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Time for Cong to go
into exile: Vajpayee Dissidence in state units stalks Sonia BJP ministers to check Cong malpractices |
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Poonam Azad alleges assault
Not linked with Judeo expose,
says businessman Hema sells BJP’s dreams to voters
Arjun’s legacy, Tiwari’s might at stake Uma: power crisis to go if BJP voted to power
Rebels — headache for Congress, BJP Sriganganagar to witness
keen contests Vora, Shukla go all out for sons GRAPHICS:
Posters appear against leaders in Chhattisgarh Stop infiltration, Advani tells Pak
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Time
for Cong to go into exile: Vajpayee
New Delhi, November 29 Wrapping up the BJP’s election campaign in the Capital, he said “does Ms Gandhi understand the meaning of the word ‘vinaash’ (destruction)? How can any party cause ‘vinaash’ when it has the responsibility of governing?” Appealing to the electorate to vote the BJP to power to ensure “better coordination between state governments and the centre for all round development,” Mr Vajpayee said it was time the Congress went into “exile for five years.” Mr Vajpayee came down heavily on the Congress for “failing” to provide basic amenities, education and healthcare since Independence and appealed to the people to vote for a party which would coordinate closely with the BJP-ruled Centre. The NDA Government “has changed the entire face of India and ensured development and progress, Elections were held in Jammu and Kashmir, Development activities are taking place there. More tourists are coming and efforts are being made to stop violence there. Does this show ‘vinaash’?” Accusing Ms Gandhi of “misleading the people” despite his furnishing figures in Parliament on the creation of one crore job opportunities every year by the NDA government, the Prime Minister said “the repetition of false statements does not make them true”. Mr Vajpayee said the Congress had ignored in the 50 years of its rule since independence the basic needs of the people like building roads and providing electricity, water, healthcare facilities and education. “These are supposed to be priority areas for any government. If they had paid any attention to these areas, how developed our country would have been,” he said. Contending that the BJP has ensured a successful coalition government at the Centre, he said the Congress had so far been unable to unite and run a successful coalition. The problems of Delhi could be solved if “a good, honest and transparent government is in place”, he said recalling the progress made by the Capital when the Jana Sangh was in power. “It is a testing time for parties and people have to evaluate the contribution made by the Congress Governments” in Delhi, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh,” Mr Vajpayee said.
— PTI |
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Dissidence in state units stalks Sonia New Delhi, November 29 Topping Sonia’s agenda is the lingering crisis in Kerala where its veteran leader K. Karunakaran has been on a warpath for several months now. He has been pressing his demand for the removal of his longtime political rival, Kerala Chief Minister A.K. Antony. Karunakaran, who claims the support of 34 legislators, has set several deadlines for the implementation of his demand. “All this time we have been pushing it under the carpet but sooner or later we have to take a decision,” remarked a senior Congress leader. This is particularly so as the rival Left Front is waiting to take full advantage of this dissidence. With Lok Sabha elections less than a year away, it is important to resolve this problem at the earliest, they said. Similarly, it will also become increasingly difficult for the Congress President to ignore the revolt against Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh. Angered over his style of functioning, a large section of his legislators has petitioned against him. The Chief Minister’s arch rival Rajinder Kaur Bhattal has also joined the factional battle and met with several senior Congress leaders, including Mohsina Kidwai, General Secretary in charge of Punjab, to lodge her protest. Political observers said these murmurs of protest would only get louder once the election process was over. Next in line is Maharashtra where there is a pressing demand for the removal of the President of the Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) Ranjit Deshmukh. In addition, Sonia has to thrash out the contentious issue of the Congress’s alliance with Sharad Pawar’s Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). |
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BJP ministers to check Cong malpractices New Delhi, November 29 Claiming that the Congress could indulge in poll malpractices, BJP spokesman Prakash Jawadekar told mediapersons that the party was becoming “increasingly desperate” as BJP’s position had “improved considerably”. He charged the Congress with trying to divert the attention of the people from “real” issues by making “unsubstantiated allegations” against BJP leaders and “shying away” from the issues of development afflicting the people in these states. Among the ministers who have been posted at various places in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are I.D. Swami, Swami Chinmayanand, Shahnawaz Hussain, Bandaru Dattatreya, Tapan Sikdar, Shripad Naik, Vallab Bhai Kathiriya Nagmani and Sanjay Paswan. Dismissing the contention that these ministers could “pressure and influence” the state administrations during the poll, Jawadekar said they were operating as party leaders and not using official machinery wherever they were camping. |
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Poonam Azad alleges assault
New Delhi, November 29 BJP nominee Poonam Azad today alleged that she, along with some party supporters, was attacked by Congress workers during campaigning in the Ramakrishna Marg area of Gole Market at around 3.30pm, police sources said. Ms Azad, wife of cricketer-turned-politician Kirti Azad, lodged a complaint with the police alleging that the Congress workers travelling in a couple of cars heckled her and her supporters, mostly women, when they were campaigning on foot. The cars in which the attackers were travelling had stickers ‘On government duty’ and ‘Defence Ministry’ pasted on them, they said. Two of the alleged attackers were nabbed by BJP workers and one vehicle detained, she said. The Congress, on the other hand, levelled counter-charges, saying BJP workers had pelted their supporters with stones and manhandled them. “Our vehicle was attacked by the BJP men and even our elderly supporters were not spared,” a source close to Ms Dikshit said. A case was also registered against a candidate in Sarai Rohilla in West Delhi following allegations of intimidation by another contestant, the police sources said. Allegation of disruption and attack were also levelled by a candidate in Mukherjee Nagar.
— PTI
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Not linked with Judeo expose,
says businessman
New Delhi, November 29 "This is not judicious on part of political leaders to drag my name into the controversy," Mr Prasad, who claimed that he was out of Delhi, told PTI by the mobile phone. He said he was a director with Akash TV network, a private cable channel in Raipur, which is alleged to have played a role in filming the cash-on-camera scam, but had resigned from there on March 24, 2003. "It has been alleged that I have fabricated my resignation by backdating it. But I have the receipt from the Registrar of Companies in Delhi and Haryana, which are government organisations, and it cannot be backdated," he said. Mr Prasad said he had never met or spoken to Mr Natwar
Rateria, Personal Secretary to former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo, who was purportedly shown accepting a bribe in the video film.
— PTI |
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Amarinder canvasses
in Delhi
New Delhi, November 29 During the assembly elections in Punjab, the Congress had vowed to root out corruption from the state, and the Punjab Vigilance Bureau recently filed a charge sheet in court against Mr Parkash Singh Badal, a former Chief Minister of Punjab and his family, in a disproportionate assets case.
— UNI |
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Prohibitory orders
New Delhi, November 29 The police said contravention of the order would attract punishment with an imprisonment for a term ranging from four months to one year. Delhi Police Commissioner
R.S. Gupta issued the prohibitory order under the Delhi Police Act. — UNI |
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Hema sells BJP’s dreams to voters Bhopal, November 29 Mr Digvijay Singh, almost the lone campaigner for the Congress, wrapped up his campaign with a visit to an astrologer in Jabalpur where he was told that the stars, particularly Saturn, Venus and Rahu, formed a good combination and the situation would turn in his favour overnight. Later the astrologer made himself available to the media to convey to them what he had told the Chief Minister. On Monday, when the state goes to the poll, many a young heart may be feeling the vibrations of Ms Hema Malini’s resonant voice, some having heard it in person and the others on various channels. The campaign this time was more tawdry, occasionally getting vulgar, than in the 1993 and 1998 elections. It started with the Bhojshala and cow, Mr Digvijay Singh trying to project himself as a greater Hindu and devotee of cow and BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Uma Bharati ridiculing Mr Digvijay Singh’s claims. In her enthusiasm, she herself became the butt of ridicule when she offered a cake to the idol of Lord Hanuman in a Betul temple or when she walked away with the sword of Goddess Durga from a temple in Ujjain. Eventually the campaign boiled down to bad roads and power shortage, the BJP attacking Mr Digvijay Singh for the lapses and the latter trying to defend his performance by reeling out comparative figures in other states and frequently blaming the Central Government for its step-motherly treatment to Madhya Pradesh. |
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Arjun’s legacy, Tiwari’s might at stake Rewa/ Sidhi, November 29 Mr Arjun Singh, who had patronised almost the entire generation of Congress leaders, is desperately trying to protect his political legacy by ensuring his son Ajay Singh’s victory from the Churhat seat in Sidhi district for the second consecutive time. Mr Ajay Singh, alias Rahul, had won the seat in 1998 with a margin of 18,343 votes. Mr Arjun Singh’s reputation took a beating in 1996 when he was trounced in the Lok Sabha elections from
Satna. Therefore, political observers here feel that the victory of his son in this elections will provide a shot in the arm and arrest the rather rapid fall of his image in the Vindhya region. Mr Ajay Singh is pitted against BJP’s Govind Prasad, who had won the seat in 1993. With power, roads and development becoming the main issue and the anti-incumbency factor weighing heavily on the Congress, it would be an uphill task for the old Congress war horse to ensure his son’s victory. On the other hand, for the two-time Assembly Speaker Sriniwas
Tiwari, who has virtually become a byword in Rewa, this poll is going to be a litmus test for his
might. Rewa district, which had been in the news for all wrong reasons, one factor which is dominating the elections scene is the Tiwari factor. The million dollar question is whether the septuagenarian Congress MLA could make it to the Madhya Pradesh Assembly for the ninth time? He is seeking re-election from the Mangawan constituency. Although anger against Mr Tiwari and his cronies is building up due to his abrasive style and repeated non-performance, many people, who have been watching him for decades feel that it would be very difficult, if not impossible, to defeat him. Despite his fallacies, Mr Tiwari is deemed as one of the tallest Brahmin leaders and a cross section strongly believes that it was because of “Dada”, Rewa district shot into prominence. Mr
Tiwari, who wields a lot of influence among the Dubey-Tiwari-Misra combination of the Brahmin community, which decides the fate of the candidate in
Mangawan, is being challenged by BJP’s Girish Gautam, who is also a Brahmin having a clean image. Incidentally, the fight between Mr Tiwari and Mr Gautam could well be dubbed an all Brahmin and advocates contest. This time some people believe that a keen tussle is on the cards as the strict action initiated by the Election Commission has given the BJP candidate a level-playing field. Pushed to wall by the commission, Mr Tiwari is relying on his persuasion skills and a fragmented Patel community which has nearly 20,000 votes. Realising the undercurrent against him, Mr
Tiwari, an experienced campaigner, is trying to establish an emotional cord with the voters by asking them to vote him for the last time. Although the margin of his victory had been decreasing over the last three elections (2,200 votes in 1990, 1,629 in 1993 and just 294 votes in 1998), Mr Tiwari claims that he will win by at least 15,000 votes this time. His rival, Mr Gautam, who is seeking vote in the name of change, development and performance, is confident that the people will vote for a change truthfully and fearlessly. Mr Gautam, who profusely thanks the commission for providing him a level-playing ground with strict action against irregularities, still apprehends that Mr Tiwari is capable of doing anything and the commission should not lower its guard. |
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Uma: power crisis to go if BJP voted to power
Indore, November 29 “The ongoing power crisis would be solved in three months and a permanent solution to the problem would be found in a year,” she said while addressing a poll meeting here. The BJP leader said through Centre-state combined efforts the condition of roads across the state would be improved within 18 months. In another poll meeting in
Dhar, the BJP leader said if her party came to power, she would instal idol of Saraswati
(Waghdevi) at Bhojshala within three months while bringing it from a museum in London. On unemployment, she promised that the problem would be solved within three years by promoting self-employment schemes.
— PTI |
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Rebels — headache for Congress, BJP Jaipur, November 29 The Election Commission has declared 4,529 polling booths as sensitive and another 4,410 as hyper-sensitive in the state. The maximum number of 651 and 600 polling booths have been declared sensitive and hyper-sensitive respectively, in Jaipur itself. In Sirohi the figure is 18 and 17, respectively. The Congress has fielded its nominees for all 200 seats while the BJP is contesting 197 seats, leaving three for its ally, the Janata Dal (United). There are also 556 Independents in the fray. The Congress and the BJP are under tremendous pressure owing to the presence of a large number of rebels who are contesting as Independents. This has forced the two parties to come out in the open to bring them around so that their prospects do not get affected. The Congress is facing more trouble at the hands of the rebels. The availability of Independents may prove vital at the time of government formation. While the Congress is facing rebels in 42 seats, the BJP has rebels in 29 constituencies. As a result, senior leaders of both parties have got involved in operations to bring around the rebels. While it is Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot for the Congress, Mr Pramod Mahajan, Rajasthan state in charge, has taken the responsibility for the BJP. Both the BJP and the Congress were hoping that the expulsion of the rebels would create a fear in them but it has turned out to be the opposite. As a result both parties have now preparded a list where they feel the rebels are in a stronger position than their original candidates. And both have prepared a new strategy to tackle the situation. Sources in the Congress disclosed that the Chief Minister has been talking to some rebels in a bid to turn them around. But some of them have turned down his offer on the pretext that when they were seeking the ticket they were not treated properly. The rebels are also being told they would be rewarded suitably but there are no takers as yet. Banking on the development plank and its performance over the past five years, the Congress had pressed into electioneering a host of its stalwarts. AICC chief Sonia Gandhi carried out a vigorous campaigning, charging the rival BJP with corruption and non-performance at the Centre. A number of Congress Chief Ministers had joined the campaign trail. On the other hand, the BJP, calling for a positive change (parivartan) in the state, had called in a number of Bollywood and television stars. Both the Congress and the BJP carried out an aggressive campaign through advertisements in the print and electronic media also. Making the contest tough in many constituencies are members of the former royal families who are seeking to don the leadership role through the democratic exercise. Lending support to the BJP against Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in the Sardarpura constituency is the former Jodhpur royalty, which commands much respect in the area. The BJP’s electioneering was given the desired boost by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani and firebrand Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who criss-crossed the districts addressing a series of election meetings. |
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Sriganganagar to witness
keen contests Sriganganagar, November 29 Political observers opine that the BJP has given tickets to at least six persons who had won as Independents or had given a tough fight to their opponents and had polled impressive percentage of votes. In this constituency, the going is tough for state Ayurveda Minister Radheshyam Ganganagar. His opponent is BJP’s Surinder Singh Rathore who has been taking on the former for the past three elections. In neighbouring Sangria, the fight is again between K.C. Bishnoi of the Congress and Gurjant Singh Brar of the BJP. The former is the sitting MLA, while the latter is a former Irrigation Minister and had lost to Bishnoi by just 89 votes. Cabinet Minister Hira Lal Indora, who is representing Kesrisinghpur constituency for a record fourth time, is pitted against his old rival O.P. Mahindra. They were face to face in 1998 also. In Karanpur, the contest is again between Gurmeet Singh Kooner of the Congress and Surinderpal Singh TT of the BJP. Gurmeet has been renominated by the party, while the latter, who is also the BJP district chief, is in the fray for the third consecutive time. Similarly, in Lunkaransar, the Congress had fielded Virendra Beniwal against sitting BJP legislator Manak Chand Surana. The BJP had wrested this seat from the Congress after a bypoll. In Nokha, Rewat Ram Pawar of the Congress will face Govind Ram Chauhan of the BJP once again. In Rattangarh, sitting MLA Jaidev Prasad Indoria will once again contest former deputy C.M. Harishankar Bhabra, who was routed the last time. The poll managers of both the parties are leaving no stone unturned to ensure the success of their candidates. Keeping in view the intense caste equations and the anti-incumbency factor in mind, the BJP has roped in leaders who have a following in the state but are feeling hampered by the non-availability of state strongman Bhairon Singh Shekawat, who is now the Vice-President of India. |
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Vora, Shukla go all out for sons Durg, November 29 Vora’s
son Arun lost the last poll by 3,279 votes to Hem Chand Yadav of the
BJP, while Shukla’s son Amitesh won the Rajim seat in Raipur region
in a bypoll after his father was elected to the Lok Sabha from
Mahasamund. Durg has elected Motilal Vora six times and the former
Chief Minister and Governor is using all his experience in canvassing
for his son. Durg Assembly seat has the largest voter population in
Chhattisgarh and its 334,278 voters include a sizeable population of
Punjabis and Muslims. Congress General Secretary Mohsina Kidwai
campaigned in Durg for Arun as did Jagmeet Singh Brar, MP, and Sunil
Dutt. Brar, who addressed a public meeting in Durg yesterday, used his
oratorical skills to nail the BJP government at the Centre and impress
upon the Punjabi community to vote for the Congress. He described Arun
as a younger brother and dwelt on Motilal Vora’s simplicity and
accessibility. Brar recalled the role played by Vora as in charge of
Punjab when the Congress swept to power in the state last
year. Punjabis in Chhattisgarh, mostly traders, have been traditional
supporters of the BJP. Unwilling to take chances, Vora is using
services of Congress leaders from Punjab to win the community’s
support in Durg. Punjab Energy Development Agency Chairman Ripjit
Singh Brar, Puncom chief Kulbir Singh Sidhu and Moga district Congress
president Tara Singh Sandhu are among those who are holding corner
meetings in Durg to influence Punjabi electorate. The local residents
are being assured that their problems will be taken up by Arun.
Resentment among minorities is being cited as a reason for Arun
losing the seat in the last election. Vora has earned the goodwill
of the people here by spending money on development schemes from his
MP’s fund. The BJP candidate has also kept up the momentum of his
campaign and Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj was in Durg to seek
votes for him. In Rajim, the BJP is seen to have fielded a weak
candidate against Amitesh but the Shuklas are not taking chances. The
whole family is touring the constituency. Shukla, who heads the
Congress election campaign committee in the state, has hardly moved
out of Rajim. Unlike other seats in the state, Jogi is not a crowd
puller for the Congress in Durg and Rajim. It may have as much to do
with his perceived unpopularity among certain sections of the urban
population. |
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Posters appear against leaders in Chhattisgarh
Raipur, November 29 Most of the posters, which do not carry
the mandatory print-line, have surfaced in Bhilai, Rajnandgaon and the
state capital, forcing the election authorities to take action. Raipur
District Collector C.K. Khaitan said necessary orders were issued to
remove the posters. He said notices were being issued to all printing
press and an inquiry was ordered. The banners and posters are
carrying pictures of former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Ajit Jogi, BJP
chief Bangaru Laxman and former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judeo. —
UNI
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Stop infiltration, Advani tells Pak
Bhilai, November 29 Pakistan’s truce offer was a good sign but it should also take steps to stop infiltration into India, Mr Advani said at an election rally here on the last leg of his electioneering in Chhattisgarh. Asserting that the Vajpayee government had adopted a tough stand to deal with the scourge of terrorism, he said 183 ISI modules had been destroyed by security agencies in the past four years.
— PTI |
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Taking Congress President Sonia Gandhi to task for her accusation that the BJP-led NDA Government was “destroying” the nation, Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee said today it was, in fact, her party governments in states which had failed to utilise central assistance for the people and deserved to be sent into “exile” for five years.
In
video: BJP makes Sonia Gandhi's foreign origin a poll issue. (
