M A I N   N E W S

PM warns of water shortage
INLD steals the show
K. G. Dutt

Kurukshetra, March 6
Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee today called upon the states of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Delhi to formulate joint policies for resolving the waters disputes and for integrated development of the region.

The Prime Minister was addressing a mammoth rally at the Theme Park which was jointly organised by the INLD and the BJP.

The Prime Minister asked Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister, to call a meeting of Chief Ministers of the region in order to solve inter-state disputes.

Mr Vajpayee regretted that the river waters from the region were flowing into the ocean while crops in the region were withering. He warned if the inter-state waters disputes were not resolved amicably and soon, the region could face drinking water crisis.

Referring to the problems of farmers, Mr Vajpayee assured them that steps were being taken to guarantee remunerative prices for their produce. He said the support price of wheat would be suitably increased and the farmers would have no complaint on this count. The Prime Minister wanted that a network of cold storages and godowns should be created in the countryside so that farmers could store their produce there and sell it when remunerative prices were available in the market.

The Prime Minister called upon the farmers to diversify the cropping pattern. He wanted them to produce more pulses, cotton, flowers and fruits. India was in dire need for pulses and had to import it on a large scale.

Mr Vajpayee said there was a great demand for fruits and flowers from India. He told the farmers that the Union Government was taking adequate steps to offset the adverse impact of the WTO on the Indian market.

He stated that heavy duties were being imposed on farm produce and other goods which were being imported so that these were not sold on cheaper rates in the Indian market. This was being done to safeguard the interests of the Indian farmers.

Referring to the power shortage in the country, the Prime Minister maintained that the wrong policies of previous rulers during the past 50 years had resulted in this. He alleged that wrong priorities were responsible for the same. Himachal Pradesh where sufficient hydro-power could have been generated remained neglected and its power generation potential was not properly tapped.

The Prime Minister wanted the farmers to adopt food preservation methods which was the need of the hour. On the financial policies of his government, the Prime Minister claimed that these were aimed at making the country more prosperous.

Mr Vajpayee felt proud that India had become a beacon light for the world in the field of information technology. He assured all fiscal help to Haryana for the promotion and development of information technology. Mr Vajpayee maintained that because of information technology, avenues for more jobs had been opened. The number of people living below the poverty line had considerably decreased.

The Prime Minister sought the cooperation of the Opposition for fast development of the country. He chided the Opposition parties for confining themselves to criticism alone.

Mr Vajpayee maintained that the NDA government was very strong. Its policies were clear and it was a wrong propaganda that the MNCs were dictating the policies.

The Prime Minister assured countrymen that his government would not allow even an inch of his territory to be occupied by any foreign power. He clarified that India had manufactured bombs for her safety and protection of territorial integrity.

Mr Om Prakash Chautala urged the Prime Minister that the loan recovery of Rs 5,700 crore from Haryana should be deferred. The Chief Minister demanded that the financial interests of Haryana should be taken care of as it had made great sacrifices during the Kargil war and period of terrorism in Punjab.

The Chief Minister wanted the Centre to provide financial aid to Haryana for raising infrastructure for industrialists being displaced from Delhi. He maintained that a majority of them were heading towards Haryana and the state government was offering all assistance to them.

Mr Chautala claimed that industrialists from Japan, Singapore, the USA and Italy had set up their units in Haryana.

Mr Anant Kumar, Union Minister for Tourism, said the name of Panorma had been changed to Kurukshetra Bhavya Darshan by the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister and the Chief Minister both expressed the view that with the inauguration of Panorma, Kurukshetra town had achieved international recognition.

The Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for the construction of the western ghat of Brahma Sarovar. He also offered “pooran ahuti” at the yajna there. The entire town of Kurukshetra wore a festive look.

The INLD seemed to have stolen the show as far as display of party flags was concerned. The INLD had decked the 6-km carriageway from Pipli to Theme Park with plastic flags of the party with its symbol of “spectacles”. There was tight security all around the venue of the meeting and people had to walk a distance of about 3 km to attend the rally.

Others who addressed the rally were Mr Ram Dass Aggarwal, Vice-President of the BJP, Mr Rattan Lal Kataria, Haryana BJP chief, Mr Sampat Singh, Finance Minister and Mr Ashok Arora, Transport Minister.

The rally was attended by Mr I.D. Swami, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Cabinet Ministers of Haryana and party MLAs.

The Prime Minister was received, among others, by the Haryana Governor, Babu Parmanand, at the Kurukshetra University helipad.