Though the Prime Minister and the food minister have assured us that they will examine the issue, they have not been able to give any satisfactory answer to us," said Jogi, who met Vajpayee after a high-voltage drama when he, along with his entire Cabinet, was arrested for violation of prohibitory orders by the Delhi Police hours before a scheduled appointment at 1230 hours.
Stressing that his government will continue raising the demand, Jogi said: "It is the responsiblity of the Centre to procure the paddy from the state if the market price is less."
Maintaining that the Prime Minister had not given a 'final answer' in the meeting, Jogi said the state was also ready to work as an 'agent' and procure the paddy but for that it needs financial assistance.
Earlier, Jogi, along with his Cabinet colleagues and party leaders, were taken into police custody for violation of prohibitory orders, but the Chief Minister alleged that the arrest was deliberate to prevent a meeting with Vajpayee.
"I am sad as well as surprised over the whole drama. The way they (Centre) got us arrested and then released," Jogi said.
At the time of his arrest, Jogi alleged that the arrest was deliberate to prevent a meeting with Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on the issue of paddy procurement.
"He (Vajpayee) got us arrested before the meeting. That means he does not want to meet us," Jogi told reporters at the Tughlaq Road Police Station after he was arrested when he began leading a march towards the PM's residence.
After meeting Congress Chief Sonia Gandhi, Jogi had started his march from the Chattisgarh Bhawan at Sardar Patel Road, nearly three kms away from PM's residence, to press for procurement of paddy from the drought-affected state or alternatively financial assistance as compensation.
The Chief Minister, along with his two dozen cabinet colleagues, besides party MPs and MLAs, were taken into police custody.
Jogi is the second Congress Chief Minister after his Punjab counterpart Amarinder Singh to take to agitation on the issue of procurement of paddy.
"We want the paddy procurement prices to be increased. But even at the existing procurement price (Rs 550 a tonne), we want the centre to procure entire produce from the state," Jogi said. The state had suffered a loss of about Rs 423 crore on the issue last year and it could ill-afford any further burden on this count, Jogi said.
A state government spokesman said that paddy production during the current year was expected at around 10 lakh tonnes against 18 lakh tonnes.
He said the Chief Minister was to meet Vajpayee on the issue of delay in drought relief, also in view of the demand of Rs 2300 crore made by the state.
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| notices. | 05/10/02 |
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