 |
Wednesday,
February 13, 2002, Chandigarh, India  
|
Campaign ends in 3 states VHP stand galvanises Muslim vote Caste factor crucial in Mulayam stronghold Muslims hold the key in Hardwar
BSP set to gain in Aligarh |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Unseat BJP in UP: Laloo DMK “desperation” in Andipatti India, Kazakhstan to fight terrorism
‘Armed peace with Pak can’t be avoided’ MoD asks cine stars to perform for troops HC rejects Archies’ plea AP to hold talks with PWG
|
|
Campaign ends in 3 states New Delhi, February 12 A total of 1.58 crore voters are expected to decide the electoral fate of 918 candidates for 116 constituencies in Punjab. In UP over 24 million voters would exercise their franchise at 26,437 polling stations in 92 assembly constituencies in the first phase to decide the fortunes of 1242 candidates. Former Chief Minister and BSP leader Mayawati is seeking election from Harora in Saharanpur district, which is a traditional BSP stronghold. Polling in the next two phases involving 145 and 166 constituencies respectively will be held on February 18 and 21. Besides 144 companies of the PAC, 92,000 Home Guards and 180 companies of central para-military forces will also be deployed. In Manipur, campaigning was low key for the first phase poll for the 40 assembly seats. In continued attacks on candidates in the run-up to the two-phase assembly poll in the state, unidentified militants today opened fire at the houses of two contenders for the prestigious Keisamthong Assembly constituency. The electoral fate of three former Chief Ministers W Nipamacha Singh of the Manipur National Conference, Mr Radhabinod Koijam of Samata and Mr R.K. Dorendra Singh of the Federal Party of Manipur will be decided at the hustings. In Uttaranchal, which will have its first legislative assembly elections, 927 candidates, including Chief Minister Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, and his predecessor Nityanand Swami are trying their luck for berths in the 70-member Assembly.
PTI |
|
VHP stand galvanises Muslim vote Aligarh, February 12 If the mood on the campus of Aligarh Muslim University can be taken as a reliable indicator of the Muslim mind, only a miracle can save the BJP from being shown the door. The campus represents all shades of Muslim opinion — from the orthodox to the liberal. There is already talk of evolving an informal arrangement for stopping the BJP from returning to power. Representatives of diverse groups recognised that the only way to “defeat communalism” was through avoiding a split in the Muslim votes. The VHP announcement has steeled their resolve. Politically the UP Muslims are divided in three camps. The Samajwadi Party of Mulayam Singh Yadav still remains the first choice of most Muslims. The Congress and the Bahujan Samaj Party of Ms Mayawati share the second and third spots on the scale of Muslim preference. The strategy that was being discussed on the campus and in the city was running into roadblocks. Muslims in each camp were trying to project their party as the front-runner and was wanting the other two to back it. The VHP announcement has seen an overnight transformation in the attitude of the Muslims The Jamaati elements and the liberals and those representing different schools of Muslim thought have decided to float a joint front to avoid the splitting of votes. Take Dr Iqbal Ghani Khan of the Department of History. He has on several occasions invited the ire of the fundamentalist Muslim because of his known proximity to the Marxist historian Dr Irfan
Habib. But after the announcement of the temple construction deadline he was busy establishing contact with the fundamentalists and the orthodox groups of the Muslims. And the response was positive. A committee was set up shortly after the VHP deadline became public. What can be called a Muslim hotline has been set up to help the community leaders stay connected until the last phase of the three-phase election is completed on February 21. Under the arrangement the community leaders will first concentrate on the constituencies where elections are scheduled on February 14. The simple rule of thumb that they have evolved for defeating the BJP is to ensure the mass transfer of the Muslim votes to the secular candidate that stands the best chance of winning. For instance in the Aligarh Vidhan Sabha constituency the Muslims have decided to back the Congress candidate although he is a Hindu while the Samajwadi and BSP candidates come from the Muslim community. Of course, the Muslim masses are angry with the cheap political gimmicks of the Samajwadi Party, the Congress and the BSP that have all fielded an abnormally large number of Muslim candidates. Mr
Samiddin, a Jamaat sympathiser, was certain that at least the BSP had played the Muslim card for splitting the minority votes. The popular Muslim view also does not see Ms Mayawati as the benefactor of the minorities. Ms Mayawati is seen as an agent of the BJP. According to Dr K. P. Singh, a retired professor of Hindi, the BSP is essentially the first political step for the Dalits to gain economic and social respect. The second and final step leads them to the upper caste and social and cultural respectability. This is provided by the BJP. He gave several instances of Dalits who started their career with the BSP. However, after they gained economic muscle they shifted their political allegiance to the BJP to gain social respectability. The earlier projections gave the second spot to the BSP, behind the Samajwadi Party but ahead of the Congress. However, the VHP’s announcement seems to have pushed the BSP out of the Muslim frame. The bulk of the Muslim votes may now go to the Samajwadi Party with the Congress also making impressive gains. |
|
VHP ‘ready for bloodshed’ Coimbatore, February 12 VHP vice-president Acharya Giriraj Kishore told newspersons, "We are also ready to face even a ban. We have gone through all this earlier." Asked whether there would be bloodshed and unrest in the country if the temple construction plans were executed, he said: "We don’t mind. The country had faced bloodshed and a war-like situation even during Partition."
UNI |
|
Caste factor crucial in Mulayam stronghold Kannauj, February 12 From all available indications after touring 11 Assembly constituencies, it appears that the Samajwadi Party (SP), the BJP, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and the Congress are battling it out with the first two expected to pocket the maximum seats and the latter two getting a seat each. In terms of the caste arithmetic the region has Yadavs, Brahmins, Thakurs, Lodhs, Dalits and Other Backward Classes who would determine the fate of contenders and every political party has fielded its candidates keeping the caste calculations in mind. “But the fragmentation of castes has now gone beyond a point where no single caste leader can claim that he could get votes of his clan and caste for his choice of candidate”, a seasoned political analyst, Mr Amit Dubey, observed, adding that the caste factor would increasingly become irrelevant as each caste had many leaders now. Etawah, situated on the banks of the Yamuna and often drawing its muscle strength from the ravines of Chambal, has five Assembly seats. In Etawah city, the contest is emerging to be a triangular one with sitting BJP MLA Jaiveer Singh Bhadoria locked in a keen battle with SP contender Mahendra Singh Rajput and BSP candidate Pradeep Dubey. Mr Bhadoria, a Thakur by caste and transporter and contractor by profession, had won the seat in 1996 with a big margin but this time the contest appears to be tough for him as Mr Dubey of the BSP and Congress candidate Prem Shankar Sharma are laying claim to his Brahmin vote-bank. A former Congress minister and wife of former bureaucrat S.K. Mishra, MP Sukhda Mishra, who is now the chief election manager of Mr Bhadoria is trying her level best to ensure that a sizeable chunk of Brahmin voters remain with the BJP but the task is in no way easy. Mr Rajput, a Lodh, is also not on an easy wicket as the Rashtriya Kranti Dal of former UP Chief Minister Kalyan Singh has fielded Nihal Singh Baghel as the party candidate. With Mr Kalyan Singh himself campaigning for him, the large chunk of Lodh voters are expected to support Mr Baghel thus denying the advantage that Mr Rajput was hoping to have. In the reserved constituency of Lakhna, where sitting SP MLA Sukhdevi Verma is fighting an uphill task against BJP candidate Munshilal Dohre, BSP candidate Shivram Dohre, a former bureaucrat, is also no push-over as the electoral battle is still wide open. In the neighbouring reserved constituency of Ajitmal, former Additional Director-General of the UP police Ram Swaroop Pushkar of the SP is locked in a three-cornered contest with BJP candidate —teacher-turned-politician Chakki Lal who is putting up the most stiff challenge. The electoral performance of BSP candidate Madanlal Gautam and RKD contender Ashok Chak could have a decisive influence on the final outcome. |
|
Muslims hold the key in Hardwar Hardwar, February 12 All parties are engaged in winning over Muslim voters. So much so that in a city like Roorkee, leaders of various political parties have been attending the Namaz prayers to woo Muslim voters. Muslim community is backing the BSP in Bahadurabad, Manglora, Luxar and Laldang seats. On all four seats, the BSP has fielded Muslim candidates. But the party has not been able to win over a majority of Muslim voters on the remaining five seats. Interestingly, in reserved constituencies like Bhagwanpur and Landora, Muslims are rallying behind the Samajwadi Party. On both the seats, even schoolchildren could be seen canvassing for the party candidates. The Naib of Darul-Ulum Sabha, Maulana Masood Madni, is also supporting the SP candidates. Maulana Masood Madni was in forefront of the “Hardwar bachao” agitation’ He, along with his followers, had also blocked the Delhi-Hardwar highway to demand exclusion of Hardwar from
Uttaranchal. The SP legislatures have also been supporting this demand. On Akbarpur seat the situation is, however, different. A tussle is on between the Congress candidate, Mr Aslam Khan, and Mr Munir Alam of the SP. On the Manglora seat, Mr Nizzamudin of the BSP and Mr Saraswat Karim Ansari of the Congress are in a race to win over the Muslim voters. In Roorkee, the SP, the Congress and the BSP are making efforts to win over the community. But the credentials of the BSP candidate, Mr Pius Jindal, who has a long association with the BJP ,is affecting his popularity among Muslims. In Hardwar, a fight is on between Mr Madan Kaushik of the BJP and Mr Paras Jain of the Congress. Ms Sonia Gandhi’s visit to the city has given a much-needed boost to the Congress campaign. The All India Sant Samiti, an organisation of saints and sadhus, is openly supporting the Congress. Different akharas here are upset with the president of the VHP, Mr Ashok Singhal. Which is why they are also against the BJP. Brahamchari Braham Swaroop of the Jai Ram Annkshetra, who has a large following amongst the sadhus, however, is in limelight of the BJP campaign. The only advantage to the BJP is that Punjabi voters are likely to vote en bloc for the party. A direct fight seems to be emerging between the SP and the BJP in the nearby Bahadarabad constituency. Mr Ram Singh Saini of the SP has been representing the constituency for the past four terms. Mr Prithvi Singh of the BJP is giving him a tough fight. Of 1,05,262 voters, 30 per cent are Brahmins and Rajputs and 22 per cent Muslims.
|
|
BSP set to gain in Aligarh Aligarh, February 12 The BJP, which had won five of the seven seats last time, is fighting with its back to the wall. In adjoining Hathras district where the BJP-RLD had three of the four seats, the Samajwadi Party and the Congress have put up strong candidates. One reason for the BSP ascendancy in Aligarh district, where it later lost the only MLA it had, is its “judicious” use of caste equations. The party has given tickets to three Brahmins besides one each to a Yadav, Muslim and Dalit. In the Jat-dominated Iglas, BSP’s candidate Narendra Dixit may gain in the two-way fight between Mr Malkan Singh of the BJP and Mr Birender Singh of the Congress. Similarly in Kher, where three strong Jat leaders from the BJP-RLD, INLD and SP are in the fray, the BSP has preferred Mr Pramod Gaur, a Brahmin. Mr Jaivir Singh of the BSP is giving a tough fight at Baroli to Mr Dalbir Singh of the RLD. In Aligarh where the Rashtriya Kranti Party’s Mr O.P. Aggarwal is cutting into votes of Mr Deepak Mittal of the BJP, the BSP has put up Haji Muqid Ali Qureshi. Though Mr Vivek Bansal of the Congress is also among the front runners, a last-day polarisation of votes could see his chances plummeting. Nearly half of the city’s 3.15 lakh voters belong to the minority community and local residents say the city normally sees voters polarisation at the time of voting. “An undercurrent usually emerges a day or two before the polling day and if minority community votes
en block, the candidate is sure to win,” said Mr Rajeev Saxena, a resident of the city. Both Ms Razia Khan of the Samajwadi Party and Mr Abdul Khaliq, of the National
Loktantrik Party have their pockets of influence here. The Indian National Lok Dal is giving a tough fight to the BJP-RLD at Kher, Kol and Sadabad in Hathras where Mr Lahtu Tau, is its candidate. A die-hard follower of Chaudhry Charan Singh who was denied ticket by the RLD chief Ajit Singh, he has been addressing rallies of INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala in western Uttar Pradesh where he pours scorn on Mr Ajit Singh for betraying his father’s legacy. In the Thakur-dominated Kol seat, Ms Ram Sakhi, is contesting as the INLD nominee. Though former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Kalyan Singh enjoys the backing of strong Lodh community in Attrauli, Ms Umesh Kumari of the BJP has been able to rally the party behind her. Much would depend on the way Thakurs and Dalits vote in this constituency where the Congress has fielded Mr Anwar Hussain and the BSP, Mr Vinod Sharma. In the Yadav-dominated Gangeri, Mr Biresh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party seems to be giving a good fight to Mr Ram Singh, MLA, of the BJP who belongs to the Lodh community. In Hathras district the BJP-RLD which had three of the four seats. It is facing a tough competition from Mr Ranbir Upadhayay of the BSP in Hathras city, Mr Ramesh Karan of the Congress in Sasni and Ms Seema Yadav of the SP in Sikandra Rao. The BJP-RLD position has become more precarious because of the presence of rebel candidates in some seats. Realising that it is facing a tough battle in almost all the seats in Aligarh and Hathras, the BJP is sending its top campaigners including Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna and Pramod Mahajan, to the area. Union Home Minister L K Advani could not come to Aligarh initially due to bad weather. While Ms Mayawati held an impressive BSP rally here recently, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav is expected to come here in the next few days. Congress President Sonia Gandhi is also expected to address a rally in the adjoining areas. |
|
Unseat BJP in UP: Laloo Bareilly, February 12 Talking to mediapersons here last night, Mr Yadav said the BJP, which had claimed to remove fear, hunger and unemployment from society, had itself crossed the limits of corruption in Uttar Pradesh. The people of the state should now become ready to unseat such a party from power, he said. Describing the Vishwa Hindu Parishad’s move of announcing the date for temple construction in Ayodhya as ‘paakhand’ (farce), the RJD leader asked the Muslims not to react to such hollow declarations. He alleged that the BJP-led government, only to divert the attention of people from the real issues, was talking about a decisive fight with Pakistan over
terrorism. UNI |
|
DMK “desperation” in Andipatti Chennai, February 12 Already, the DMK, in a bid to thwart the return of Ms Jayalalitha as Chief Minister, has been engaged in a series of vain attempts to get the byelection postponed. The Madras High Court yesterday dismissed a public interest petition in this regard. A similar petition filed by the DMK candidate, Mr Vaigai Sekhar, is pending in the Delhi High Court. In a memorandum to the
Governor of Tamil Nadu, Mr P. S. Rammanohar Rao, Mr Sekhar has charged the AIADMK with spending crores of rupees on various schemes in Andipatti to influence the voters. “I am contesting against all odds,” he said. Ms Jayalalitha will be campaigning for several days in Andipatti beginning tomorrow. Mr Karunanidhi will also be there for a day at the end of this week. Elaborate security arrangements have been made to ensure a peaceful poll. Personnel from the state police and contingents from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are being deployed in the constituency. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, Mr O. Panneerselvam, during his campaign in Andipatti, has urged party workers to be wary of DMK activists bent on “:sabotaging” the byelection. His swan-song has been that it is time Ms Jayalalitha is restored to power as Chief Minister. |
|
India, Kazakhstan to fight terrorism New Delhi, February 12 In a joint declaration signed by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and visiting Kazakh President N A Nazarbayev also maintained that the fight against terrorism had to be “global, comprehensive and sustained for the objective of total elimination of terrorism everywhere.” The two leaders also recalled their commitment to UN Security Council Resolution 1373 and reiterated that the global fight against terrorism must also address those who instigate or assist as much those who perpetuate terrorism. Mr Nazarbayev, who arrived here yesterday on a five-day state visit, was today given a ceremonial welcome by President K.R. Narayanan at the forecourt of Rashtrapati Bhavan. Speaking at a banquet hosted in honour of Kazakhstan President Nursultan Nazarbayev, President K.R. Narayanan said: ‘We have taken the principled stand that cross-border terrorism against India must be stopped. We are waiting to see concrete action on the ground. Only then, I am confident, that our concerns and those of the region could be addressd on the basis of peaceful co-existence and friendly dialogue.’’ He said the terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament was an attack on “our democracy and sovereignty.’’ |
||
|
West Bengal CM’s bid to appease Muslims Kolkata, February 12 Mr Bhattacharjee tried to win over the Muslims, who felt hurt by his recent remarks on
madarsa vis-a-vis the ISI activities. He also did not miss the opportunity to lash out at the Sangh
Parivar. He said any attempt to break the nation on communal grounds would be firmly dealt with. He also announced the decision to launch a movement against the VHP’s move to rebuild Ram temple at Ayodhya from March 15. The Left Front Chairman, Mr Biman Bose, was also present at the meeting along with three other CPM Muslim ministers Mohammad Amin, Mohammad Salim and Anisur Rahman while CPM state secretary, Mr Anil Biswas, and the School Education Minister, Mr Kanti Biswas, stayed away. Also absent was the veteran Marxist leader, Mr Jyoti Basu. Mr Basu declined to accept the invitation on personal ground, while Mr Biswas deliberately avoided the meeting after his bitter experience at a similar meeting last year, where he was heckled by the organisers for objecting to the opening of the conference with the renderings from the Koran. Mr Bhattacharjee admitted that a controversy had been created over his recent remarks on madarasas. He said he did not mean to hurt the sentiments of the Muslims and other minorities since he himself had been advocating advancement in their social and educational life. He regretted that he had been misread and misunderstood. He announced his government’s decision to develop
madarsa education on a par with modern education, science and technology so that there were more job opportunities created for the Muslim youths. The Chief Minister was silent about renderings from the Koran at the beginning of the conference which a section of CPM leadership strongly resented. Equally unhappy were the leaders of the CPI, RSP, FB and others. The Trinamool Congress and the Congress had been critical of Mr Bhattacharjee’s pampering of the Muslims for political gain. |
|
‘Armed peace with Pak can’t be avoided’ Indore, February 12 “Even if we do not fight a war, we cannot avert a cold war with Pakistan.’’ he said in his lecture on “India’s Security and Economic Development’’ at the Indian Institute of Management here yesterday. Mr Malik, who is also a member of the National Security Council, highlighted Pakistan’s proxy war and its terror policy against India. Pakistan military had vested interests in continuing adversarial relations with India and noise on Kashmir, he added. Referring to internal security, General Malik quoted Kautilya as having said: “Our worst enemy is the enemy within.’’ Internal security is a problem as Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) was always ready to fish into troubled waters, he pointed said.
UNI |
|
MoD asks cine stars to perform for troops New Delhi, February 12 It’s been almost two months since the government ordered the mobilisation of troops along the border after the attack on the Indian Parliament House on December 13. The troops continue to wait in biting cold with no entertainment of any sort coming forth. Keeping this fact in mind the government has approached a number of cine artistes to entertain the troops along the frontline. Defence Ministry officials said here today that besides the cine actors and actresses, theatre artistes and singers had also been
approached to perform at forward locations so that the troops get some recreation through
entertainment. Officials said a number of artistes had readily responded and the shows are likely to roll off very soon. Defence Minister George Fernandes has also talked to the Chief of Army Staff, Gen S. Padmanabhan, in this regard. Even during the Kargil conflict, several cine actors and actresses had visited the “war zone” to meet soldiers. |
|
HC rejects Archies’ plea New Delhi, February 12 Dismissing Archies’ application seeking a stay on demonstration by these outfits in front of its office and outlets in the city and direction to the police to restrain them from doing so, Mr Justice Sharda Agrawal said: “The plaintiff (Archies) has failed to make out a prima facie case for the grant of interim injunction.” Stating that the Archies had not placed before the court any material showing that these organisations had held any threat to the company or its franchisees, the court said: “they must establish” this fact to show that their “apprehension is reasonable.” Meanwhile, Mr Thackeray told reporters in Mumbai today that there would be no change in the party’s view on the Valentine’s Day. He said a western culture
was being injected into people’s mindset through the celebrations. PTI |
|
AP to hold talks with PWG Hyderabad, February 12 An all-party meeting convened by Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu here unanimously decided to initiate dialogue with the ultra-left outfit, banned under the controversial POTO last year, in what is probably the first serious attempt to find a solution to the Naxal problem through negotiations. The decision comes in the backdrop of an unconditional offer of talks made by the PWG last month. Accepting the offer, the government said it would work out the modalities for initiating the dialogue through political consensus.
PTI |
|||||
|
Judicial remand of Afroz extended Mumbai, February 12 |
|||||
|
Iran allows transit
for Indian wheat New Delhi, February 12 |
|||||
IT RAIDS ON POP
SINGER'S HOUSE 7 PILGRIMS DIE IN ACCIDENT TRICOLOUR HOISTED UPSIDE DOWN MORPHINE WORTH
8 CR SEIZED RARE HEART SURGERY PERFORMED RIPPING OFF COCONUT FIBRE WITH TEETH LIVING ON LIGHT MANTRA |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 122 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
In Videos
