Sabarmati ashram inmates want disparity in rent removed
Gandhi Ashram A file photo of the residents of the Gandhi Ashram on a fast on Monday
Haribhai Borisa, whose grandfather accompanied Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi during the Dandi Yatra, is paying Rs 600 per month as rent to Sabarmati Harijan Ashram Trust. According to him, the charges levied by the trust are not uniform.
"When Gandhiji left the ashram, he had written to the trustees asking them to allow the residents to continue living in the premises by paying a token rent of Re 1 annually," said Borisa. "Things have been changed since then. There is no uniformity in levying rent by the trustees. Last month, I paid Rs 600 as monthly house rent and I even have the receipt for the same."
The ashramites have started an indefinite hunger strike from October 1, 2018, with several demands, including ownership of the houses they are staying in for a very long period opf time . When Gandhi established the Sabarmati Ashram in 1917, he had invited the Harijan families from different pockets of Saurashtra to start a colony.
"It's been a day since we are staging the protest but no one has come to us yet. There is no communication from them (trustees). Before going on indefinite strike, we had written to them about our issues and demands on September 17, 2018," said Dhimant Badhiya,
They said they had also written to the President, Prime Minister, Leader of Opposition in of the Rajya Sabha, Lok Sabha, Governor, Chief Minister, leader of opposition in the state Assembly and to the Supreme Court and High Court.
"Our demands are logical. There is not a single scheduled caste person in any of the trusts. While, it was Bapu's idea to promote Harijans, sadly, it is not being followed by the trustees," said Badhiya.
The trustees could not be contacted on Tuesday.
LIFE IN THE ASHRAM, THEN AND NOW
- The residents started an indefinite hunger strike from October 1, 2018, with several demands, including ownership of the houses they are staying in for a very long period of time
- When Gandhi established the ashram in 1917, he had invited the Harijan families from different pockets of Saurashtra to start a colony
