M A I N   N E W S

Two resign from Chautala ministry
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Jan 28 — Two Haryana ministers, Mr Jaswant Singh Bawal and Mr Vinod Kumar Marya, today resigned from the Chautala ministry reportedly in protest against the denial of the INLD ticket for the ensuing Assembly elections.

The Governor, Mr Mahabir Prasad, accepted their resignations on the advice of the Chief Minister.

The Minister of State for Public Health, Mr Bawal, was elected on the HVP ticket in 1996. But he deserted Mr Bansi Lal and joined the HVP(D) last year and joined the INLD and the Chautala ministry. Till a couple of days ago his INLD ticket was considered to be a certainty.

However, in a sudden development Mr Chautala decided to nominate the former Vice-Chancellor of Kurukshetra University, Dr M.L. Ranga, from the Bawal seat.

Mr Jaswant Singh today quit the ministry. He could not be contacted on the telephone for comments.

Mr Marya was elected on the Samata Party ticket from the Tohana constituency in 1996. However, Mr Chautala expelled him from the party for his alleged anti-party activities. Mr Marya was inducted into the ministry by Bansi Lal. He rejoined Mr Chautala’s party last year.

He told TNS that he had resigned on moral grounds because the INLD had decided not to renominate him from Tohana. However, he said he would neither contest the elections nor quit the INLD.

TMC to back AIADMK

CHENNAI, Jan 28 (PTI) — In a significant move which might have far-reaching political consequences in Tamil Nadu, the Tamil Maanila Congress today decided to support the AIADMK in the byelections to three Assembly seats in the state scheduled for February 17.

Announcing the party decision, TMC President G.K. Moopanar told a press meet here that the decision was taken to avoid a split in the vote-bank of “secular forces in the state.”

“This arrangement is confined only to the byelections for Tiruchi II, Aranthangi and Nellikuppam,” he said when asked if the TMC would go in for a tie-up with the AIADMK during next year’s Assembly elections.

He said the leaders of TMC allies — JD(U), Indian Union Muslim League, Dalit Panthers of India and Republican Party of India — had endorsed the decision.