Gyan Swaroop Sanand, the crusader for Ganga who threatened to give up water from Tuesday, has agreed to hold the last phase of his fasting for a day following assurance of the former Chief Minister and Haridwar MP Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’. The senior BJP leader assured the fasting scientist turned saint of a positive response from the Centre regarding his demands related to the maintenance of sanctity of the holy river.
As per those close to Sanand, the ascetic told Nishank that he would wait till 7.25 pm on Tuesday for the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to give some concrete assurances or even assure action after the Navratris are over. In case no such assurances came he would go without water as planned earlier, he said to the MP, according to those privy to the matter.
Later, speaking to The Pioneer, Sanand said, “If Modiji does not act on my three demands-all meant to save Ganga and its tributaries-by this evening or even if he does not announce some dates for action after Navratris I would carry on with my plan of shunning water.”
Earlier, ‘Nishank’ reached the site of the stir and said that he could not allow the saint to leave his body for a cause dear to all. He told the ascetic that his life was precious and he would do everything to ensure that the Centre acts on his demands promptly. Asked whether he had come there as a person or as a representative of the Government, the former CM said, “It is both. I am an MP from Haridwar and at the same time, I belong to a party which is ruling at the Centre and in the State.”
As per his announcement made a month ago, Sanand was to shun water from Tuesday noon on his 110th fasting day. He had demanded maintenance of uninterrupted flow, cleanliness and natural form of Ganga and also framing a new law to save Ganga.
Importantly, Swami Shivanand, founder of Matri Sadan, the site of the ‘tapasya for Ganga’ undertaken by many over the years, had said on Monday that he would also launch fast for the same cause of Ganga after the Navratris are over. He had also invoked the sacrifice of his disciple Swami Nigamananda Saraswati who died while fighting against illegal mining in Ganga. He had stressed on more sacrifices for the cause of the sacred river in time to come to jerk the administration out of its somnolence.
Sanand had begun his fasting by restricting himself to drinking just limewater on the day Ganga Dushehra was observed on June 22.
Among the principal demands, the ascetic had raised in support of his fasting unto death was the scrapping of all the hydro power projects and construction works going on or proposed along Alaknanda, Mandakini, Pinder, Dhauliganga, Bhagirathi and some others. He had alleged that the chief engineers and other officials in the Ganga Board were not committed to the cause of Ganga. He had demanded those dedicated to Ganga be inducted in the board.
It may be mentioned here that Sanand had been forcefully lifted from the fasting site in Matri Sadan and admitted at AIIMS Rishikesh by the district administration in July. A few days later, he had returned to Matri Sadan and resumed his stir.
It may, further, be mentioned that Sanand had hogged headlines when he sat on a hunger strike in 2009, resulting in the suspension of the Lohari Nag Pala Hydropower project.