Swami Sanand continues hunger strike

Saints in Uttarakhand's Haridwar are fasting for the past 13 days demanding action from the Centre to clean Ganga River.

Prof. J.D. Agarwal and Swami Sanand are among those on strike in Haridwar's Matri Sadan over the issues related to cleanliness and flow of the holy river.

"We want a law to protect the Ganga River. The politicians are using it as per their will and we just want a law for this. They stayed the High Court order which declared Ganga as a living entity. They are not concerned, due to the barrage the flow of the river has been adversely affected," Sanand said.

Echoing similar sentiments, Prof. Agarwal also voiced concern in the connection.

"To a long distance, there is no water in Ganga river due to the barrage. Without water, there is no value of the river. I am not against the construction of the dam or of any other use of the water, but my concern is that during this process the river should not be harmed in any way.

On a related note, on Tuesday, senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Uma Bharti requested Swami Sanand to end his hunger strike.

"Prior to Baba Ramdev, Shri Pranava Pandya Ji and Sanand Swamiji (Shri GD Agarwal) of Gayatri family also expressed their concerns about the work of the Ganga. Shri Sanand Swamiji has been sitting on hunger strike. I have requested him to end the strike," she tweeted in Hindi.