Patkar in soup for comparing Narmada to a prostitute

BARWANI: Medha Patkar, firebrand leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, faced sharp criticism on Sunday for allegedly terming the holy river as a prostitute who’s

BARWANI: Medha Patkar, firebrand leader of the Narmada Bachao Andolan, faced sharp criticism on Sunday for allegedly terming the holy river as a prostitute who’s being abused by private companies.

HT Image

During a recent interaction with the media, the activist had complained that several private firms were abusing the river like a vaishya (prostitute). She alleged that the state government was supplying 172 crore litres of river water to private firms every day.

Enraged by her remark, members of a non- descript organisation – the Maa Narmada Bhakt Mandal – approached the Barwani Kotwali police to register a formal complaint. Local BJP leader Amrit Lal Agrawal also joined the protesters. “The people of Madhya Pradesh – not just Barwani – treat the Narmada river as their mother. Patkar has insulted our mother, and that’s unacceptable,” said Agrawal.

However, the Barwani Kotwali police refused to lodge an FIR – stating that the onus was on the Bhopal police to take action.

Patkar said she was quoted out of context by the media. “They gave a distorted version of what I said,” she told HT over the phone. “I am ready to apologise if I’ve hurt anybody’s sentiments. I also treat Narmada as my mother.”

When asked if she had used another word to describe the exploitation of Narmada water, she replied: “I spoke without giving it a thought. I am sorry.”