SURAT, June 25: The Sarvodaya Mitra Mandal, which is protesting against a government ordinance banning use, sale and purchase of non-iodised salt, has claimed success in its agitation saying that while lakhs of pamphlets propagating the use of non-iodised salt have already been distributed by volunteers of the organisation in the region, non-iodised salt had also been either distributed or sold at token rates in the past months.Jayant Lapsiwala, one of the leaders of the SMM, in a statement issued on Thursday, alleged that sleuths of the Local Crime Branch (LCB) were keeping a close watch on the Mandal activities. He added that the Mandal, nevertheless, would continue its agitation.
Volunteers of the Mandal, in the past fortnight, have either distributed or sold natural salt upto 3000 kgs in the city's slums, including Bapunagar, Subhashnagar, Shital slum, Adajan Patia Sarvodaynagar, Azadnagar, Althan slum and those in the Salabatpura and Varachha areas, Lapsiwala claimed.
Lapsiwala also claimed that Rajkot MP Vallabh Kathiria along with some other MP's from the state had met the prime minister and expressed their support to the cause of non-iodised salt.
The SMM has throughout its protests been maintaining that the government ordinance, making it compulsory for all people to use only iodised salt, was anti-poor. It has also alleged that the order was pro-multinationals, who were looting people in broad daylight.
Leaders of the Mandal have pledged to continue with their drive and have appealed to the chief minister to revoke the order immediately.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
