On Thursday, 12th January 2023, it was widely reported that Union Minister Ashwini Choubey faced violent protests in Buxar, Bihar. Reportedly, angry farmers protesting against the upcoming Chausa thermal power plant in the area threw stones at the minister’s convoy. This happened a day after farmers had torched several vehicles at the project site.
But the minister has denied the reports, saying there was no attack on him.
Union Minister Ashwini Kumar Choubey reached Banarpur in Buxar-Chausa on Wednesday to talk to farmers after the arson at the thermal power plant. Choubey is also an MP from Buxar. Initially, he was giving a speech without any incident. But after some time the crowd gathered later became furious, and the minister had to face people’s anger erupted on him. The farmers said that they have not come to listen to his speech, and started sloganeering against him.
Soon the situation escalated, and it was decided that it is better to leave the spot. Accordingly, the union minister left the venue, but when his convoy started to leave, angry protestors blocked the vehicles. After that, stones were reportedly hurled at the convoy. However, he was securely evacuated from the spot and nobody was injured in the incident.
बक्सर-चौसा के बनारपुर में पहुचे केंद्रीय राज्य मंत्री अश्विनी कुमार चौबे के खिलाफ लोगो का फूटा गुस्सा, लगाए अश्विनी चौबे मुर्दाबाद के नारे, चलाया इट , सुरक्षाकर्मियो के घेरे में जान बचाकर भागे मंत्री। @AshwiniKChoubey @BJP4Bihar #BiharNews #BuxarPolice pic.twitter.com/UdN9rRygM0
— NBT Bihar (@NBTBihar) January 12, 2023
However, the minister has played down the incident, saying there was no attack on him, and he talked to hundreds of people on the spot. He called it a false rumour and said that he spent an hour with thousands of people. He denied that there was any stone pelting on his convoy, and said that the stones were actually pelted against the Nitish Kumar government for the police action.
He also posted a series of tweets with photographs showing him talking to a large number of people in Buxar. He criticised the Nitish Kumar government for police action against the protestors and assured that farmers will get their due. He questioned why the government is not revising the compensation rate when the power plant is ready to pay enhanced compensation for the acquired land.
आज बक्सर के बनारपुर गांव में पुलिसिया जुल्म के शिकार किसान परिवार के परिजनों से मिला। उन्होंने आपबीती सुनाई। नीतीश बाबू की पुलिस अपराधियों को देख भाग खड़ी होती है और किसानों के घर में घुसकर तांडव नृत्य करना अपनी बहादुरी समझती है। पुलिस की बर्बरता निंदनीय है। (1/3) pic.twitter.com/VKraVajR0d
— Ashwini Kr. Choubey (@AshwiniKChoubey) January 12, 2023
In Buxar, Bihar, farmers are demanding more compensation for the land acquired for a thermal power plant of The Sutlej Jal Vidyut Nigam (SJVN) at Chausa village in Buxar. Farmers have been protesting and demanding better compensation for the land for more than 86 days.
On Tuesday, the police arrested some protestors. After this, the farmers opened a front against the police on Wednesday. Angry farmers went on a rampage and there was a situation of fierce confrontation between the police and the farmers. The formers torched several vehicles, a cabin and some machines. They also attacked several policemen, and around a dozen cops were injured.
Today, Buxar MP Ashwini Kumar Choubey came to meet them to enquire about the issue. When Ashwini Choubey was giving his speech among the agitating farmers, some of the farmers asked him where he was for so many days. Journalists also asked the same question to the Union Minister. The farmers started shouting slogans against Ashwini Choubey. Seeing the fierce atmosphere among the farmers, Ashwini Choubey started to leave. But the farmers threw stones at the convoy while raising slogans against Ashwini Choubey. After this, the security personnel surrounded them, and minister Ashwini Choubey was rescued from Banarpur.
The 1,320-MW Buxar thermal power plant is a coal-based plant that has been under construction in Chausa since 2013. Larsen & Toubro Limited is constructing the plant at a cost of Rs 7000 crore. The plant is scheduled to become operational in this year.
