Kolkata, May 9
On the eve of the elections, a controversy had been created over Left Front chairman Biman Basu’s calling upon the party cadres to ‘attack’ the Central observers and ‘teach’ them a lesson for siding with the Trinamool Congress and the BJP in the campaigning against the CPI(M).

Mr Basu, who is also a member of the CPI(M) politburo, in a public statement yesterday incited the party workers and supporters against some Central observers, who, he alleged, had been acting beyond their jurisdiction in motivating the poll personnel on duty for sabotaging the poll prospects of the Left Front candidates.

The Left Front chairman said they had formally lodged a complaint to the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr T.S. Krishnamurti, against six such Central observers requesting him to take them back and divesting them of their election duty in the state.

Mr Basu said he had sent a detailed note on the ‘illegal and motivated activities’ of these observers in favour of the TMC and the BJP in the electioneering against the CPI(M) and other partners.

On the other hand, some Central observers alleged to the CEC that their lives were in danger following threat by some CPI(M) workers who were opposing them to act impartially for ensuring a free and fair poll in West Bengal.

They wanted adequate protection during their stay in the state so that they could work freely and independently. These observers also registered a formal complaint with the state Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), Mr Basudev Bandopadhyya, in this connection.

Reacting to Mr Basu’s threat to the Central observers, the TMC leader, Ms Mamata Banerjee, demanded that Mr Basu would be arrested forthwith for intimidating the Central election observers.

The BJP president, Mr Tathagata Roy, alleged that Mr Basu had gone out of the way in inciting the party cadres against the observers since they were now finding it difficult to rig the poll in their traditional methods. Mr Roy demanded police action against Mr Basu.

The Congress also criticised the front chairman’s public statement against the Central observers.

The Chief Minister, Mr Buddhadev Bhattacharjee, however, declined to make any comment on the observers’ role vis-à-vis Mr Basu’s allegation.

He said the government was extending all help and cooperation to the observers and he was ready to comply all requests of the EC in future. But he could not ask any aggrieved political leader to please the Central observers they were disliking. It is the duty of the EC to listen to their complaints and act accordingly, he added.

Kolkata, May 9
Two persons were killed and six, including three children, injured in separate bomb explosions in the eastern parts of the city today, on the eve of the Lok Sabha elections here.

Police sources said a bomb exploded at Entally when anti-socials were making bombs in a house in the area, killing two and injuring three.

The injured have been admitted to hospital. In another incident in nearby Beliaghata area, three children were injured when a country-made bomb exploded in a garbage vat.

Motihari, May 9
A two-member Election Commission team, which arrived here to probe complaints of large-scale rigging and booth capturing in Bettiah Lok Sabha constituency during the April 26 poll, today held meetings with senior district civil and police officials before recording statements of the candidates.

The Commission had instituted the inquiry on a complaint by noted film-maker and independent candidate Prakash Jha that the ruling RJD as well as the BJP had “indugled” in large-scale rigging and booth capturing.

SIWAN: A two-member Election Commission team, to probe alleged irregularities in the April 26 poll in Siwan Lok Sabha seat, today held a meeting with district officials before recording statements of candidates.

The EC had ordered the inquiry on the complaint of CPI-ML (L) that the goons of the RJD member of the dissolved Lok Sabha Mohammed Shahabuddin unleashed large-scale silent rigging in Siwan parliamentary constituency. Amar Nath Yadav is the CPI-ML (L) candidate here.

New Delhi, May 9
Congress candidate from New Delhi parliamentary constituency and Delhi Assembly Speaker Ajay Maken today suffered a major jolt when Avantika Maken, daughter of Congress leader Lalit Maken who was gunned down by Sikh militants, accused the Lok Sabha candidate of pressuring her to pardon her father’s killers to gain sympathy of Sikh voters.

Ajay Maken, who is being projected as “Mr Clean” by the party is pitted against BJP candidate Jagmohan in the prestigious New Delhi parliamentary constituency. It is considered as the most literate seat in the country.

Avantika Maken, grand-daughter of the late President Shankar Dayal Sharma, on the eve of the Lok Sabha polls said, “Ajay Maken has only used my father’s name. He has nothing to do with the family. He has never done anything for our family.”

Ms Maken who is also the NSUI general secretary said, “Ajay Maken did nothing when the statue of Lalit Maken in his office complex was broken by miscreants. Neither did he prevent them from doing so nor help in the installation of a fresh statue.”

Ms Maken, who recently met Ranjit Singh Gill, who is accused of master-minding the killing in Ludhiana, said, “Ajay Maken had been pressuring me to pardon Gill since the Congress gave him ticket to contest the Lok Sabha poll.”

“Any such move would send a strong and positive message amongst the Sikhs and it would be beneficial to his electoral prospects,” she alleged.

She did meet Gill in Ludhiana recently and was moved by the suffering he and his family had undergone for the past 17 years, she added.

“I was not ready to pardon him until a month ago. But meeting that man and knowing about the suffering of his family changed my mind,” Ms Maken said.

She expressed gratitude to Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit who had approached her first and asked her to change her mind on this issue.

The president of Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) Paramjit Singh Sarna, who was present at the news conference, said during their meeting with Ms Sheila Dikshit, it was made clear that the state government would not act in any manner unless the members of the Lalit Maken’s family pardoned him.

Chennai, May 9
With less than 24 hours left for elections for the 39 Lok Sabha seats in Tamil Nadu and the lone Pondicherry seat, political parties here today took stock of the situation and made calculations about their poll prospects.

While the DMK-led Democratic Progressive Alliance which has an electoral tie-up with the Congress and hopes to sweep the entire state, the BJP and the AIADMK combine is hoping to win at least 15 seats.

The seven DPA constituents are using the general election as a precursor to the state assembly poll scheduled in 2006 and campaigning concentrated mostly on local issues and their plank was the “misdeeds of the ruling party and its autocratic functioning”.

New Delhi, May 9
The BJP was hit by another saree controversy today when the Congress alleged that sarees were distributed in a key constituency in the Capital to influence voters to vote for Union Minister Vijay Goel who, however, denied the charge.

The Delhi Police seized 12 sarees which were allegedly being distributed in a slum cluster in Delhi Sadar constituency and detained a policeman attached to Mr Goel as Personal Security Officer and two slum dwellers, including a woman.

The police has registered a case.

Goel’s PSO Devendra Singh was accused of being involved in distribution of sarees on behalf of the BJP candidate and an inquiry had been ordered against him, they said. He was being questioned about his role in the affair, the sources said.

Mr Goel on the other hand denied his involvement, saying that it was a ploy of the Congress to frame him.

Mr Goel said he was passing by the area when “some Congress workers started stoning my vehicle.”

“I sent my PSO Devendera Singh to nab the culprits but he was overpowered by them and falsely accused of distributing sarees on my behalf,” Mr Goel said.

“Nothing can be ruled out. the secular parties will sit after the poll results are declared and decide about forming a secular alternative,” SP national general secretary Amar Singh told reporters here.

“We will do everything to prevent the BJP from coming back to power. Under no circumstances will we support the NDA. We will consume poison but not support NDA,” he said.

However, the SP general secretary evaded a direct reply when asked whether his party would support Congress President Sonia Gandhi to become the Prime Minister.

“Even Sonia Gandhi has said that the name of the Prime Minister will be decided in consultation with the partners,” he said.

Mr Amar Singh said the SP did not consider Congress “communal or a Hindutvavadi party “though sometimes it deviates from its path to serve its vested interests.”

New Delhi, May 9
While Ramjanmabhoomi dispute continues to linger on with no possible solution in site, former Prime Ministers V.P. Singh and Chandra Shekhar have come out in support of the construction of a temple-mosque complex just about 300 away from the disputed site at Ayodhya.

Extending his support, former Prime Minister V.P. Singh said “this is completely separate from the temple-mosque dispute which will be resolved either by the court or by mutual agreement between representatives of the two communities”.

He said the complex, which would come up on the piece of land donated by Raja Shivendra Pratap Sahi of Deara (Sultanpur), also had the blessings of former Prime Minister Chandra Shekhar.

The project will also include a medical complex, an engineering complex and a ‘sarva dharam samvad kendra.

Addressing the media at his residence, Mr V.P. Singh, said the initiative was a joint effort to sow the seeds of love and brotherhood which will set an example before the entire world. Local Ayodhya-Faizabad leaders were also present.

He said the temple-mosque complex proposed to be constructed by the Sahi’s Shri Raj Rajeshwari Sita Ram Trust had nothing to do with the Lok Sabha poll and had not been brought up in any of the public meetings.

Construction of the complex is scheduled for August 7 or 8.

Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC) convener, Faizabad, Afaq Ahmed said support was being extended to the project since it would benefit the public.

However, he said, “We support it till it is not a substitute to the Babri mosque”.