Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Thursday wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi asking his immediate intervention to end the ongoing protest by Sadhvi Padmavati in Matri Sadan Ashram of Uttarakhand’s Haridwar. The Chief Minister further asked PM Modi to take note of the issues raised by her and ensure that the strike would end as soon as possible.
Sadhvi Padmavati (23), a resident of Bihar’s Nalanda is on a strike in the holy city over the cleanliness issue and is demanding concrete action for rejuvenation of river Ganga. She is on a strike since December 15, 2019.
Bihar CM Nitish Kumar writes to PM Narendra Modi, he states, “Sadhvi Padmavati of Nalanda is on a strike over Ganga cleanliness, in Haridwar since December 15, 2019. I urge you to take note of issues raised by her & ensure she ends the strike at the earliest”. pic.twitter.com/plz6Ga11J0
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2020
In the letter, Kumar also expressed fear over the deterioration of Sadhvi Padmavati’s health. “It is requested that initiatives be taken to address the issues raised by Sadhvi Padmavati at Matri Sadan, Haridwar and she be convinced to call off her fast,” PTI quoted Kumar as saying in the letter.
Kumar was informed about Sadhvi Padmavati by famous water activist and Magsaysay Award winner Rajendra Singh on January 21, 2020, in Patna. Singh was in Patna to join Bihar CM’s state-wide human chain organised in support of environment conservation and drives against alcoholism, dowry and child marriage.
On December 14, 2019, the Prime Minister chaired the first meeting of the National Ganga Council in Uttar Pradesh’s Kanpur and said that Ganga rejuvenation will be a shining example of cooperative federalism. During the meet, PM Modi also reviewed the progress of works under the Namami Gange project. The Prime Minister also deliberated on various aspects of cleaning river Ganga with a focus on ‘swachhta’, ‘aviralta’ and ‘nirmalta’. The Prime Minister added that rejuvenation of Ganga river has been a long-pending challenge for the country. The Government of India has also set up the Clean Ganga Fund (CGF) to facilitate contributions from individuals, Non-Resident of India (NRIs), corporate entities for funding Ganga rejuvenation projects.
