M A I N   N E W S

Cong may take Maya’s help in Mainpuri poll battle
Anita Katyal
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 2
An interesting proposition is doing the rounds in Congress regarding the party’s strategy vis-a-vis the coming byelection for the two high-profile constituencies in Uttar Pradesh — Mainpuri and Akbarpur.

The Mainpuri seat was won by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayum Singh Yadav in the recent Lok Sabha elections but it fell vacant as he opted to continue in the state. The Akbarpur seat, held by BSP chief Mayawati, fell vacant when she resigned and moved to the Rajya Sabha instead.

Senior AICC leaders are suggesting the Congress should have an informal understanding with Ms. Mayawati in taking on Mr Mulayum Singh Yadav on his home turf, Mainpuri. It is being proposed that the Congress put up a token fight in Akbarpur. And as a quid pro quo, the BSP should join forces with it to take on the Samajwadi Party leader’s nominee in Mainpuri.

Congress leaders admit that the BSP chief is unpredictable but they are hoping she will agree to this proposal, given her antipathy towards the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. AICC leaders concede it will not be easy to take on Mr Mulayum Singh Yadav who can be expected to pull out all stops in his home territory where he plans to field his nephew. However, they believe if the Congress and the BSP join forces, the combine could put up a good fight since Mainpuri has a substantial Dalit vote.

The suggestion to seek Mayawati’s help in taking on Mulayum Singh Yadav has emanated from the ongoing discussions in the Congress on its strategy for the forthcoming byelections. Besides the two Lok Sabha constituencies, bypolls are also to be held in Uttar Pradesh’s 11 Assembly segments.

A final decision on this suggestion will depend on the extent to which the Congress is willing to take on the Samajwadi Party. Although the two are supporting each other’s governments in the state and at the Centre, relations between the two are always teetering on the verge of collapse.

If the Congress is continuing to lend outside support to the Mulayum Singh Yadav government, it is only because the party is in no position to provide an alternative.

AICC leaders dealing with Uttar Pradesh admit that the party organisation in the state is in virtual shambles as nearly half its district committees are non-existent. The Congress is, therefore, not pinning its hopes on these byelections. Working on the premise that an incumbent government has an edge in a bypoll, the Congress has decided to adopt a focused approach by concentrating on the two Assembly segments (Ghaziabad and Iglass) held by it.

“Our aim will be to win the seats we already held and put up a good fight in another seven or eight constituencies so that the Congress can increase its vote share and, in the process, impress upon the people that the party is on a comeback trail in the state,” said Mr Satyavrat Chaturvedi, AICC General Secretary in charge of Uttar Pradesh.

Gen Vij to visit Manipur today
Girja Shankar Kaura
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 2
Chief of Army Staff General N.C. Vij will visit Manipur in the North-East tomorrow, which will be the first visit by a high-level official from New Delhi since the outbreak of violence following the alleged rape and killing of T. H. Manorama Devi in July last.

The Army chief’s visit to the state will come a day before Home Minister Shivraj Patil tours Manipur in an effort to calm the sentiments of locals there.

General Vij, on a two-day tour of the North-East, is in Nagaland today and will visit Manipur tomorrow to assess the situation.

Although Army officials here are non-committal, sources in the Ministry of Defence (MoD) have said General Vij is expected to brief the Home Minister about the situation in the state before the latter starts his tour of Manipur.

The visit of Gen Vij is also important from the point of view of India’s interests in the countries neighbouring the north-eastern region of the country. With the Army taking steps to assuage the feelings of the local population, the visit of General Vij will come as a further boost to these efforts.

The people of Manipur have been agitating since the alleged rape and killing of Manorama Devi for the withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act and of the Assam Rifles from Manipur. The Assam Rifles personnel are alleged to have raped and killed Manorama Devi after she was picked up from her house on July 10 last.

Her bullet-ridden body was found the next day by the locals, leading to protests and violence ever since and forcing the Centre to set up an inquiry commission. The Army had given an assurance that the suspects would be produced before the commission as and when required and that it would help in carrying out DNA tests of the men to help identify the culprits.

The assurance from the Army came following reports of blood and semen stains being found on the clothes of the victim. These were detected at the time of forensic tests carried out on Manorama Devi’s clothes.

According to reports reaching here, blood samples of 33 Assam Rifles personnel, including two officers of the rank of Major, had been collected for DNA tests. The samples were apparently taken at the forensic department of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences on Tuesday last.