A day after the BJP suspended him for “damaging the picture” of the occasion, Vadodara Corporator Ashish Joshi on Friday mentioned he had “pledged to get justice” for the 14 victims of the Harni boat tragedy and can “stay steadfast” in his help to the households.
Joshi’s suspension from the occasion got here per week after two girls, moms of two college students who misplaced their lives within the 2024 tragedy, had interrupted the speech of Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel in Vadodara, questioning the alleged delay in serving justice.
Joshi questioned if the ache of the victims of the Harni tragedy was “lesser” than the victims of the April 22 Pahalgam terror assault. Talking to The Indian Categorical, Joshi mentioned, “Actually, asking for justice is against the law throughout the occasion… Within the April 22 assaults in Pahalgam, 26 civilians have been killed and inside 15 days, it has been avenged. However what in regards to the 14 victims, together with 12 harmless kids, of the Harni tragedy…? It was nothing however a catastrophe made by corrupt officers, towards whom we have now all of the proof. Whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modiji has fulfilled his promise of delivering justice to the victims of Pahalgam, the native leaders of Vadodara and Gujarat have been making an attempt to protect the perpetrators (of Harni case)…”
Joshi is a first-time corporator of Ward-15, the place the New Dawn College – the place the 12 deceased college students studied and two academics taught – is situated, and households of a lot of the victims reside.
He mentioned he has been searching for “applicable motion” towards officers of the VMC who “slacked of their supervision duties” of the Lake Zone, notably the then Government Engineer of the civic physique’s Futuristic Cell Rajesh Chauhan, contending that it was the “obligation of the VMC to examine” the challenge underneath the Public-Personal Partnership (PPP) mannequin.
In July final yr, the Vadodara Municipal Company (VMC) moved a proposal to resolve on the punitive motion to be initiated towards Chauhan, who has been discovered “responsible” within the disciplinary inquiry initiated towards him within the case.
Joshi has additionally been searching for exemplary compensation for the victims, elevating the problem on the ground of the VMC’s Common Board on a number of events. He mentioned, “Why has there been no motion towards the officer even after VMC has discovered him responsible? He retired in August with all perks and advantages, besides a meagre minimize of Rs 5,000 from his pension as punishment. Why has he not been made an accused within the case? What in regards to the former Municipal Commissioners, who allowed the boating facility to return up with none processes in place…? Even the order of the HC directing M/s Kotia Initiatives (the contractors) to pay compensation has not been complied with. However compensation is only a comfort… The loss is irreparable.”
Talking in regards to the episode of Could 2 when Sarla Shinde and Sandhya Nizama, moms of two deceased kids — Roshni and Vishwa, interrupted the CM’s speech from the viewers and sought justice, Joshi mentioned the federal government should have “proven compassion and large-heartedness”. He mentioned, “As an alternative of subjecting the 2 girls to police interrogation, had the CM sahib requested for a microphone to be handed over to them and heard them out, he would have set the instance of the sensitivity and compassion that the BJP speaks of. However as an alternative, they have been…dragged away…”
He additional mentioned, “They (the 2 girls) have been compelled to take this step as town police had turned them away or stored them underneath home arrest on earlier events when the CM was within the metropolis. Can the ache of the moms who misplaced their kids be in comparison with something?”
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Joshi, whose public spat with then Municipal Commissioner Dilip Rana in March over the cleansing of a drainage line earned him a show-cause discover from the BJP, mentioned he has by no means spoken towards the occasion. He mentioned, “I’ve at all times raised questions towards the system and the administration… I’m not somebody who barges into workplaces and threatens officers… I’ve at all times approached by way of proper channels, writing letters and requesting motion however when the requests are ignored and folks endure, I increase my voice towards such officers. In the event that they assume that such officers belong to the BJP, then I don’t agree with the occasion…”
Whereas he insisted that the suspension “doesn’t have an effect on him a lot” — he’ll proceed to carry the place as an impartial corporator, as per the foundations — Joshi has determined to “search solutions from the BJP”.
He mentioned, “I’ll write a letter to the occasion to ask them to enlist the examples when I’ve broken the occasion’s picture… I solely know that I fulfilled my obligation as a folks’s consultant and raised my voice for justice and repair to folks. I imagine in that ideology of the BJP — of Shyamaprasad Mukherjee and Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay. I’ve no agenda to be well-known or grow to be a Minister.”
Final yr, Joshi had vowed to not go to the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, which was inaugurated simply 4 days after the Harni tragedy, till the victims are served justice. He mentioned, “Sure, I’m agency on my resolve… Lord Ram doesn’t ask his disciples to return and bow down solely in a temple… He’s happy by service to humanity. Lord Ram is in my coronary heart and the way in which he fought for his rules, so will we. Now that I’m not even answerable to anybody, I’ll be sure that Harni victims get justice with double the ability that I’ve…”