High drama in Bhopal; MLA's 'jal samadhi'

Bhopal, May 3 (UNI) Adopting a dramatic method to attract the Madhya Pradesh government's attention to his constituency's woes, Samajwadi Party MLA Kishor Samrite went to the local Upper Lake this afternoon with the intention of attaining 'jal samadhi'.

Mr Samrite, who represents Balaghat district's naxalism-affected Lanji, took a small boat to the deep area. Police and other administrative officials reached the legislator and dissuaded him from taking a plunge.

"The regime is paying no heed to Lanji despite my having penned dozens of letters to the Chief Minister (Shivraj Singh Chouhan) and officials over the past four to five months. I decided to attain jal samadhi as the problems were unsolved," the MLA told reporters.

Mr Samrite submitted, to the administration, a 11-point charter of demands addressed to the Chief Minister and the legislator would take the ''next step'' if the problems were unsolved. He did not say what the ''step'' would be.

" This state's Bharatiya Janata Party regime accuses the Centre of discrimination but the state government is actually discriminating against non-BJP MLAs. Despite being insurgency-hit, my constituency is sans power for 12 hours daily and welfare schemes are not being implemented," the legislator alleged.

Alleging that 300 tubewells were not functioning, he added that road-laying was at a standstill.

A case of attempt to suicide was registered against Mr Samrite at the Shyamla Hills Police Station and he was freed on bail.

UNI PKJ-AKS-AC LS AS1820