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Chautala: Post-poll
alliances open-ended
Verma lambasts CM BJP ‘inducting’ rejected leaders, says Cong |
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Arjun Singh hints at action against Najma Bid to halt rail traffic, Cong activists detained LS election
schedule for Haryana HSIDC panel to boycott INLD MLAs want CBI probe expedited Seek experts’ advice, minister tells farmers Goyal award ceremony today Women’s Day celebrated Literary function at Gandhi memorial college Court summons 3 cops in contempt case
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Chautala:
Post-poll alliances open-ended Jhajjar, March 2 Mr Chautala had announced a few days ago that the list of nominees for the 10 seats in Haryana would be announced at this rally. His failure to do so has fuelled speculation that the INLD could still reach an agreement with some other political party, including the BJP, within the next few days. Responding to mediapersons’ queries in this regard after the rally, he jokingly said he had forgotten to release the list. “Had you people reminded me of that on the stage, I would have surely done so”, he told newspersons. However, he stonewalled all questions about when he planned to release the list. Visibly upbeat due to a massive turnout at the rally, Mr Chautala said he had an open mind on any post-parliamentary poll alliances. “We have all our options open and would decide after the elections”, he said when asked about his post-election plans. However, he ruled out extending support to the Congress after the poll. He said Mr Parkash Singh Badal’s Shiromani Akali Dal would back all INLD candidates in Haryana and in return the INLD would support Mr Badal’s nominees in Punjab. However, the INLD would not back the BJP nominees in the neighbouring state, though the SAD would contest the elections in alliance with that party. The Chief Minister said his party would contest the coming elections on three main planks — ‘vikas’, ‘shanty’ and ‘sadbhavna’. The party manifesto would be based on these very issues and details would be spelt out later in the manifesto itself. Earlier, addressing the rally, he said the government planned to fill over 50,000 specially created posts in the next one year. One post of Gram Vikas Purush would be created in each village to look after development works in the villages. They would also distribute power bills and recover payments from power consumers. Likewise, Van Rakshaks would be appointed in the villages to promote cultivation of herbal and medicinal plants. There was a plan to recruit about 12,000 constables in the state police. As many as 4,500 posts of JBT teacher would also be filled shortly. He clarified that all these posts had been created before the model code of conduct had come into force. He repeated several times in his speech that his party respected democratic traditions and would never violate the code. He also emphasised that no official machinery had been used in organising the rally. The Chief Minister dwelt at length on the development works executed during the four years of his rule and promised to make “Haryana the world’s most progressive state within the remaining one year” of his term. “The state’s coffers are overflowing,” he said and asked villagers to go back and decide what projects they wanted for their villages and all of them would be completed in a year. Mr Chautala arrived at the venue accompanied by a former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister, Dr Farooq Abdullah, and the SAD general secretary and a Rajya Sabha member, Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal. Dr Abdullah said the next Parliament had a special importance as the Centre was about to hold talks on Kashmir with Pakistan. It was, therefore, necessary that the voters sent able leaders to the next Lok Sabha, he said, adding that “Mr Chautala’s nominees would never compromise on the interests of the Kashmiris”. He also criticised the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Amarinder Singh, for the “political vendetta” against Mr Parkash Singh Badal. “The next time I become Chief Minister, Mr Mufti Mohammad Sayeed would not face such a situation”, he said. Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal lauded the Chautala government for the “unprecedented development of Haryana during the past four years”. This was by far the INLD’s most hi-tech rally in the recent past. Noted singer Vandana Vajpayee and a large modern orchestra rendered songs highlighting the achievements of Mr Chautala. A most modern media centre was in place on the campus of Government College in whose grounds the rally was held.
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Verma lambasts CM Fatehabad, March 2 The Union Labour Minister, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, addressed the rally. Mr Rajnath Singh, another Union minister, however, did not turn up for the rally. Mr Ganeshi Lal, the state president of the BJP, Mr Ranjit Singh, younger brother of Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, Mr Mahavir Prasad, the state secretary of the party and Mr Subhash Barala, the district president of the party, were among those who addressed the rally. Mr Verma said the present BJP government at the Centre had done a lot to improve the lot of the farmers. He said the government had taken several steps like starting crop insurance, introducing Kisan credit cards and reducing the rate of interest on agricultural loans. Mr Verma alleged that Mr Chautala had not done anything for the farmers and was more interested in his own family. He revealed that when he went to Gohana to address a rally last month, hundreds of people urged him to sever BJP’s ties with the INLD. He termed Ms Sonia Gandhi’s road show an “utter failure” and said that the people of Haryana would not vote for handing over the reins of power to a foreigner. He appealed to the people to vote for the BJP in the forthcoming elections. Mr Ganeshi Lal said the BJP had decided to go it alone in the coming parliamentary poll and claimed that it would win all seats in Haryana. Mr Ranjit Singh said he had decided to join the BJP after much thinking. HISAR: Mr Verma said here that corruption by the Chautala government would be the main issue of the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections in Haryana. He was talking to mediapersons here before leaving for Fatehabad to address the party rally there. He alleged that corruption was rampant in the state and the people were fed up with the working of the Chautala government. He said that though the BJP was contesting parliamentary elections in the country on the development issue, but in Haryana, corruption would be main issue. Criticising the Chief Minister, he alleged that Mr Chautala was a leader without any stand as he was changing his statements about Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee daily. Denying any possibility of alliance with Mr Chautala in future, he said the BJP would contest the next Assembly elections with like-minded parties but it was certain that there would be no role for Indian National Lok Dal in that alliance. The BJP would declare its chief ministerial candidate before the Assembly elections, he said. |
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BJP ‘inducting’ rejected leaders, says Cong Chandigarh, March 2 It was strange that a party which swore by the name of Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee had lost confidence in him and had to take the support of “jugglers” to pull crowds to its election rallies. Meanwhile, another spokesman of the party, Mr Krishan Murti Hooda, has claimed that the road show of Mrs Sonia Gandhi had silenced those who claimed that the Haryana Congress was plagued by infighting. All three top leaders of the party, Mr Bhajan Lal, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Mr Birender Singh, were travelling in one car during the road show, conveyed a message of solidarity to the people of the state.
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Arjun Singh hints at action against Najma Karnal, March 2 Talking to mediapersons here this evening the CWC member said the misconduct of Ms Najma Heptulla could not be ignored. He said the party high command was considering disciplinary action against her. “I consider her conduct to be very unbecoming of a party leader”, he said. When asked about the growing dissidence in the party at the senior level, he said, “It is unfortunate at the time of elections”. However, he said it would not have an adverse affect on the party prospects in the Lok Sabha elections. He said efforts were on to have an alliance with the BSP. When asked to comment upon Ms Mayawati’s recent remarks against the Congress he said. “We are sober on this issue as most of the senior leaders of all political parties have nowadays become more vocal”. He was optimistic of an alliance with the BSP. On his son Ajay Singh’s meeting with BJP President Venkaiah Naidu he said too much was being made out of it. Realising the ‘mistake’ of his son he said, “The timing of this meeting was wrong”. He should have avoided such a meeting at the time of elections, he added. Lashing out at the Deputy Prime Minister Mr L.K. Advani, for his renewed attempt of ‘rath yatra’ he said “Advani has become a specialist only for attaining power”. Earlier, addressing a gathering at Gharaunda he claimed that the Congress would attain power by gaining a clear majority in the Lok Sacha elections as people were fed-up with the policies and programmes of the BJP-led government at the Centre. |
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Bid to halt rail
traffic, Cong activists detained Karnal, March 2 The activists gathered at the PWD rest house where Ms Sumita Singh criticised the BJP and the INLD for the delay in announcing the setting up of a medical college here in the memory of Kalpana Chawla. She criticised the local BJP MP and Union Minister of State for Home Affairs, Mr I.D. Swami, for neglecting the development projects in Karnal during the past five years of his tenure. Local leaders also addressed the rally. Later, the activists marched towards the railway station. They were intercepted by the police on the Mall road. The activists tried to break barricades but could not proceed further as the police resorted to mild
canecharge. A few activists were injured but no one was admitted to the Civil Hospital. Cong violates poll code: The activists raised party flags on the premises. Ms Sumita Singh and Mr Tarlochan Singh, president of the local unit, used speakers to address the gathering. Mr
R.S. Doon, District Magistrate of Karnal, said the administration was considering action against the Congress for the violation of the poll code. He has sought a detailed report from the area Magistrate in this regard.
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LS election
schedule for Haryana Chandigarh, March 2 With the announcement of elections on February 29, the model code of conduct had come into force had been issued to the Administrative Secretaries of all departments, Deputy Commissioners and political parties to comply with the code of conduct. The electoral rolls had been revised by taking January 1, 2004, as the qualifying date. As per the final electoral rolls, state had 1,23,06,201 voters, including 56,52,269 women.
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HSIDC panel to boycott INLD Ambala, March 2 He alleged that officials had been harassing industrialists and the situation had come to such a pass that they might be forced to consider the possibility to moving their units to some other state. He said that officials of the HSIDC and the HSEB seemed to be looking for opportunities to harass industrialists. “The amenities in the industrial area are in a sorry state. Despite this, the HSIDC is demanding maintenance charges from us,” he said. “Once, the HSIDC had prepared an estimate of Rs 40 lakh for the repair of potholed roads. However, our association got the roads carpeted at a cost of only Rs 13 lakh,” he added. He said there were four specific instances of authorities ‘misusing’ their power. “We demand a stern action against the erring officials and adequate compensation must be paid to the affected industrialists. If it is not done, we will consider other options,” he said. |
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MLAs want CBI probe expedited Chandigarh, March 2 Mr Dalal and Mr Gurjar, both well-known detractors of Chief Minister Mr Om Prakash Chautala, apparently would like the CBI to file its initial report before the deadline, preferably before the Lok Sabha poll in Haryana on May 10. The CBI, it is learnt, has already collected documents related to the case from the
Education Department at Chandigarh. Officers from the CBI’s Delhi office, who are investigating the case, have also recorded the statements of state government officials involved in the process of selection. The CBI has recently recorded the statement of Ms Rajni Sekhri Sibal, a Haryana cadre officer, who is now posted at the Lal Bahadur Shastri Academy in
Mussoorie. Ms Sibal, before her transfer from the post of Haryana Primary Education Director had put the original list of JBT teachers in a steel almirah and sealed it. She also kept the keys of the almirah in a sealed envelope. Mr Sanjeev Kumar had succeeded Ms Sibal in the According to his petition, he opened the almirah and tried to recruit teachers on the basis of the original list despite alleged insistence from political bosses to offer jobs on the basis of an alternative list. Ms Sibal is believed to be one of the persons who know the entire controversy and her deposition before the CBI is, therefore considered crucial. While Mr Sanjeev Kumar mentioned the names of some top INLD leaders in his petition and accused them of pressuring him for recruiting JBT teachers on the basis of the second list, the Supreme Court refrained from mentioning any name in its order. They are “mighty people”, the court said, adding that it would not be proper to take any name before the case was probed. Mr Dalal and Mr Gurjar said they were sure that after the preliminary investigations, the CBI would file a regular case as to how two lists of selected candidates could come into existence.
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Seek experts’ advice, minister tells farmers Hisar, March 2 The minister credited the agricultural university for its contribution to the development of agriculture in the state. Presiding over the function, Mr M.K. Miglani, Vice-Chancellor, called upon the farmers to be more competitive. To reap the benefits of the WTO regime, it was necessary that the farmers produce quality products with low cost. He also appealed to the farm experts to provide the farmers appropriate technologies. He also cautioned the farmers regarding purchase of seeds. He advised them to purchase seed only from reliable outlets. Later, Mr Sandhu released a book on cotton cultivation published by the university. He also gave away Rao Bahadur Ram Dhan Singh Memorial Awards instituted by the university to four progressive farmers of Haryana. They were Mr Rajender Singh of Rohtak, Mr Zile Singh of Kaithal, Mr Om Parkash of Fatehabad and Mr Raja Ram of Sirsa districts.
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Goyal award ceremony today Kurukshetra, March 2 According to Dr S.P. Singh, co-chairman of the organising committee for the function, the awardees, Dr N.K. Ganguly, Director-General of the Indian Council of Medical Research (Applied Sciences), Dr Biman Bagchi (Chemistry), Dr A. Surolia (Life Sciences) and Dr
T.V. Ramakrishnan (Physics), will be here to receive the prizes. All these scientists belong to the Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore. The award consists of Rs 1 lakh each for all categories. Besides, three young scientists, Dr
V.K. Singh (Chemistry, IIT, Kanpur), Dr Sunil Pradhan (Life Sciences,
S.G. PGI, Lucknow) and Dr Neeraj Khare (Physics, NPL, Delhi) will also attend the ceremony. They will be honoured with a prize money of Rs 50,000 each besides a medal and a citation. The donors of the awards, Mr Ram S. Goyal and his wife, Mrs Akshma D. Goyal, have also come from the USA to attend the award ceremony. |
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Women’s Day celebrated Sirsa, March 2 Mrs Jasmeet Kaur,
wife of Mr Brijender Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner, Sirsa,
presided over the function while Mrs Parvati Nair, wife of Group
Captain T.N. Nair, Station Commander, Air Force Station, Sirsa, was
the guest of honour of the function. Mrs Suresh said women could
play a significant role in society only if they were aware and
educated. They had to ensure for themselves a positive place in
society and prove their talent. A woman was, in no sense, inferior to
man and history was a witness to her struggles as well as
achievements. Members of the women’s cell of the college presented
a dance highlighting the commodi fication and dehumanisation of
women. The president of the managing committee of the college, Mr
Bhim Jhunthra, welcomed the guests. Mrs Jasmeet Kaur called upon the
students, to pursue higher education. The guests gave away prizes to
students for excelling in the academics and co-curricular activities.
A cultural programme was also presented.
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Literary
function at Gandhi memorial college Ambala, March 2 Speaking on the occasion, Rakesh Vats said creativity in literature would always remain alive and added that poets and novelists must look for encouragement from within. Mr Anil Vij, MLA, spoke highly about the literary works of Rakesh Vats and added that Rakesh Vats had been able to draw attention to issues pertaining to the society. Prem Singh, Rashmi Bhatnagar, Pradeep Sharma, Gurdev Singh Dev, Sufi Jagjit Singh, Mahi Pal Singh, Som Prakash, Om Prakash, Brij Mohan Kohli, Jai Prakash
Gupt, Krishan Saini, Pushp Raj, Nar Singh and Shiv Kumar Gautam were present on the occasion. |
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Court summons 3 cops in contempt case
Rohtak, March 2 Rohtak Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Mewa Singh on February 23 last ordered that Inspector Pale Ram, Assistant Sub Inspector (ASI) Mahender Singh and Head Constable Amresh Kumar be summoned for appearance in person and examination for March 26 next. The contempt of court petition against DGP Malik has been filed by Rajesh, a resident of Subhash Nagar, Rohtak. Petitioner’s counsel M.M. Sikka argued that sufficient material existed for allowing the contempt application and for making a reference. Arguing that the respondent, DGP Malik, was guilty of wilful contempt of court, the counsel requested that the DGP be directed to appear in the court.— PTI
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High
Court Chandigarh, March 2 Taking up the petition, the Bench, comprising Mr Justice J.S. Khehar and Mr Justice Ashutosh Mohunta, also fixed July 2 as the next date of hearing in the case. The petitioners had earlier sought directions for quashing the notifications issued under the Land Acquisition Act by the state of Haryana.
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Prohibitory
orders in Fatehabad Fatehabad, March 2 The Deputy Commissioner, Mr Mehtab Singh Sehrawat, who is also the District Election Officer today said the use of loudspeakers was allowed only from 6 am to 10 pm and action would be initiated against violaters.
— OC |
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2 killed, 2 hurt as vehicles collide
Fatehabad, March 2 According to reports, Ramesh Kumar and Purshotam, vegetable sellers from Hansi, were coming to Fatehabad in a canter to deliver a consignment of oranges. Their vehicle broke down near Dhangar village. When they were trying to tie their vehicle with another canter at midnight, a speeding Tata 404 coming from Hisar hit the vehicles. Ramesh Kumar and the driver of the other canter were killed on the spot as they were sandwiched between the vehicles. Purshotam and a cleaner, Suraj Bhan, were seriously injured. — OC
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PG exams from May 15 Yamunanagar, March 2 Talking to mediapersons here, the Vice-Chancellor said the examination would start tentatively on May 15. He said the examination for undergraduate courses would start on April 1. Earlier, Dr Chawla attended the annual prize distribution function of Maharaja Agrasen College at Jagadhri. Dr Raj Kumar, Principal, said the college had been graded B++ by the National Assessment and Accredition Council.
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Karnal, March 2 According to the police the incident occurred this afternoon when an employee on duty went away to change his clothes. Windowpanes of the administrative office of the filling station were found broken. The police has registered a case.
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Cop killed in mishap Karnal, March 2
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