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Khimi elected BJP chief
Rift out in the open
Another ‘objectionable’ CD doing rounds
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Fissures in BJP a boost for Congress
Factionalism in BJP comes to fore
CDs sent to forensic lab
80-yr-old murdered
Novel idea to counter monkey menace
Skiing championship from February 7
‘Cops sheltering accused’
Resentment over pay anomaly
Man of Science award
Baspa project awarded
Minister addresses grievances
‘Only 30 pc contraband destroyed by cops’
Polio campaign
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Khimi elected BJP chief
Shimla, February 3 Ecstatic over the stamp of approval by the high command over the name of Khimi Ram, a second term MLA from Banjar in Kullu district, the Dhumal faction was in full attendance to celebrate the occasion. Both Dhumal and Khimi Ram said efforts would be made for better coordination between the government and the party so that the BJP was strengthened in the state. However, former Chief Minister Shanta Kumar was elected to the national council along with Chief Minister PK Dhumal, Dile Ram from Mandi and Vimla Kashyap from Shimla in his absence. “After seeking Shantaji’s consent over the telephone, his name was proposed by IPH Minister Ravinder Ravi and seconded by former minister from Kangra Chaudhary Vidyasagar for being elected to the national council,” said Satya Pal Jain, in charge of BJP affairs in Himachal when asked who filed the nomination form for Shanta Kumar. With the high command deciding to give Khimi Ram another tenure, the election process was a mere formality as 70 of the total 88 delegates who elect the state party chief being present. “We must highlight the achievements of the government which has performed really well and if at all there is a difference of opinion, we must resolve it within the party forum and not make it public,” said a relieved Khimi Ram after his election. He added that he would ensure that there was complete discipline within the party. Having been labelled as a leader who lacked dynamism, he assured that he would visit each and every mandal in the state to freely interact with party workers. “There is no truth in the fact that there was any disagreement in the party over my candidature as the election has been a unanimous affair though Shantaji could not make it due to some personal reasons,” he tried to explain the absence of the former chief minister. Dhumal, when asked about Shanta’s remarks over the CD issue, said he preferred not to comment on the remarks by senior leaders. “I assure full support and assistance to Khimi Ram so that we can further improve coordination between the party and the government,” he said. He made mention of the discrimination being meted out to Himachal by the Congress-led UPA regime in the Centre. |
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Rift out in the open
Shimla, February 3 The absence of Shanta Kumar, along with his loyalists, from the election process sent the message loud and clear that the senior leader was unhappy with the decision and his non-attendance indicated that he was in no mood to relent over the decision taken by the high command in giving Khimi Ram a second innings. It is for the first time since PK Dhumal became the chief minister that Shanta has openly expressed his unhappiness over the state of affairs under the present regime. Khimi Ram too was at loss of words while trying to give reasons for the absence of Shanta and his men from his “unanimous” election. Prominent Shanta loyalists---Industries Minister Kishan Kapoor, Food and Civil Supplies Minister Ramesh Dhawala and Kangra district BJP chief Ranjit Singh Pathania were conspicuous by their absence. Satya Pal Jain, in charge of BJP affairs in Himachal, said there was no question of any differences and Shanta Kumar could not make it for the election due to short notice. “Shantaji is a very respected leader not just in Himachal, but all over the country, and in case he has been hurt, I will personally go and talk to him,” he said. Forest Minister JP Nadda, whose candidature was being backed by Shanta faction for the top post, made it a point to be present along with Khushi Ram Balnatah, whose name also figured in the probables for the state party chief’s post. Barring ministers Ravinder Ravi and Sarveen Chaudhary, all other BJP MLAs from Kangra too were conspicuous by their absence. Kangra district BJP chief Ranjit Singh Pathania, a Shanta man, too did not turn up for the election of the party chief to express solidarity. Dhumal, when asked about factionalism in the party over the election, said the decision was a unanimous one with 60 delegates proposing the name of Khimi Ram. “I do not wish to comment on the remarks made by senior leaders,” he said when asked about the unhappiness expressed by Shanta on the recent CDs. A much relieved Khimi Ram did not miss the opportunity to heap praises on the Chief Minister PK Dhumal for the brilliant performance of the government. “It will take some time for me to announce my new team as I would like to take everyone along with the blessings and advice of the senior leaders,”he said. |
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Another ‘objectionable’ CD doing rounds
Dharamsala, February 3 “They showed me a small portion of the CD in which a known leader of the state was shown in a compromising position and involved in immoral act. The people possessing the CD had asked for an exorbitant amount for handing it over. However, I did not show any interest as I am just concerned about exposing corruption at the highest places. Moreover, I do not have the money to buy the CD. Now I have come to know that alleged CD is going to be public,” he said. Mankotia also levelled corruption charges against the present government. He said corruption in the state had crossed all levels. It was much more than what was prevailing at the time when Virbhadra Singh was the chief minister. He also alleged that the present government was not interested in investigating the CD case against Virbhadra Singh that was exposed by him. The FIR against the former was registered only after he sought information from the present government under the RTI. “Had the present Dhumal government been serious about investigation into Virbhadra Singh case, a few officers would have ended behind the bars,” he said. The difference between the present CD and audio CDs released by me was that I had owned the responsibility or releasing it. However, nobody has owned the responsibility of releasing the present CDs, he added. The BJP MP from Shimla, who was shown accepting money on video CD and Virbhadra Singh, where the forensic examination has proved his voice on audio, should be expelled from Parliament till they proved themselves as innocent, he added. When asked about his possible return to politics, Mankotia said considering the current scenario in the state, he might be forced to reconsidering his decision of disassociating from active politics. He said initially certain leaders from the BJP had approached him. Later, during the last parliamentary election, the state and central leadership of the Congress approached him. “Though I did not join, my supporters joined the Congress. However, my options are still open,” he said. |
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Fissures in BJP a boost for Congress
Shimla, February 3 However, some national leaders like Vijay Goyal and Satya Pal Jain, came out in the defence of the party to provide some comfort to the state leadership. Meanwhile, the subtle remarks of veteran party leader Shanta Kumar that the transformation of Dev Bhoomi into “CD Bhoomi” was a matter of shame for the peaceful hill state, had provided more ammunition to attack the Congress. Taking prompt notice of the remarks Pradesh Congress Committee chief complimented the former Chief Minister for taking a moral stand in the party where the high command had been turning a blind eye to corruption. It was an act of moral courage and the BJP leaders, who had mindlessly joined the chorus defending the party in the patently “indefensible” triple CD case, should introspect and take courage from their senior-most leader who had been known to take a just stand. Indeed fissures created in the BJP will encourage the Congress to further sharpen the attack on the Dhumal government. Kaul Singh said the party was now planning to observe protests in all district headquarters, followed by a state-level protest, to press the demand for registration of an FIR on the basis of three CDs and a CBI probe into the matter. According to sources, the party has also decided to submit a memorandum to the Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar along with a copy of the video CD featuring BJP MP Virender Kashyap for taking action on the pattern of the 11 MPs who were caught accepting cash on camera. The main objective seems to embarrass the BJP at the national level, the sources added. With dissensions in the party ranks, the Dhumal regime, which had been targeting Union Steel Minister Virbhadra Singh and other Congress leaders, might be forced to go on the defensive and find it difficult to pursue its agenda against them with the same intensity. |
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Factionalism in BJP comes to fore
Mandi, February 3 Though Dhumal has managed to impose his “political will” on the party organisation by managing to declare his choice Khimi Ram as the next state president, the factional fight between the two leaders has once again driven home the point that party workers and “electoral college” of the party did not matter in party elections. Reacting to the tug-of-war between the two leaders over the state president post, party workers told The Tribune that the party high command had been ignoring the will of the party workers and was the reason why there was factionalism in the party. “The leaders are making a mockery of the feelings of the party workers as the organisational polls are staged so that only people of one or the other factions come forward and become their stooges,” they revealed. The party workers said it was ridiculous that the party was observing the “internal party democracy” in the state. If the state president was to be elected as per the “will of the high command or will of a faction”, then all talks of internal party democracy was rubbish. The party has electoral college comprising more than 70 delegates representing each mandal in the state and 10 MLAs. “If the state president has to be elected as per the will of Dhumal or Shanta Kumar rather than by the democratic will of the party workers, why make the party electoral college,” they questioned. They cited the democratic process adopted by the parties in the US, where the candidates for the top posts had to compete with their rivals before they reached up in the party hierarchy, getting the “majority votes of the delegates”. But here it is the other way round as the candidates are decided by selfish leaders, they alleged. Meanwhile, BJP state returning officer Vikram Thakur said it was an “internal matter of the party to elect its president who is elected by the electoral college unanimously.” |
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CDs sent to forensic lab
Shimla, February 3 “The two audio CDs have already been sent by the CID to Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) for analysis so that the truth can be known,” confirmed Chief Minister PK Dhumal. After the release of the two audio CDs and one video CD, the Chief Minister had directed the CID to investigate the matter. However, it is only in case of the two audio CDs containing recorded conversation between the Chief Minister and DGP (Vigilance) that the inquiry was ordered. In case of the video CD, featuring Shimla MP Virender Kashyap, the inquiry had not been ordered by the Chief Minister as the matter was being investigated by the Solan police. With Rajya Sabha MP Shanta Kumar also terming the release of the CDs as unfortunate, the issue could lead to a lot of upheaval within BJP politics. Moreover, the election of Khimi Ram as the state BJP chief has further irked the senior leader who has shown no hesitation in making his displeasure public on the issue of corruption in the state. |
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80-yr-old murdered
Kangra, February 3 Kangra Sub Divisional Officer Jeet Singh told The Tribune that Kishori Lal, a resident of Rajol village, lodged a complaint with the police that his father Chamaro Ram was attacked with a blunt object, beaten up with sticks and left injured in a land dispute case last month. He said his father wanted to to close the path which was constructed on his ancestral land, a fact resented by another family who allegedly attacked him and left him injured. Jeet Singh said Chamro Ram died on January 26 at his home. The body was sent for a post-mortem examination which indicated death due to striking of blunt object. The preliminary report received last evening made the police register a murder case under Sections 302 and 34 of the IPC against accused Sampuran Singh, his wife and son Aman, alias Rinkoo, residents of Khadyada village. The police said investigation was in progress. However, the trio involved in the alleged murder were yet to be arrested.
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Novel idea to counter monkey menace
Hamirpur, February 3 This exercise would be taken up on February 16 in the Hamirpur district and counting would begin at 7.30 am, simultaneously at different strategic positions. The morning time has been selected as this is the time when monkeys start their day’s journey in search of food. The Forest Department has selected hundreds of strategic points to count the number of simians and 131 teams have been constituted to complete this exercise. The department had already made assessment of the number of monkeys during the first phase and now the exact figures about their population would be prepared in the second phase. The department is also involving NGOs, elected representatives of gram panchayats, youth clubs, mahila mandals and other elected representatives, besides five range officials, forest guards, other forest officials and about 11,000 persons in this process. This process had already been adopted at Dehradun by the Forest Department there to count the number of monkeys. Hamipur divisional forest officer (DFO) Sanjay Sood said, “The department is adopting this technique so that the entire population of simians is counted to avoid double counting as they can not run very far within 15 minutes.” The Forest Department has already trained all people to be involved in this exercise by holding training sessions. Adults and children simians would be counted separately to maintain a proper record. “The Forest Department would prepare seven beat maps of simians after this counting exercise and the exact number of the simians in the district would help in devising and implementing strategies to mange the monkey population in the district,” the DFO added. |
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Skiing championship from February 7
Manali, February 3 He said at present most of the members were no longer active skiers, but they could really be proud of the way in which the game had developed over the years and the fact that it had contributed to the wellbeing of many individuals and the upper Kullu valley. The revisit to the past was an emotional journey down the memory lane for most of the skiers. The highlight of the meeting was the slide show presentation that brought alive the history of skiing and its growth in the valley. More than 100 veteran skiers attended the meeting. Among the gathering were young skiers, who had done the area and the state proud by representing the country in the Winter Olympics, the Asiads and other international events. The gathering was a rare opportunity for the skiers to exchange their experiences for further development of the sport in the area. The Himachal Ski Association is trying to promote skiing in remote areas of the state like Lahaul and Spiti, Bharmour, Shimla and Kullu valley by imparting training and donating ski equipments. Presently, there are 28 active ski clubs affiliated to the Himachal Winter Games Association, he added. |
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‘Cops sheltering accused’
Mandi, February 3 The villagers, including mother of the victim, accused the police and certain politicians of sheltering Nek Ram, husband of the deceased, as she was allegedly murdered by him under the influence of liqour and she did not commit suicide as it had been made out to be. The villagers gathered here today and created a stir at the hospital when the hospital authorities told them to take the body for the postmortem to the Tanda Medical college. Officiating Mandi CMO AB Gupta claimed that they did not refuse the postmortem, but took some time to facilitate it. The report will be handed over to the police by the medical superintendent, he added. Even Kanta Devi, mother of the woman, had lodged a complaint at the Sadar police station, alleging that her daughter was first murdered by her husband the day she went missing a month ago before her body was dumped at the spot. “We came to know that she had gone missing when her husband, who works as a roller driver with the PWD at Udaipur, informed us about her,” she stated. Lobh Singh, who led the villagers, said the police and certain leaders were protecting the accused in the case as Rama Devi did not commit suicide as it had been made out to be by the police. Mandi SP SM Agnohotri said the police was awaiting the post-mortem report in the case which other wise fell in the jurisdiction of Lahaul and Spiti and the police was verifying the facts. |
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Resentment over pay anomaly
Shimla, February 3 The committee has also criticised the government for its failure to restore the October 29, 1999, notification for extending pensionary benefits to corporate sector employees as promised by the BJP in its manifesto. It also drew attention to the fact that the employees of the state agro-industries corporation had not been paid salaries for the past seven months and similar was the plight of the employees of the state handloom and handicraft corporation. The committee took up the matter with Chief Minister PK Dhumal but to no avail. |
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Man of Science award
Shimla, February 3 The award is being conferred upon Trehan, who has established industrial units at Parwanoo in the state and Halol in Gujarat, for manufacturing a range of equipment ranging from handtools to tunnelling and mining machines, for his contribution in developing scientific temper among the people. |
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Baspa project awarded
Shimla, February 3 The Himachal government, which gets 12 per cent power free of cost as royalty from the project, received electricity worth Rs 96.90 crore from the project. |
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Minister addresses grievances
Bilaspur, February 3 He ordered officials concerned to ensure that all scrap dealers should be immediately shifted from the town vicinity, stray dogs should be sterilised, government quarters to be timely repaired and maintained, a footpath to be constructed along the Ghumarwin town and to see that the government constructions were according to the prescribed specifications. He further said all matters raised by the non-official members must get redressed as early as possible and added that the orders must be implemented within next 15 days. The demands of the non-official workers were the removal of meat market from the town, construction of the Upparli-Bhated road and relocation of old temples of Bilaspur town, which is now submerged in the Gobind Sagar. Naina Devi MLA Randhir Sharma, former MP Suresh Chandel, Deputy Commissioner Nandita Gupta, SP Kuldip Sharma and Additional District Magistrate BR Kaundal were also present on the occasion.
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‘Only 30 pc contraband destroyed by cops’
Mandi/Kullu, February 3 As it turned out, the police anti-drug drives remained symbolic in most cases, said experts, adding, as only 30 per cent of contraband produced in the state has been seized and destroyed by the police so far. No doubt, the police seizures went up in Kullu and Mandi in 2009, but in Shimla and Chamba districts, the anti-drug drives have yet to pick up pace, revealed narcotics enforcement experts. “The police, forest and revenue officials need to focus on enforcing anti-drug campaigns during sowing and before harvesting as they still are doing symbolic operation for the remote forest areas are yet to be liberated from the clutches of smugglers,” they asserted. Meanwhile, Mandi SP Sonal Agnihotri said the police seized 110 kg of charas in 2009 and registered 106 cases under the NDPS, which was the highest so far. “We built nakas, improved intelligence and surveillance and destroyed over 800 bighas of illegal cultivation of cannabis and poppy in the district in 2009,” he said. On the other hand, Kullu SP KK Indoria said the police seized about 208 kg of charas and 10 kg of opium in 2009, which was the second highest seizure so far, except in 2002 when the police had seized more than 300 kg of charas. Indoria added, “Besides, we destroyed illegal cultivation on over 11,170 bighas of both private and forest land, which is the highest area. However, cultivators continue to produce charas and opium and the peddlers continue to smuggle out consignments. Despite tall claims made by the police, former superintendent, Narcotics Control Bureau (NCB), OP Sharma, in his recent presentation on drug situation in the state at the UNODC seminar in Kullu, observed that about 54,000 kg of charas was produced on over 18,000 bighas of land and 15 metric tonnes of opium was produced in 5,000 bighas of land in Himachal. According to sources, not more than 30 per cent is destroyed or seized. Rest of the contraband finds its way into the markets in and outside the country. Anurag Garg, DIG, central range, said the police seizures had gone up in 2009. “The police is involving forest and revenue departments to check illegal cultivation and nakas are established to nab smugglers,” he added.
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Polio campaign
Kullu, February 3 He called upon NGOs, anganwadi workers and parents to start campaigning for the next dates of the pulse polio campaign. He further said children, with families in transit, would also be covered
by mobile vans in the district. |
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Shimla, February 3
