The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

	BJP hopes rath yatra will unite state unit Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service Shimla, April 27 With less than two years for the Assembly elections in Himachal, the BJP is hoping that the rath yatra of its chief, Mr Rajnath Singh, will not just enthuse workers but will help forge unity in the faction ridden party, which has failed to play the role of an aggressive opposition. The party chief, on his first visit to the state after assuming charge, will address five public meetings during the next three days as the yatra passes through the hill state. It will be one of those rare occasions when the top brass of the state BJP is expected to give a united show, as the party still remains divided in the Shanta and Dhumal camps. Mr Shanta Kumar, Mr Dhumal, state party chief, Mr Suresh Bhardwaj and all other senior party leaders are expected to accompany the party chief throughout the yatra. Mr Rajnath Singh has already covered a distance of 3,062 kms in the states of Orissa, Chattisgarh, Jharkhand, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Uttranchal, taking time off for electioneering in West Bengal and Kerala on three occasions. After the initial uncertainty over the continuation of the yatra due to Mr Pramod Mahajan’s critical condition, the party workers are busy making elaborate arrangements to make the yatra a success. Mr Rajnath Singh, who will arrive here tomorrow after two days electioneering in Kerala will start the yatra from the state capital tomorrow and address public meetings at Bilaspur, Mandi, Baijnath on April 28 and at Nurpur the next day. His rath arrived here today from Dehra Dun, where he addressed the last rally. The state leadership has carefully selected the route to be followed by his rath so that maximum possible districts can be covered. They are working overtime to make the rath yatra a big success as it is the gathering at these rallies which will be a measure of the anti-establishment mood amongst the masses. After the Lok Sabha elections it is for the first time that the BJP will be holding a series of rallies of this scale, to be attended by the entire state leadership. Besides touching upon issues like price rise and corruption it is expected that the BJP would use the occasion to hit out at the Congress regime in the state on local issues. Moreover, with the former Union Minister, Mr Shanta Kumar, who has been appointed the national vice-president of the party, taking keen interest in state politics, the infighting and bickering could intensify. The in charge of Himachal affairs in the party, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, too had admitted that the party had suffered during the last assembly elections due to the differences between the two leaders. The BJP is, however, making efforts to make the yatra a big success so that stage can be set for comeback of the BJP in the state.
	Troops withdrawal from Siachen could be disastrous: BJP chief Tribune News Service Shimla, April 27 The national BJP chief, Mr Rajnath Singh, said today that the withdrawal of troops from Siachen without laying down pre-conditions could prove to be disastrous for national security. Launching the third phase of his Bharat Suraksha Yatra, which reached here today, he said it was a matter of concern that the Army and the government had a difference of opinion on the most crucial issue of national security. “The Army has already clarified that the withdrawal of troops must be done in a phased manner and that too with certain pre-conditions which must be binding on Pakistan as well,” he remarked, while addressing a press conference. Taking the UPA government to task, he said even the Opposition was not being taken into confidence on such sensitive matters. “The BJP will make the withdrawal of the Army from Siachen one of the main issues during the Parliament session,” he stated. The UPA government must understand that it was futile holding dialogue with Pakistan till it did not stop cross-border terrorism. “The BJP is keen that peace returns to Nepal but it is for the people to decide if the army would remain under the control of the King or the government. Since it is a question of our immediate neighbour and our security is also involved, I see no harm in the Indian Government intervening and making it clear that the Maoists must lay down arms,” he opined. A former Union Minister, Mr Vijay Goelsaid so far the yatra had covered 3,600 km in seven states.
	BJP to oppose religion-based reservation Tribune News Service Shimla, April 27 Taking a strong stand on the issue of reservation on the basis of religion, the BJP chief, Mr Rajnath Singh, today said the party would oppose any such move as it would lead to disintegration of the country. Addressing the first rally in the state at the local ice-skating rink here today, he accused the Congress of creating the Hindu-Muslim divide. “The Congress which accuses the BJP of being communal is now itself playing the card of religion which even late Jawaharlal Nehru was strictly opposed to,” he remarked. Expressing concern over the reports of conversion, he said if voted to power the BJP would completely ban conversion which was a very sensitive and serious issue. “All BJP-ruled states will enact law against conversion as had been done in Rajasthan,” he said. Replying to a question over infiltration of Bangladeshis into India, he said his party after assuming power would put a complete check on it. The documents of all Bangladeshis would be checked to find out those who were living illegally in India. Former Union minister Shanta Kumar, leader of the Opposition P.K. Dhumal and state BJP chief Suresh Bhardwaj also addressed the gathering, touching local issues like unemployment, corruption and irregularities in appointments.
	Water shortage likely to hit Dharamsala Vibhor Mohan Tribune News Service Dharamsala, April 27 With the Irrigation and Public Health (IPH) Department unable to find a long-term solution to the scarcity of water arising every summer, taps have already gone dry in different parts of the district. Sources in the department admitted that there could be a major shortage of water supply to Dharamsala and McLeodganj from the next month as the weather turns hotter. Areas of Paragpur and Dehra along with Jasur and Fatehpur have already been hit by the poor water supply. Reports of irregular water supply have also been pouring in from pockets in Lambagaon and Jaisinghpurand Dhameta. In some villages there has been no water supply for nearly a month. An IPH official in Nurpur said the situation had arisen due to the drying up of natural water sources in Paragpur and Dehra sub-divisions. The water supply has been reduced to alternate days in Paragpur and Dehra division, he said. There are reports of no water supply to the railway station in Jasur for the past 15 days and passengers were having a hard time. Residents in the area said if this was the state of affairs at the onset of summer, they might have to do without water for weeks in case the IPH Department did not come out with a lasting solution. When contacted, Chief Engineer, Mr R.K. Dogra, said it was a routine problem as water scarcity is witnessed in pockets of the district every year. “I don’t have details of water supply in every part of the district. The department takes steps from time to time to ensure regular water supply,” he said. Meanwhile, the Deputy Commissioner, Mr Bharat Khera, said a meeting of the SDMs and XENs in the district had been convened to take stock of the situation. He said the state government had sanctioned Rs 6 crore for the augmentation of water supply and drilling of hand pumps. The hand pumps, he said, would be installed by the IPH Department in consultation with the district administration. He said provision for water tankers was also being made to provide immediate relief to the affected areas.
	Heritage village faces water shortage Our Correspondent Palampur, April 27 Residents of Pragpur, a heritage village declared by the Government of India, have been facing acute shortage of drinking water for the past 10 days as the Irrigation and Public Health Department has failed to maintain drinking water supply to Pragpur and 12 adjoining villages. All taps in and around Pragpur have been dry. Despite requests the Irrigation and Public Health authorities have initiated no steps to improve supply of drinking water in the Pragpur block. This correspondent visited Pragpur this morning saw long queues of men, women and children with empty pots and buckets in front of natural water resources. At present residents get water from two local natural water resources managed by a trust. Residents, including senior citizens of Pragpur, told this reporter that IPH Department was conversant with the situation but no efforts were made for the augmentation of water supply schemes which had resulted in water crisis in the area. They said the Government of India declared this village as “heritage village” and directed the state government to send estimates for the development of the village but state government had failed to get funds from the Union Government. Domestic and foreign tourists had been visiting the village daily to see old monuments of the village but they had been facing difficulties in the absence of water. A former panchyat member of the village Jai Lal Dhiman Senior citizen Trilok Chand, Bishan Dass told The Tribune the village faced the similar water crisis last year also. The IPH executive engineers had assured them that they would do the needful and there would no water crisis next year but again there was water shortage in the area. They alleged that this Assembly segment was represented by a BJP MLA, therefore step-motherly treatment was being given to us. Meanwhile Deputy Commissioner Bharat Khera on the request of residents of Pragpur ordered the IPH department to detail water tankers to supply drinking water to the residents of Pragpur. Talking to media persons, Mr Khera said he was conversant with the situation and asked the IPH authorities to take necessary steps to solve the drinking water problem Pragpur and part of the district also. He said there was no shortage of funds and necessary financial allocation would be made to the IPH department to meet requirement of drinking water in the district.
	Recognised schools threaten stir Our Correspondent Kangra, April 27 Recognised and aided schools in the state today threatened to resort to a statewide agitation if the schools were not included in the sports calendar and the Board of School Education did not allow their teachers to participate in the spot evaluation of examination papers. Mr Sanjay Kapoor, spokesman, Himachal Pradesh Recognised and 95 per cent Aided School Union, said here today that it was unfortunate that the government had debarred the recognised and aided schools from participating in school tournaments. He said as per the new policy of the Education Department, these schools had been excluded from participating in the sports tournaments of the schools in the state. Mr Kapoor said sportspersons of these schools had been participating in the sports tournaments for the past 30 years and now they had been debarred from their participation. He said the teachers of these schools were equally qualified and experienced but a ban on their participation in the spot evaluation was deplorable.
	Govt apathy killing art of magic: Shankar Tribune News Service Mandi, April 27 Noted magician Samrat Shankar today asserted that the art of magic, one of the 64 ancient art forms of India, which can be an effective antidote against superstitions, is on the brink of extinction because of the apathy of government. Shankar, who will be performing in a charity magic show to raise funds for the Red Cross from tomorrow, rued that the government had ignored ‘‘magic’’ over the past several decades. “Circus is as good as dead and the fate of magic also seems to be the same now as the government has imposed entertainment tax on magic shows”, he added. Though the popularity of magic shows is fading in the country due to lack of support from the government, Shankar and his troupe of 70 persons are trying to promote the ancient art by adding innovative tricks like the rope trick, inderjal and by performing feats like driving motorcycle blindfold on the road at a speed of 60 km per hour and laser-ray illusion trick which is very popular in Japan. Shankar who has organised shows to raise money for Kargil martyrs, tsunami and flood victims in the country, said ‘‘magic’’ was not a part of entertainment industry as it was one of the rare fine arts of India. “Magic is no “jaadu” as many opine. It is a pure art, that teaches science, dispels all superstitions, magic wands and the cult of evil spirits and spells propagated by the “godmen”, he claimed while talking to mediapersons here today. When asked how a magician can call witch doctors or tantriks’ magic cure a bluff, Shankar claimed that in a magic show all methods of hypnotism, telepathy and even yoga are used to perform the tricks. ‘‘These tricks create an illusion of reality, but it is only an illusion, something unreal”, he explained, asserting that this art is the best bet to fight and expose the claims of godmen. Shankar said godmen use tricks of hypnotism, telepathy and others to influence, befool and cheat people. “We will be setting up an academy of magic near New Delhi to teach this art to the learners”, he added.
	Political parties directionless: Shankaracharya Our correspondent Kangra, April 27 The Shankaracharya of Puri, Swami Nishchalanand, has said that the political parties were directionless and accused both the Congress and the BJP of adopting appeasement policies towards the Muslims in the country. Swami Nishchalanand, expressing concern, said here last evening that the political parties were craving for attaining power that had resulted in turning Hindus to minority in some states. He was critical of the government for adopting the reservation policies, saying such policies were bringing the country to the verge of division. The Shankaracharya was here in connection with a three-day “sadhana shivir” at Jawalamukhi and his arrival was kept a guarded secret by the organisers. He said the country was in need of a reservation policy which should streamline the economic imbalance. He alleged that foreign currency was being used to install self-styled religious leaders to divide the Hindu society. He said the existence of the Hindus and security of the country should be the goal of the “yatra”. He said: “We are making every effort for peace, kindness, self-control, service, sympathy and world peace, but the democracy was being controlled by the directionless administrative mechanism which was inviting a world war”. Prof Samdong Rinpoche, chairman of Kasag (cabinet of the Tibetan government-in-exile), called on the Shankaracharya yesterday. The Puri saint enquired about the welfare of the Tibetan temporal head and spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who was presently out of the country, from Prof Rinpoche.