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Laloo takes u-turn on CDs
Vajpayee, Laloo seek votes in Jharkhand
In graphic: Assembly
polls: Candidates in fray in Bihar
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Sonia promises development Katihar, February 12 Addressing an election meeting at the Kodha Assembly constituency, she struck a cord with the gathering by promising better roads and food processing industry here so that banana cash crop did not go waste like in 2004. The crowd responded by cheering and clapping repeatedly as Ms Gandhi made an appeal to vote for the Congress so that Bihar can again proceed on the road of development and establish communal harmony. Expressing concern over bad law and order situation in the state, she said peace was an important prerequisite for development. In her 10-minute address, the Congress President recalled Bihar’s contribution in the freedom struggle and said the state was a leader in the field of education. “I will personally monitor development here and the next government would work on the basis of common minimum programme like it is being done at the Centre”, she said adding “I do not make tall promises because I believe that the governments should be measured not by their words but by their work”. Without directly criticising the Rabri government, she touched all those issues which have been troubling the state and sought to mobilise the Muslim voters who were present in large numbers here. After her brief speech she went to the people waived at the crowd and flew to Madhubani where she addressed her last meeting of the second phase of the election. Kodha was chosen to send a message to Muslim voters of North Bihar that the Congress would work for the communal harmony and development, a Congress leader Shambhu Singh said. In the four districts, Katihar, Purnea, Araria and Kishanganj, electorate in 23 Assembly constituencies will chose their representatives on February 15 and the key to a candidate’s success is with Muslim voters; Dr Mohamad Fahim said after the meeting and added “she has struck the right cord by raising local problem of banana cash crop growers”. While Kishanganj ranks first with Muslim electorate being 66 per cent, Katihar comes second with 33 per cent. Araria and Purnea have 28 and 29 per cent of Muslims. The Congress, which is trying to regain its lost political space in these elections, chose a rural Kodha and urban Madhubani for two rallies of Ms Sonia Gandhi to send a message to the electorates particularly Muslims in 34 Assembly seats. The 23 seats in the four Muslim electorate-rich districts had been divided between the BJP, the RJD, the Congress, the CPM, Independent, the Samta Party and the Janata Dal (Jaiprakash). While the RJD and the BJP had won seven seats each, the Congress had won three seats. Whereas Independents, the Samata Party, the CPM and the Janata Dal (Jaiprakash) won three and one each, respectively. Madhubani was picked up because Shakeel Ahmad won the Lok Sabha seat from here. Shakeel was elected as an MLA from Bisfi in 2000 and was a minister in the Rabri Devi’s Cabinet. |
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Laloo takes u-turn on CDs
Patna, February 12 “The RJD has nothing to do with the CDs and the Election Commission is free to get the matter inquired,” Mr Prasad said in the wake of the commission’s notice to his party seeking to explain whether the display of such CDs was “not violative of the model code.” The state election office sources here said the commission had asked the ruling party to explain the factual position pertaining to the showing of CDs by 5 pm on February 14. The commission’s strictures on the model code violation by the RJD for its rally in December and the issues relating to distribution of currency notes at Bihta by Mr Laloo has already caused major embarrassment to the party ahead of the Assembly polls. The use of CDs and display of posters on Godhra riots for votes have once again sparked off a row with the opposition NDA stepping up pressure on the commission to take stern action against the RJD. JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar and BJP General Secretary Arun Jaitley took exception to Mr Laloo’s volte-face on the CD issue and demanded that the Commission take stern action against the ruling party for “exploiting religion for electoral purposes.”
— PTI
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Vajpayee, Laloo seek votes in Jharkhand Jamshedpur, February 12 The timing of Mr Vajpayee’s rally coincided with that of RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav, who addressed a gathering about 3 kms away. With the voters seemingly caught up between the two choices, none of the rallies could attract a large gathering. An added attraction for the people at Mr Laloo Prasad’s rally was the helicopter which brought the Railway Minister to the rally ground. The RJD leader focused on garnering minority votes. He referred to the Godhra train incident and the demolition of disputed structure at Ayodhya. Mr Prasad said that those who talk about removing him from power inevitably fall flat. In his typical style, Mr Prasad came up with witty one-liners. “Now even the Bollywood cannot do without Laloo, he said, referring to the film made on him. The RJD candidate from the East Jamshedpur, Inderjit Singh Kalra, belongs to the Sikh community. The community has a sizeable presence in the area. In his 30-minute speech, Mr Vajpayee said that rich mineral resources of Jharkhand were not used by the Congress and RJD governments for the betterment of its people. He said change was visible in four years of the BJP rule in Jharkhand. Mr Vajpayee praised the state government’s programme of giving money to girls at the time of their marriage. The former Prime Minister said that the NDA government wanted to give land rights to the tribals, but could not get a legislation passed because of the early elections to the Lok Sabha. He said that the BJP would raise the issue in Parliament. Mr Vajpayee began his speech by paying tributes to JRD Tata. He said the NDA government had conferred him with Bharat Ratna. Referrring to recent violent incidents in Karnataka, he said that Naxalism had now spread to the southern state. He appealed the people to support BJP candidates on all six seats of East Singhbhum district. The BJP is facing a tough contest on two seats of Jamshedpur which were held by it in the outgoing Assembly. In Jamshedpur East, its candidate and BJP state president Raghuvar Das is facing a challenge from Ramashray Prasad of the Congress. In West Jamshedpur, which has sizeable Muslim population, sitting BJP MLA M.P. Singh is fighting as an RJD nominee after being denied the party ticket.
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In vdeo: EC serves notice to RJD on Godhra CDs.
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