Upadhyay''s fast enters third day

Dehra Dun, Mar 24 (PTI) The indefinite fast by Tehri MLA Kishore Upadhyay today entered the third day with the Uttarakhand government and the Assembly Speaker urging him to end his stir. Meanwhile, former Chief Minister and veteran Congress leader N D Tiwari and Chipko movement leader Sunderlal Bahuguna met Upadhyay and lent full support to his cause. As the House assembled for the day, Speaker Harbans Kapoor expressed concern over the continuation of the indefinite fast by Upadhyay. He said though he had seen his medical reports and there was no cause of worry, he, however, would meet the agitating legislator and try to convince him to break his fast. Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prakash Pant said he would also meet Upadhyay on behalf of the government and urge him to end his stir. Later, the Speaker along with Pant and UKD leader Diwakar Bhatt met Upadhyay and tried to persuade him to end his fast.Pant asked the MLA to break the fast as all his demands could not be fulfilled immediately. Upadhyay, however, refused to end his fast saying that the government should fulfill at least some of his demands. Upadhyay had started his indefinite fast on March 22 in the Well of the House. However, later he was suspended and forcefully evicted from the House and since then he has been sitting on fast outside the Vidhan Sabha. Though his suspension was revoked yesterday, he is continuing his stir outside the Vidhan Sabha. Upadhyay had begun his fast on March 14 but on the assurance of the state government in the presence of the Speaker and Leader of the Opposition Harak Singh Rawat, he deferred it till March 21. Upadhyay said he was feeling "cheated" as whenever he sat on dharna during the past four years, he was assured that his demands would be fulfilled but it never happened. Setting up a university at Ranichauri in Tehri, opening of schools, colleges and hospitals, developing infrastructural facilities and starting water sports activities in the Tehri dam lake are among the 25 demands put up by the legislator.PTI