M A I N   N E W S

BJP drops 41 sitting MLAs
Releases lists for UP, Uttaranchal
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 17
In an all-out effort to retain power in the biggest state, the BJP today released the list of candidates for Uttar Pradesh and Uttaranchal dropping 41 sitting MLAs, including three of its own ministers.

Announcing the names of 309 candidates for UP and 64 for Uttaranchal, BJP spokesman Sunil Shastri said the central election committee of the party, which met today in the presence of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Home Minister Lal Krishna Advani, cleared the list leaving about 75 seats for its allies for which negotiations were continuing.

Mr Shastri said while the party had dropped 41 of its sitting MLAs, the election committee has also decided to field 30 women candidates. Chief Minister Rajnath Singh would be contesting from Haidergarh seat which was vacated by former Congress MLA Surinder Awasthi, alias Puttu Awasthi. Three ministers in the Rajnath Singh government — Dr Arvind Jain, Mr Shri Ram Sonkar and Mr Hari Narayan — had also been denied tickets this time as they were found unsuitable for the party, he said.

In Uttaranchal, the party had denied tickets to seven sitting MLAs, including former Chief Minister Nityanand Swami, Mr Mohan Singh Rawat, Ms Nirupma Gaur and Mr Suresh Arya, he said.

The party had decided to field six women, three belonging to the backward class, 11 Dalits and 3 tribesmen in Uttaranchal. The party would declare candidates for the remaining six seats in a day or two, Mr Shastri said. Giving details of the UP list, Mr Shastri said the party had chosen to give 125 tickets to Dalits and persons belonging to the backward class. Out of 125, there were 50 Dalits and 75 persons belonging to the most backward class, Mr Shastri said, adding that one Muslim Gaffar Khan was being fielded from Tilhar Assembly seat.

For the Mirzapur Lok Sabha byelection, the BJP dropped former MP Birendra Singh and decided to field a sitting MLA Ram Chandra Maurya who came from the most backward caste. The election had been necessitated after Samajwadi Party MP Phoolan Devi was murdered, he said.

Mr Birendra Singh, who had defeated Phoolan Devi in the 1998 Lok Sabha election, was denied ticket at the insistence of UP Chief Minister Rajnath Singh, sources said.

Meanwhile, it is learnt that the BJP’s manifesto would describe the Ram temple issue as a national and cultural issue which can be solved either by consensus or by a court verdict. Asked to clarify the party’s stand particularly in the context of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and BJP President K. Jana Krishnamurthi’s appeals to avoid divisive issues, state unit president Kalraj Mishra said the Ram temple was a national and cultural issue and as such “could find place” in the manifesto.

The sources said the state unit had tried to impress upon Mr Vajpayee that the BJP would find it very difficult to go to people for votes without a stand on the Ram temple issue.

Mr Shastri said many of the ministers in the Rajnath Singh Cabinet, like Prem Prakash Singh, Diwakar Vikram Singh, Fateh Bahadur Singh, Gunga Bux Singh, Vivek Singh and Munna Lal Maurya, would be contesting on the BJP symbol. The decision to give tickets to Dalits and persons belonging to the most backward class is being described as a “gamble move” by the political analysts.

Cong manifesto woos farmers
Promises 24-hour power to villages
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 17
The rural population and farmers are the main focus of the Congress poll manifesto in Punjab with the party also promising some sops for the urbanites.

The manifesto, which has been submitted to the Congress high-command for final approval, will be released in the next few days. The manifesto tries to woo the large farming community in the state with more promises than made by the Badal government so far.

It is learnt that the manifesto promises a 24-hour power supply to all villages in the state within one year of the Congress coming to power. Giving 150 units of power free of cost to Scheduled Caste and backward class families and to families living below the poverty line for domestic use, besides reserving 27 per cent jobs for the BCs.

A reliable source said the nine-member drafting committee headed by Ms Sukhbans Kaur Bhinder had proposed several sops including waiving interest on some crop loans but the high-command was not in favour of making promises having large financial implications in view of the precarious condition of state’s finances.

While promising to continue free power and water to farmers, the manifesto proposes to introduce new subsidy scheme to give relief to the farmers for operating diesel pumping sets for irrigation purposes. Three lakh pending tubewell connections would be given power supply at affordable rates and power supply would be ensured to them for fixed hours everyday the manifesto says. It also speaks of abolishing the arrest warrant system to recover cooperative loans.

The manifesto promises diversification of agriculture, promoting agro-based industry and improving quality to compete in WTO regime.

It says Upper Bari Doab Canal, Kandi Canal and Dashmesh Canal would be completed speedily and check dams, deep bore tubewells and lift irrigation scheme provided in Kandi and scarcity-hit areas. A new passbook will be given to the farmers as a record of landholdings and all copies relating to land records would be supplied to the farmers the same day.

Promising a new industrial policy, the Congress manifesto says that an efficient single-window operating system would be put in place, “inspector raj” abolished and most of the regulatory functions would be performed by ‘Industrial and Trade Promotion Councils. The party says that power tariff for industry would be rationalised by ensuring their representation in the ‘Power Regulatory Authority’ and steps taken towards freight equalisation and ensuring cheaper availability of raw material.

The manifesto says that Unnat Gram Scheme would be revived to improve sanitary conditions in villages, street lights provided to 10 villages in each block every year. Assuring that attempts would be made to reduce domestic power tariff, the manifesto promises to increase limit of development works by Panchayats to Rs 25 lakh and stipulates salary to village chowkidars, lambardars, panchayat members, sarpanches, member block samiti, Chairman Block Samiti, Member Zila Parishad and chairman Zila Parishad. Panchayat members may also be given facility of free bus service.

Promising to decongest cities and towns, the manifesto says no house tax will be charged on small business premises, rates of commission for arthiays will be made uniform for all commodities at 2.5 per cent, satellite towns will be developed, living conditions improved in slums and unauthorised colonies and more facilities given to Yellow Card holders in towns.

Talking of the steps for the welfare of the Scheduled Castes and backward classes, the manifesto says that Congress would initiate legal steps to distribute surplus land among the landless SC families.

“Five marla plots for residential houses and two marla plots for “ruris” will be provided to all SCs and BC families in each and every village of state without any precondition and financial assistance will also be arranged for them to construct houses on the plots.” The manifesto says flush toilets will be provided to all SC families on a war-footing and condition of SC ‘bastis’ improved. It says that contract system for cleaning the cities and towns will be abolished and practice of carrying night soil on head and scavenging will be done away with.

The manifesto proposes to extend all state-level benefits given to SC families to eligible Christian families. “Bhawgan Valmiki, Sant Namdev, Sant Ravi Dass, Sant Kabir and B R Ambedkar will be rehablitated in the universities. Kanujiyas will be recommended to be included among the SCs,” it says.

Promising steps for the welfare of teachers in private colleges, the manifesto says health corporation will be restructured to provide free medical aid to below poverty line families, deserving senior citizens, destitute women and children. RMP doctors will be recognised in keeping with the high court guidelines.

The manifesto also talks of doing away with excessive checking on highways, simplifying process of getting licence and granting bus permits to the unemployed. It says that the Central government would be approached to increase payload of trucks.

It says that Minimum Wage Act will be implemented in all sectors including agriculture and laws made effective to help NRIs get their property vacated.

Addressing the ex-servicemen, it says that issue of onerank, one pension and full pensionary benefit will be taken up with the Central government and sales tax on items in CSD in Punjab would be made at on a par with the neighbouring states.