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Haryana BJP scouts for ‘prized catches’ BJP MLAs walk out again Suspension of Cong
MLAs revoked INLD to keep distance from Congress, BJP Hold LS poll after May 10: Cong leader |
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Applications for private buses kept under seal Sikhs ignored in Haryana: Asandh Recruitment mela on March 5 Villagers seek cancellation of FIR
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Haryana BJP scouts for ‘prized catches’ Chandigarh, February 13 The house of Mr Jain, who was appointed Advocate-General by the Chautala Government for a few months before he and the Chief Minister fell apart, has become the meeting place between leaders of the Haryana BJP and those who may be the “prospective catches” of the party. According to sources, several important leaders of the Haryana BJP met at least two prominent state leaders, including an MLA, at Mr Jain’s house in Sector 21 here last evening. Sources say the importance attached to the meeting can be judged from the fact that virtually the entire top leadership of the state BJP was at Mr Jain’s house. The BJP leaders included Prof Ganeshi Lal, party president; Mr Krishan Pal Gurjar, leader of the BJP Legislature group; Mr Ram Bilas Sharma, a veteran party leader; Mr Ram Piare Pande, Organising Secretary of the party, who is the controlling authority of the state BJP appointed by the RSS; and a party MLA. The BJP, sources say, has planned an ambitious “poaching game” in Haryana before the Lok Sabha elections. It is eyeing certain sitting state MLAs belonging to other parties. Some of them can be offered those Lok Sabha seats which were contested by the Indian National Lok Dal in 1999. After the BJP decided to go alone in Haryana, the party has to find formidable candidates for these constituencies. The party is also in touch with a young leading industrialist of the state to persuade him to contest the Kurukshetra parliamentary seat on its behalf. The young man, whose family is a supporter of the Congress, has business interests in Chhattisgarh in addition to Haryana, Karnataka and other states. Sources say yesterday’s meeting between the BJP leaders and Mr Karan Singh Dalal, RPI MLA, and Rao Narbir Singh, a former minister who was jailed by the Chautala Government last year, at Mr Jain’s house, was part of the “poaching game” of the BJP. It is believed that Mr Dalal and Rao Narbir Singh have raised certain issues on which the state BJP wants to consult its high command. Mr Dalal and Rao Narbir Singh had been Ministers in the Bansi Lal Government. Both played a crucial role in toppling the HVP Government. Both are known for being anti-Chautala. Mr Dalal and Rao Narbir Singh refused to comment. |
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BJP MLAs walk out again Chandigarh, February 13 The party MLAs had earlier staged a walkout during the debate on the motion of thanks in protest against “insufficient” time given to Mr Gurjar to speak. In the past four years the BJP MLAs have walked out of the House for the first time in this session following a break in the ties between the BJP and the INLD. Opening the debate the Leader of the Opposition, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, alleged that the Budget was another step in the INLD’s endeavour to push the state into a debt-trap. He said it was unfortunate that the annual loan repayment had been plugged at Rs 2,488 crore against Rs 2,175 crore earmarked for development. At a Rs 33,000 crore total debt, Haryana was forced to borrow Rs 9.52 crore per day to keep the show running. The debt GDP ratio was 50 per cent and the debt service ratio was 45 per cent. It seemed the state was on the verge of bankruptcy. Two lakh persons had lost their jobs under the present regime. Mr Hooda said no provision had been made for the SYL canal. “Should we infer that the canal had been completed.” Only 1 per cent of the Budget had been kept for the agricultural sector by a government, which claimed itself to be the champion of the farmers’ cause. The proposed crop insurance scheme excluded the three major crops of the state — wheat, paddy and sugarcane. Demanding the scrapping of value-added tax (VAT), he said the growth in taxes was normal and would have been there if VAT had not replaced sales tax. He said there was only one doctor for 12,000 persons and not even 1 paisa for each person had been set aside for medicines. Rao Inderjit
Singh (Cong) said since the state government failed to use the Central assistance according to the norms laid down by the 11th Financial Commission, Haryana got Rs 1100 crore less during 2000-05. He said certain parts of the state, particularly those which comprised PEPSU, were not getting their share in the irrigation water. Expressing concern over the fiscal deficit, Mr Anil
Vij (Ind) said the government should abolish posts like Divisional Commissioner, Range Inspector-General, shop inspector, drug inspector and labour inspector to save money. Instead, the number of subdivisions and tehsils should be increased to correspond with 90 Assembly constituencies. Retrenched employees of corporations should be adjusted in government departments. Professional tax should be abolished. House rent of government employees should be raised to 15 per cent and scientific instruments should be exempted from sales tax. The Deputy Leader of the Congress Legislature Party, Capt Ajay Singh Yadav, said the tax-free Budget was a misnomer as the government imposed taxes throughout the year. Mr Shadi Lal
Batra (Cong) said the government was weakening democratic institutions. Mr Dharam Pal (Cong) said the government should pay compensation to farmers for their acquired land on the pattern of Delhi. He was supported by Deputy Speaker, Gopi Chand Gehlot, who was in the chair. Mr Dharamvir Singh (Cong) said the House should adopt a unanimous resolution condemning the Central Government for not giving Haryana its due financial assistance, as claimed by the ruling party. Mr Karan Singh
Dalal (RPI) alleged that Reliance Industries wanted to set up a gas-based power project and petrol filling stations in the state but it shelved its plans following undue demands by the powers that be. Mr Jagjit Singh Sangwan said Dadri should be made a district. Mr Gurjar, who was not allowed to speak in the House, later told newsmen that the Budget showed bankruptcy of the state government because resources were being pilfered by influential members of the ruling party. He said the estimated decline in the salary bill indicated that more employees would be retrenched. Among others who participated in the debate were Mrs Swatantra Bala Choudhary (INLD), Mrs Anita Yadav (Cong) and Mr Ram Kishan Fauji (HVP). |
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Suspension of Cong
MLAs revoked Chandigarh, February 13 Soon after zero hour began, Mr Hooda got up and requested the Speaker that his suspended colleagues should be called back to the House which was having its last Budget session. Chief Minister, Om Prakash Chautala said, the two MLAs were suspended because they had undermined the position of the Speaker by entering the well of the house. Referring to the incident, which led to the suspension of the MLAs on Wednesday, Mr Chautala said since an Independent legislator had made a query about the dowry case registered against Mr Hooda and members of his family, the government was duty-bound to provide him with an answer. “After all we Indians have a tradition of respecting women and if any woman complains of harassment, we cannot ignore her”, Mr Chautala said. He, however, added that if the suspended MLAs and Mr Hooda were feeling apologetic about the incident, the MLAs could be allowed to take part in the session. Taking a cue from the Chief Minister, the Speaker said the suspension order would be withdrawn only if Mr Hooda apologised for the conduct of the MLAs. After Mr Hooda gave an assurance that the MLAs would exercise restraint, the Speaker revoked their suspension. The dowry case registered against Mr Hooda was also raised by BJP legislator Sarita Narayan. The Speaker ignored her. Later, Mr Chautala himself referred to the dowry case again when Mr Karan Singh Dalal, an opposition legislator, demanded that Haryana Civil Services examinations should be allowed to be taken in Hindi as well. Mr Chautala said Mr Dalal and Mr Dharam Vir, a Congress MLA, tried to mobilise people on this issue yesterday at Matka Chowk here, but nobody responded to their appeals. It was Mr Hooda’s estranged daughter-in-law, who was holding a demonstration at Matka Chowk today in protest against the harassment by her father-in-law and other members of the family, the Chief Minister added. The Speaker admitted during zero hour a call-attention notice given by Congress Deputy Leader. Ajay Singh Yadav on user charges introduced in government hospitals Mr Yadav argued that ordinary people were finding it difficult to get treatment in government hospitals as high charges were being levied for surgery, health check-up, consultation, blood tests, and ambulance service etc. He lamented that there was no arrangement for treatment of diseases like cancer, heart attack and tuberculosis in government hospitals. Mr M.L. Ranga, Minister of State for Health, replied that no fee was being charged from patients affected by an epidemic, freedom fighters, handicapped persons, etc. The government had sanctioned more than Rs 1 crore for distribution of spectacles free of cost among elderly people. Congress member Shadi Lal Batra suggested that if the money collected from patients constituted a small amount, the government should consider waiving the charges. Mr Ranga said the amount so collected was being deposited with the respective district health committees and not into the Consolidated Fund of the state government. Mr Sher Singh (Cong) expressed concern about the declining female sex ratio. Mr Ranga replied the government had launched the Devirupak scheme, besides a drive to check female foeticide in the state. |
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INLD to keep distance from Congress, BJP Ambala, February 13 Talking to mediapersons before a spree of inaugurations in the district, Mr Chautala said a crucial meeting of the INLD was scheduled for February 18 at Bhiwani. “I believe in democracy. I am going to discuss the issue with party activists and then a decision will be taken,” he said. Mr Chautala criticised the BJP for not “honouring” the alliance. “BJP leaders have been asking to fight alone. Let them contest the elections alone. There will be a friendly contest,” he said. “Even astronaut Kalpana Chawla, who earned a name not only for Haryana but for the whole world has been let down by the BJP,” he said. “We were keen to set up a medical college in memory of Kalpana Chawla in Karnal. But the BJP announced the setting up of 12 medical colleges in different states and they ignored Haryana,” he added. He pointed out that the Haryana BJP president, Prof Ganeshi Lal, participated in a Congress dharna in Hisar and activists of the BJP and the Congress worked together in Bahadurgarh and Dabwali municipal elections. “The BJP and the Congress were together when they opposed Form 38, LADT and House Tax,” he said. “Krishan Pal Gujjar has voted against the state government,” he added. He said the INLD had always worked for overall development of the state. Mr Chautala observed that the BJP could not do well in Haryana and they require crutches. “ The INLD is going to fight elections in Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi,” he said. |
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Hold LS poll after May 10: Cong leader Yamunanagar, February 13 He said the parliamentary elections should be held after May 10 so that farmers could finish harvesting and students could take their examinations. Mr Surjewala said it was the prerogative of the Chief Minister to advance the elections. He suggested that the Assembly elections should also be held simultaneously with the Lok Sabha elections. The Congress leader said he may not contest the Lok Sabha poll but made it clear that his son, Mr Randeep Singh Surjewala, president, Indian Youth Congress, would contest from Kurukshetra or Hisar if the party high command gave him
ticket. |
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Applications for private buses kept under seal Chandigarh, February 13 The statement, presented in the House during question hour today in response to a question asked by the ruling party MLA, Mr Jarnail Singh, said the state government had introduced the Haryana Passenger Transport Scheme, 2003, for allotting 2,073 permits on 747 routes on the basis of one time highest bids to private operators. The last date for the submission of applications (bids in sealed cover) was fixed up to 10 am on January 28 by the committees constituted under the chairmanship of the respective District Transport Officers. The Transport Minister said the state government had also introduced a scheme this year for plying private city buses in Faridabad and Gurgaon. The application for a permit can be submitted at any time under this scheme. The route will be of the applicant’s choice and not more than two permits will be given to an operator. As the scheme was under Chapter V of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, there was no restriction on number of permits on any route, he added. In reply to another question asked by the ruling INLD legislator, Mr Jasbir Mallour, Mr Jaswinder Singh Sandhu, Agriculture Minister, said there was no report of deliberate burning of the crop by farmers during past four years. He, however, added that accidental fires did burn the crops. The state government has distributed over Rs 26 lakh to the farmers over the past four years as compensation. In reply to another question, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, Chief Minister, said there was a proposal to construct 170 new watercourses in Sirsa out of which 50 were proposed to be constructed in Dabwali. He added that at present 18 new watercourses were in progress in Sirsa district out of which 14 were in Dabwali assembly constituency. |
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Sikhs ignored in Haryana: Asandh Karnal, February 13 Criticising
the Chief Minister and INLD President, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, he said Punjabi had practically not been introduced as second language in the state. Sikhs had not been given proper political representation in boards and corporations and district-level committees, he added. Equally blaming the BJP, the Akali leader said the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr I.D. Swami, had also turned away his face after winning the last elections from the Karnal constituency, which has a strong Sikh presence. Meanwhile, Mr Surjit Singh Darar, president of the Haryana Sikh Sangat (HSS) and senior SAD leader, ruled out the possibility of going along with the INLD. As far as the BJP was concerned, the SAD and the HSS could think of an alliance, provided Mr Swami was not fielded as the candidate again, he added. |
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Recruitment mela on March 5 Chandigarh, February 13 An official press note said the decision to hold the mela was taken at a meeting presided over by the Principal Secretary to Haryana Chief Minister, Mr B.D. Dhalia, here yesterday. The state government had decided to take effective steps to recruit visually handicapped persons by the end of current financial year. |
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Villagers seek cancellation of FIR Rohtak, February 13 They told Mr Yadav that the residents had reached an agreement with the SDM, Meham, Mr Yashpal Yadav, after which the villagers had released the four policemen they had detained. They alleged that policemen had been harassing the villagers on the pretext of checking bootlegging. |
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Man consumes hooch, dies Hisar, February 13 |
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8 killed in road accident Panipat, February 13 Kanhaiya Lal, belonging to Rajasthan, said the accident took place when the driver, Jaswant Singh, of the Tata Sumo lost control of the vehicle, and changed the lane, hitting the bus. |
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Students’ stir enters 3rd day Hisar, February 13 |
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Adampur made subdivision Chandigarh, February 13 |
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