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Parties rope in stars for Delhi campaign
Change is
the ‘mantra’ of Cong, BJP Dara
Singh advocates uniform civil code |
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Modi to
be star campaigner
Poll
fever yet to catch up in Amber RAJASTHAN
DIARY Naidu
flays Cong silence Jhalarapatan BJP
expels 53 rebels for six years MP DIARY
Repoll
ordered in 12 polling booths
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Parties rope in stars for Delhi campaign
New Delhi, November 21 The BJP, desperate to improve its tally of 14 legislators in the outgoing House, got a shot in the arm when the country’s favourite daughter-in-law Smriti Irani, famously known as Tulsi Virani of “Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi”, joined the party. The party’s pantheon of stars, who have already joined the portals of powers, include Minister of State for External Affairs Vinod Khanna, Shipping Minister Shatrughan Sinha and two new entrants in the Rajya Sabha - Hema Malini and Dara Singh. Introducing herself as the youngest member in the BJP family, Smriti was a star attraction at Ghanta Ghar in Chandni Chowk from where the BJP kicked off its campaign. The glee on the face of Madan Lal Khurana, the ageing patriarch of Delhi politics and party’s chief ministerial prospect, was more than obvious as people waited patiently for
Smriti’s arrival. When she arrived, they heard, in rapt attention, every bit of what she had to say. Mr Khurana, who is contesting from Moti Nagar, has roped in Praveen Kumar, who played the role of ‘Bheema’ in serial Mahabharat. The Congress is banking upon Sunil Dutt and Rajesh Khanna, two popular actors of their time. According to reports, Govinda has promised to campaign for Congress candidate Barkha Singh, wife of sitting MLA Ashok Singh, in the R.K. Puram constituency. “Besides Govinda, Mahima Chaudhary and Sushmita Sen are most likely to be a part of Barkha Singh’s campaign,” party sources point out. The Samajwadi Party plans to rope in Amitabh Bachchan. “We are making efforts to bring in the Bollywood’s greatest icon to canvas for our party candidates in the Capital,” says Virendra Singh Rathore, Convener of the youth wing of the party’s Delhi unit. However, film star Raj Babbar, a sitting member of the party in the Lok Sabha, and noted character actor and villain Raza Murad have also consented to campaign, he points out. Vijay Jolly, vice-president of the Delhi BJP, filed nomination from Saket by going to the SDMs office at Mehrauli in a convoy of 180 cars, 30 tempos, 12 horses and a chariot. Vinod Khanna, assisted him in filing the nomination papers. He is slated to address a few meetings for the party candidates. Surya Prakash, BJP candidate from Kamla Nagar constituency, boasts of support of Dara Singh, the wrestler-turned-actor-turned politician and popular TV actor Aman Verma. His election campaign has been quite glittering from the day of filing of nomination itself. Film stars Satish Kaushik and Deepti Bhatnagar were among the band of his supporters. “Other stars who will be supporting Mr Prakash, Secretary of the Delhi Bar Council, include Mahima Chaudhary, Pooja Batra, Asrani and Smriti Irani,” say his campaign managers. Poonam Azad, wife of cricket star Kirti Azad, MP, is the BJP candidate against Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit in Gole Market constituency. Former Indian captain K Srikanth has already campaigned for her in Razabazar. While mainstream parties have been trotting out the list of star campaigners, there are also those who cannot lay their hands upon them and have hit novel ideas to attract attention. Ajij Dhobi of the All-India United Muslim Morcha filed nomination from Seemapuri-SC on November 12 by going to the SDM’s office in a procession of donkeys. His nomination was, however, later rejected because he was not a Schedule Caste candidate.
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Change is the ‘mantra’ of Cong, BJP New Delhi, November 21 While the Congress is seeking the mandate to rule for the second consecutive term and continue its policies to make Delhi a cyber city, the BJP is urging the voters to bring about leadership change in the Capital to put an end to the appalling state of civic amenities. Although full statehood would be the focus of both parties in their manifestoes, expected to be released in a couple of days, the Congress and the BJP do not see eye to eye on the nature of statehood. Even though a Bill to this effect has been introduced in Parliament, the blame game continues, diluting the proposed powers of the state government. Sources in both parties indicated that the focus of both manifestoes would be the development of Delhi. The Congress would boast of providing clean air through use of CNG, modern transportation system in the form of Delhi Metro, congestion-free movement through flyovers, ensuring uninterrupted power by way of privatisation and bringing in governance to the doorstep of the people by ‘Bhagidari’. It would also illustrate the measures taken to make the Capital a cyber city and bringing in investment friendly climate for non-polluting, high employment generating units, sources in the Congress said. On the other hand, the BJP manifesto, party sources said, was likely to focus on the failure of the government to provide basic civic amenities, lack of potable water, long hours of power-cuts, lack of incentives to investors, irrational sales tax regime, inability to provide primary healthcare services and the ‘false claims’ of the Congress on several projects initiated during its regime. On the contentious issue of regularisation of unauthorised colonies, both parties would make tall claims and blame the lack of initiative by the Congress-led Delhi Government and the BJP-led Central Government in achieving the desired results. While the parties would harp on change in their own sense, yet, the leaders of both the BJP and the Congress, face contest from young contestants urging the voters to give the youth a chance to serve. Alka Lamba against Madan Lal Khurana in Moti Nagar Assembly segment and Poonam Azad against Sheila Dikshit in Gole Market constituency are urging senior leaders to give way to youth for infusing fresh ideas to bring about change in governance. Here, however, Ms Dikshit and Mr Khurana are unanimous in their views that experience matters. The performance of two leaders is there for the electorate in Delhi to assess. Whom they give a thumbs up would be known on December 1. Till then, the lanes and bylanes of the Capital would be thronged by leaders and the fragrance of marigold would be heavy in the air.
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Dara Singh advocates uniform civil code Mehgaon (MP), November 21 Emphasising that there is no doubt about Congress President Sonia Gandhi’s legal citizenship of this country, Dara Singh, who was on a day’s campaign tour for the BJP in the Gwalior-Chambal region, told The Tribune in an exclusive interview here today that “a constitutional amendment preventing persons of foreign origin from occupying high offices could be made if there is a consensus.” Dara Singh, who is using his image of Hanuman in the famous TV serial “Ramayan” to influence voters to vote for the BJP, maintained that although he was not a politician he was campaigning for the party as “it was the only party that has a great vision and able leadership.” “It is not that I am repaying debt to the BJP for nominating me to the Rajya Sabha...but I am really impressed by their policies and agenda, especially Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s ‘Vision 2020’,” Dara Singh said. Emphasising the need for corruption-free politics and governance, Dara Singh refrained from making a direct comment on the alleged Judeo bribery scandal. “I believe only people who are technically sound could comment on the videotape (showing former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo allegedly taking bribe),” he said. Dara Singh, who reached Gwalior late last night with his son Amrik Singh Randhawa, before embarking on a campaign trail in the adjacent Bhind district, was confident that the BJP wrest power in Madhya Pradesh. “From the response of the people, I feel that development has become the main poll issue in Madhya Pradesh and I have no doubt that the BJP will get majority,” he said. He was greeted by a large crowd at Mehgaon, Mhow and Sendhwa. Asked whether he was sure of being nominated as Rajya Sabha member, he said: “I thought ace athlete Milkha Singh had a greater chance. But I think the government decided to nominate me as I was a sportsperson as well as an actor.”
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Modi to be star campaigner Jaipur, November 21 Not only does the party know that he has a mass following among the Hindus, but he himself knows the pulse of the of the Hindi-speaking states. He knows how to go about stemming the tide. He can, the BJP knows, be the crucial factor between the party coming to power in Rajasthan and in a way push forward the party campaign for the general elections next year. The BJP leaders here have no doubt that once the Gujarat Chief Minister hits the campaign trail in his neighbouring state, the difference in the party campaign would be there for all to see. He had worked magic in Gujarat when all seemed to have been lost for the BJP and this time, too, it is going to be no different, they say. The BJP clearly seems to be on the backfoot in Rajasthan, but then such was the case even in Gujarat. With the Congress depending heavily on the minority community and traders, who had been hit hard by the riots, to push them through, the ‘Modi Magic’ seemed to be the blessing for the BJP. And the BJP strategists sitting in Delhi know where the ‘Modi Magic’ will work the best. He will be concentrating in sensitive areas. The police in the state is a worried lot as a result. Although officials here says they are ready for any eventuality, they agree that Modi’s visit to most of the areas listed as sensitive in the police diary will be a cause for concern. Narendra Modi hits the campaign trail in Rajasthan from tomorrow. As per the strategy of the BJP, he will be concentrating in far-flung tribal areas of state. These areas share the border with Gujarat and naturally will have an effect of the new Hindu mascot addressing them in the same fashion as he did in his state. Despite his tight schedule, Modi will be spending at least four crucial days here in Rajasthan in the next seven days left before the campaigning officially comes to an end. He is scheduled to address 11 meetings here on Saturday and Sunday and all in the areas where the Hindutva’s influence is very strong. Although Election Commission observers are also expected to keep a close watch on the movements and addresses of Modi, but it will be no surprise for anyone that he rakes up Hindutva issues and those concerning Pakistan. It was the fire that he spit against Pakistan on the last day of campaigning in Gujarat that most felt had pushed the BJP beyond the Congress grasp, forcing the latter to cry foul. There is again an air of expectancy that Pakistan will be Modi’s target again. This is more in the Congress circles as they have still not forgotten the Gujarat experience. Although Congress is not ready to reveal its strategy to counter Modi, but the expectation is that its senior leaders will hit the trail in the same areas where the Gujarat Chief Minister will be leading the Hindutva brigade.
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Cong assures more jobs Raipur, November 21 The party’s election manifesto released today by AICC General Secretary R.K. Dhawan in the presence of state Chief Minister Ajit Jogi promises to create employment opportunities for the unemployed, proposes setting up of a legislative council, providing 27 per cent reservation to the Other Backward Classes, creating more districts, including more castes among Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, providing free education and mid-day meals to schoolchildren in areas where the literacy rate is low and providing land on lease to tribesmen who have been tilling it for years. The manifesto says that the Congress will work towards getting constitutional status for Chhattisgarhi dialect and creating a dictionary to promote its use in official work. All youth registered with employment exchanges on November 1, 2003 will be provided with employment opportunities in the next three years. The entrepreneur providing maximum employment to the local youth will be given an annual award of Rs 5 lakh. The manifesto promises to provide better healthcare facilities in tribal and rural areas and fill the vacancies in the health department. It makes the usual promises of greater decentralisation and taking steps to empower women. It also states that expenditure of the government would not be allowed to cross 40 per cent of the budget. Justifying the promise for a legislative council in the state, Jogi said majority of seats in several districts of the state were reserved and there was a need to involve other sections living at these places in the process of governance. He said the government was striving to earn more royalty from its mineral resources so that no new taxes were imposed on people. The forest districts in the state would be converted into revenue districts. Jogi said the government wanted to encourage industries that made finished products from the local raw material. The raw material was mostly exported outside the state at present and no value addition was being done. Unlike the BJP, which has proposed several populist schemes, including an unemployment allowance of Rs 500 per month to jobless youth who have passed Class 12, waiving of loans to marginal farmers and providing a land to weaker sections, the Congress has not made tall promises in its manifesto. Jogi dismissed BJP’s election manifesto as promises by a party “which knows it was not going to come to power.”
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Poll fever yet to catch up in Amber Amber/Johri Bazaar, November 21 Candidates in these constituencies still seem to be warming up and it could be a day or two before they really make it evident. The restrictions imposed by the Election Commission especially on the expenditure and its daily account have also been keeping the candidates a little subdued. In Amber, although the Congress and the BJP remain the traditional rivals and their candidates the main contenders, the role of rebels from both the parties cannot be overlooked by either of the two parties. The Congress and the BJP have fielded new faces in this constituency and as a result the rebels from both the parties are more active. Observers feel that the result of Amber will depend heavily on the performance of Madhu Sharma and Ram Sahay Kakrelia, both of whom are rebels from the two parties. While the BJP has fielded Naveen Pilania, the Congress has nominated Lal Chand Kataria as its candidate. Incidentally, both the candidates are banking heavily on the reputation of their fathers. While Pilania is the son of former DGP of Rajasthan and patron of the Rajasthan Jat Sabha, Kataria is the son of former MLA from the constituency Ram Pratap Kataria. In fact Kataria (junior) is trying to project himself as a local due to the past success of his father. As is the case in most of the constituencies in Rajasthan, the caste factor will also play a major role. This constituency again is divided heavily along caste lines and it is this that the two rebel candidates are hoping to cash in on. Besides trying to woo voters on the development plank, the BJP is also depending heavily on the Jat vote bank having fielded a candidate from that caste. The Congress on the other hand is depending heavily on Brahmin votes. Both the castes have a strong presence here. Jaipur’s Johri Bazaar constituency was considered a BJP stronghold but the Congress destroyed this notion in the 1998 elections. Ironically, while the BJP has once again fielded Kalicharan Saraf, who lost in the last elections, the Congress has fielded a new candidate Shah Ikramuddin, brother of former MLA and state minister Takiuddin Ahmed. Incidentally, this is one of those few places where the Congress has changed its previous election winners. Though campaigning has begun in the area, which has by and large supported the BJP, it still does not show signs of a heated election environment. Both the Congress and the BJP have fielded candidates keeping in mind their traditional vote banks.
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RAJASTHAN DIARY PEOPLE of this desert state have been waiting for glamour to hit the campaign trail. While the BJP has already announced its plans to bring along a number of former superstars of Bollywood who are now part of the party at the Centre and also MPs, the Congress has still not been able to announce any such plans. It is the Samajwadi Party, which has been trying to woo the voters by ensuring the presence of at least Raj Babbar at all the election rallies in the rural belt. But what the people of this state are waiting for is the arrival of Hema Malini, who has just taken oath as an Rajya Sabha MP and, of course, the macho star Vinod Khanna. Ever since the BJP announced that Hema Malini, Vinod Khanna and Shatrughan Sinha would be part of the rallies to be addressed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, people of Rajasthan are eagerly waiting for just these rallies. As one of the locals said that it is not for the address of the Prime Minister but more for the glimpse of the Bollywood superstars that he would attend the rally.
Strengthening position It is a constant battle between the Congress and the BJP to ensure that their position strengthens before the day of polling on December 1. The BJP has been able to get support from unexpected quarters which the party feels is going to help it in gaining some lost ground. And this time it is the reservation policy of the Ashok Gehlot Government on which the BJP hopes to cash on. The Veer Gurjar Samaj, which has a sizeable percentage of voters in this state, has taken a pledge to support the BJP. This as the Ashok Gehlot Government has refused to recognise the community for
reservation despite the National Minority Commission giving its verdict in its favour. At its emergency meeting the community decided that the Ashok Gehlot government had been unfair to it. Among the shouting of slogans like ‘Congress ne dhoka diya, Congress ko dhakka do, Vansundhara Samdhan hai, BJP ko moka do’, Veer Gurjar Samaj leaders said that Congress Government in the state was purposely not recognising the community as a minority.
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Naidu flays
Cong silence
Jaipur, November 21 Mr Naidu said here that the Congress had no moral right to talk about corruption after its silence on the stamp scam. The Congress was also silent on the ethnic violence in Assam and Bihar where the state governments were “failing” in their duties to protect innocent lives. Asking why Congress President Sonia Gandhi has not commented on these issues, he said: “corruption under Congress rule” will be the main issue in the four Assembly elections. Putting a direct poser to the Congress President he said “Soniaji, you always seem to be disturbed and perturbed about corruption but can’t you see the Rs 30,000 crore stamp scam?” Predicting division in the Congress whose leaders in Kerala have come out openly against the leadership demanding the removal of Chief Minister by November 25, he, however, said that in the new political equations and polarisation there was no threat to the NDA Government at the Centre as there was
complete acceptability of Vajpayee’s leadership. — PTI |
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Rama Pilot faces Vasundhara
Jhalawar, November 21 The elections could have gone unnoticed in this sleepy township sans the high-profile Congress leader, who is mobilising Gujjar community. Raje got a lead of 36,000 votes in the last Lok Sabha poll, though the people opted for Congress’s Mohan Rathore for the state Assembly from the constituency. Alleging that the Congress was “misusing its wealth and administrative power”, Raje’s chief campaign coordinator in the constituency Dhirendra Khatana said pilot and her party were “violating the Model Code of Conduct”. The BJP had filed a complaint to the returning officer in this regard, he said. Dominated by 28,000 Gujjars and over 30,000 SC and ST voters, the constituency has attracted nationwide attention with local people being of the opinion that “for Ramaji it would have been a cakewalk for Maharaniji (Raje)”. “Vasundhara Rajput ki beti hai, Jaton ki bahu hai aur Gujjaron ki samdhan (Vasundhara is a Rajput by birth, married to a Jat and her son is married in a Gujjar family),” Dhirendra said. The “powerful caste combination” give the BJP candidate a sense of belonging, he added.
— PTI  |
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BJP expels 53 rebels for six years
Jaipur, November 21 “These 53 leaders have violated the party’s directions and breached discipline by challenging the official party candidates,” BJP General Secretary Onkar Singh Lakhawat said at a press conference here. The former ministers expelled were Mr Ram Pratap Kasania from Pilibanga, Mr Harlal Khara from Srimadhopur, Mr Vidhya Pathak from Sanganer, Mr Achala Ram Meghwal from Desuri and Mr Sujan Singh Yadav from Behror. BJP action committee convener Pratap Singh Khachariaws and Jaipur Zila Pramukh Madhu Sharma were also among those expelled, Mr Lakhawat said. When asked whether the party would accept them back if it was voted to power in the assembly elections, he said: “It will be considered only then”. He, however, claimed that the action against the rebels would have no impact on the BJP’s poll prospects.
— PTI |
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Use ‘punja’ to vote in ‘kamal’
Renowned wrestler and actor Dara Singh, who is campaigning for the BJP, has a piece of advice for the voters in Madhya Pradesh. At all his public meetings he asks the voters to use their “punja” (hand, which is the symbol of the Congress) to vote for “kamal” (lotus, the symbol of the BJP). Scant respect for environment Political parties, which are raising issues of health and sanitation problems in the run-up to the December 1 Assembly poll, seem to have scant respect for the environment and health themselves. All political parties, whether the BJP, Congress, the BSP or the SP, are using banners, billboards, posters and other campaign material made of cheap plastic, which is a grave health and environmental hazard.
Novel way to woo voters Candidates cutting across party ranks found a novel way to woo the voters belonging to the minorities on Friday. Candidates of prominent political parties, armed with their respective handbills/pamphlets, positioned themselves outside the biggest mosques in their constituencies during the mass prayer. The moment the prayer was over and people started coming out of mosques, they shook hands, hugged and also handed over pamphlets in a bid to seek their support. Quite a novel way of meeting a large number of voters at one place!
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Repoll ordered in 12 polling booths
Three candidates from Suangpuilawn — Mizoram People’s Conference’s H Laltanpuia, Mizo National Front’s Vaninmawia and Congress’ Dr H. Ngurdingliana — yesterday demanded countermanding of the poll in the constituency after being rescued by the police from militants’ captivity. Election Department sources said only 38 per cent votes were cast in the constituency in contrast with over 75 per cent in the state while the destruction of poll material by activists were reported form certain booths. Not a single vote was cast in the Suangpuilawn, Luangpawn, Phullen-I and II polling booths while only five voters turned up in Daido, the sources said. The three rescued candidates alleged armed Hmar militants not only threatened them but also intimidated local party leaders and voters to vote for Mr H. Lalsangzuala, the Independent candidate supported by Hmar People’s Convention
(HPC). |
Ban on cellular phones Cong leader joins BJP Increase in postal ballots “Fake”eunuchs in fray |
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Aizawl, November 21