Don’t take us for granted, Muslim leaders tell Cong
SMA Kazmi
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 12
It would be bad news for senior leaders of the state Congress as leaders of the Muslim community, including religious leaders, have started exerting pressure on them to share political power and not to take them for granted. Across the state, there have been demands by the Muslim community that the Congress, which has been expecting wholehearted support of the community in the coming Assembly elections, should also share political power by giving party nominations to Muslim candidates as per their population. The Muslim form more than 10 per cent of the total population of the state and are mainly concentrated in the plain districts of Dehradun, Haridwar and Udham Singh Nagar.

In the past two Assembly elections, the community was more or less ignored by the Congress and some of the senior leaders, including Indira Hariyadesh, who had to lose elections due to the wrath of the community in her Haldwani Assembly segment.

The Muslim community leaders in Dehradun, Udham Singh Nagar and Haridwar districts are demanding adequate representation in party nominations. While, the Congress leaders are willing to give a few party tickets to the community in Haridwar district, they are tight-lipped about other two districts that have large Muslim populations.

But its seems that leaders of the community are in no mood to relent this time. “We had been blindly voting for the Congress since a long time. If the party wishes to ignore us in ticket distribution, then the community should teach them a lesson as they have no stakes in power either way,” commented Sibte Nabi, a social worker of Gadarpur town in the Kumaon region and convener of the Uttarakhand Minority Welfare Society.

Meanwhile, Muslim religious leaders of Dehradun district have warned the state Congress leadership to ignore the claims of the community on party nominations on at least three Assembly segments in Dehradun district at its own peril.

Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Qasmi, Shahar Qazi of Dehradun city, and Maulana Atlaf Hussain, Dehradun district president of the Jamait Ulema-e-Hind, warned the state Congress leaders that if they chose to ignore the claims of the community on three Assembly segments of Sahaspur, Dharmapur and Vikasnagar in Dehradun district, the Muslim community would teach the party a lesson in the coming Assembly elections.

Maulana Altaf Hussain said the Muslim community had been voting for the Congress for the past 64 years and the party had started taking the support of the community for granted. He further said the entire community had been backing the Congress in the state while even the senior national Congress leaders are feeling afraid of Anna Hazare.

He said the Congress was able to win all the five seas of Uttarakhand in the Lok Sabha elections in 2009 only due to the overwhelming support of the Muslim community, which constituted more than 10 per cent of the total population.

However, the Muslim religious leaders asserted that the party had ignored the claims of the Muslim candidates on the segments having sizable populations of the community. “The Congress has to share the political power with the community, if it wants its support. The community will not be a silent spectator whose votes are taken for granted by the Congress,” said Maulana Altaf Hussain.

The Muslim leaders argued that there had been a feeling among the senior Congress leaders that he Muslim community had no alternative and would ultimately vote for the Congress. “They should not be under any illusions that Muslims would be forced to vote for the Congress. They cannot fool the Muslims by raising the bogey of the RSS and the BJP threat, since the community has already seen the worst in the form of Gujarat riots,” said Maulana Mohammad Ahmed Qasmi, the head priest of Dehradun city known as “Shahar Qazi”.

The leaders argued that the Muslim community, which had a sizable presence in the Sahaspur assembly segment, had been voting for the Congress since it was declared a reserved seat. But since the seat has been de-reserved, the Muslim community has the first right on the Congress nomination, they agued.

Interestingly, Aryaendra Sharma, former Chief Minister ND Tewari’s personal assistant, has started donning white khadi and posing as a strong party contender from thte Sahaspur Assembly segment in Dehradun district. According to party sources, he is likely to get the party nomination from Sahaspur due to his close proximity to Birender Singh, Congress general secretary and in charge of Uttarakhand affairs. The ball is clearly in the court of the Muslim community.

UPA to blame for rising corruption, says Rajnath Singh
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 12
BJP leader Rajnath Singh today said that the nation was facing major embarrassment at the international level due to the black money deposited by Indian nationals during the regime of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA).

“The Congress-led UPA at the Centre was responsible for this corruption. The government is showing no intention to curb corrupt practices now that the time has come to draft the Jan Lok Pal bill,” said Singh, who was addressing a public meeting here today.

Praising Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C.Khanduri, Rajnath Singh said that Uttarakhand, under his leadership, showed the way to the country by bringing the office of Chief Minister under the ambit of Lok Ayukta. He stated that if Uttarakhand could do it, then why should the office of the Prime Minister not be brought under the purview of the Lok Pal Bill?

“By giving a weak Bill on Ombudsman for the country, the Congress Party made the international community laugh at the country,” said Singh.

Addressing the meeting, Uttarakhand Chief Minister B.C. Khanduri said that the country was facing threat at its borders as “our neighbours have shown their bad intentions.” “In such a critical time, the party leading the country is weakening the country by corrupt practices, as exposed by the media and investigating agencies recently,” said Khanduri. The Chief Minister said that the government was committed to developing the state despite the Centre showing partiality in granting the funds.

Former chief minister of the state and Rajya Sabha member Bhagat Singh Koshiyari said that in the form of the Lok Ayukta Act, Chief Minister Khanduri had given a missile to the party, which would demolish the fort of the Congress Party in the Assembly polls. “Khanduri has many other missiles in his armoury, which he will fire after coming into power this time, and these missiles will be beneficial for the party in the 2014 parliamentary elections,” said Koshiyari.

BJP state in charge Thawar Chand Gehlot, Dharmendra Pradhan, former Almora MP Bachi Singh Rawat, BJP state chief Bishen Singh Chufal and local MLA and minister Prakash Pant also addressed the rally.

Addressing the rally, Prakash Pant said that an engineering college and 17 other projects sanctioned by the government for the district could be established only by the blessings of Chief Minister Khanduri. “The Chief Minister has special attachment for the border districts like Pithoragarh, as being an ex-Army officer he realises the needs of the people living on the borders of the country,” said Pant.

NABARD training programme
Hundreds of jobless from rural areas benefit
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 12
Hundreds of unemployed youths hailing from rural areas are benefiting from the NABARD-run self-employment technical job oriented training programme in the district.

Under the Ministry of Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME), Government of India via electronics service and training centre, this programme is being run, in which the first batch students completed their four-month training tenure today.

Hundred students of this first batch now are fully trained in cellular mobile set repairing and computer courses.

Apart from this, owing to their rural background, these students were given specific personality development and English-learning crash course, too. Most of them have already been given placements while others will be provided assistance by the MSME.

District development manager NABARD Hemant Kumar Tiwari told TNS that those youths wanting to start their own small enterprise will be provide loans, too.

“Most of the rural youths, due to lack of knowledge about this scheme, take similar training in expensive private colleges. But here not only is the training free but we also provide counselling and loan facilit,”said Tiwari.

Centre coordinator Rishu Rihan apprised that there was a marked difference visible among rural youths today as compared to when they first came to the training programme.

Even girls are coming in a fair proportion and now seeing them well versed in technical aspects aided with a groom personality, daily dozens of unemployed youths from rural areas are coming to enquire about this scheme, added Rihan.

City-based charitable trust Meeree Te Peeri is giving free faculty assistance in this project that is coordinated by trust’s Gagan Sharma and Mehtab.

CM making false promises to win poll: UPP
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 12
The Uttarakhand Parivartan Party has charged Uttarakhand Chief Minister BC Khanduri with indulging in the “worst kind of corruption” by making false promises to the people of the state with an intention to win elections.

PC Tewari, president of the Uttarakhand Parivartan Party, addressing mediapersons here today, accused the Chief Minister of making announcements, laying of foundation stones of various development projects and making promises of various schemes without any budgetary provisions only with an eye on the forthcoming Assembly elections.

“Does it amount a sort of political corruption or not? We want to ask the Chief Minister who has been projecting himself as the biggest crusader against corruption,” asked Tewari.

He said the Chief Minister, by passing the Lokayukta Act in the state, had been claiming himself to be a “messiah of anti-corruption” and it should reflect on the performance of the BJP government where so many scandals became public. “He has been the Chief Minister of the same team of ministers and bureaucrats who were found involved in alleged corrupt deals. Has he taken action against anyone during his second innings?,” said Tewari.

The party chief said even the Lokayukta Act in itself was an attempt to cheat the public as per Section 18 of the Act, there could be no investigation against any politician without the unanimity of all members of the Lokayukta.

On the question of becoming a part of the third front, Tewari said his party wanted basic changes in the political setup and believed that corruption in the elections was the bane of the present democratic dispensation.

“We believe that political forces involved in making the third front should make a common minimum programme for a long haul rather than joining hands for the Assembly poll,” he commented.

Tewari alleged that the Congress as well as the BJP had destroyed the public aspirations of the people by bringing in all kinds of corruption in the state. He claimed that his party would work for bringing in total political and social change in the state for the welfare of all including the poorest of poor.

e-filing to be compulsory soon
Tribune News Service

Dehradun , December 12
Interactive forums with the industry helps reduce tax litigation, said Dr D K Bisen, Assistant Commissioner, Customs, Central Excise & Service Tax, while addressing industrialists at an interactive session organised by the CII Uttarakhand State Council here today.

He addressed the queries of the industrialists centred around the Central Excise exemption package and some of the service tax issues. He also informed the industry that e-filing would soon become compulsory.

Dr Bisen further suggested that the department and the industry should work together to iron out the problems, if any, in the e-filing process.

Dr Bisen urged the industry to assist the department in identifying tax leakages, for example entities charging service tax but not actually depositing the same. Dr S Farooq, chairman, CII Uttarakhand State Council, said the industry would cooperate with the department on such issues.

Employees blow conch shells in protest
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 12
As the agitation of the fourth grade state employees entered the third week, no state government minister heard their plea. The employees today resorted to a unique way to register their protest.

The agitating employees with conch shells and ‘‘dhablis’’ in their hands passed through the Delhi-Haridwar highway drawing attention of the passersby.

Blowing the conch shells, employees raised slogans against state government ministers, particulary against local ministers Madan Kaushik and Diwakar Bhatt, for failing to address their woes.

The rally culminated at Har-ki-Pauri with hundreds of employees attached with more than 36 departments and nodal agencies.

District chief of the employee union Girish Rawat lamented that despite their strike entering the third week, no communication had been made from the state government and even local legislators had refrained from even visiting their agitation venue Gobind Ballabh Pant park.

“We never want that the public suffers and we boycott official work, but we have been forced indirectly by the government by not accepting our demands regarding pay irregularities” said vice-chief of the union Pramod Pant.

Thousands of teachers take out procession
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, December 12
Thousands of primary teachers stayed away from their teaching duties and staged a massive protest at the district magistrate office.

Demanding an instant rectification of their 10-point demand letter that includes allocating of state cadre to them and having a separate primary education directorate, thousands of teachers took out a massive procession at the district headquarters, Roshanabad.

District in charge of the Uttarakhand State Primary School Union Kamal Kaushik said if the state government didn’t accept their demands, they would be forced to stage a protest at the Education Directorate in the state capital on December 15 to register their protest.

Union spokesperson Ajay Sharma, addressing the agitating teachers, warned the state government that if no heed was paid to their demand in the coming days, then they would be boycotting their teaching duties too.

UKD (D) MLA dispels rumours of merger with BJP
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 12
Dispelling rumours of the Diwakar Bhatt faction of the Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD) joining the BJP, Om Gopal Rawat, UKD (D) MLA, said today that he would be fighting the coming Assembly elections on UKD (D) ticket.

“I cannot speak for him (Bhatt). On December 14 our party (Diwakar faction) will be discussing whether to fight the elections in alliance with the BJP but on my part right now there is no such move to join the BJP. I will fight the elections as a UKD member,” said Rawat while addressing a press conference here.

He also said his party was also not in talks with the Raksha Morcha and decision to align with the BJP or any other party would be decided by the leaders of his party.

The MLA, who was facing a court case challenging his win in the 2007 Assembly elections, was quite happy with the verdict delivered by the court last Friday. He said: “The ruling is in my favour though I had defeated my nearest rival Subodh Uniyal of the Congress by four votes. Uniyal had expressed doubts about my victory by filing cases in the court,” he said.

However, he rued the fact that the hearing in the case kept him out of Narender Nagar (his Assembly seat) most of the time, which prevented him from carrying out development work in his constituency. “During my tenure, I had not been able to devote much time for my Assembly seat due to the court case. My opponent moved the court as a ploy to keep me out of Narender Nagar. But whatever time I had I tried to carry out development works in my area,” he said.

He further said in case the Election Commission freezes the party symbol allocated to the UKD, it would be disastrous for both the factions of the party.

BJP did nothing except changing CM: Cong
Our Correspondent

Pithoragarh, December 12
Leader of the Opposition in the Uttarakhand Assembly Harak Singh Rawat said here today that the BJP government in the state did nothing for the state except changing the Chief Minister to hide the corrupt practices of its ministers.

“The party today is giving the details of its performance of the past four months instead of giving the accounts of the past five years as it was involved in 419 scandals,” alleged Harak Singh who was addressing a public meeting in the Dharchula and Gangolihat areas of the district.

Addressing a public meeting at Gangolihat, Harak Singh said the BJP government in the state had neither provided basic amenities to the rural residents of the state, nor paid any heed to the problems of the unemployed youth.

“The party is talking of giving industrial package to the hill villages whereas it had been sleeping for the past five years,” said Rawat.

Addressing a public meeting at border town of Dharchula, Harak Singh said the BJP was falsely talking of giving package to the hill districts as the Centre is ruled by the Congress. “The package to the hill areas for industrial development can only be provided by the Congress,” said Rawat.

The Congress leader said the BJP could spend only 50 per cent of the total of Rs 668 crore given by the Centre under the plan aid.

“The Uttarakhand Government has also failed to spend more than Rs 400 crore, out of a total amount of Rs 1,300 crore given by the Centre under this head,” said Rawat.

Later, talking to mediapersons in Gangolihat, Rawat said the BJP, which could not fulfil its promises of 2007, has no right to befool the public by making fresh announcements.

Monkey rehab centres to be set up
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, December 12
Trying to find a solution to the problem of monkey menace in the state, the Uttarakhand Government has decided to set up two monkey rehabilitation centres in the state.

A high-level decision in this regard was taken at a meeting held at the Secretariat in Dehradun today which was presided over by Uttarakhand Chief Secretary Subhash Kumar.

While the first centre will be opened at Nandprayag in Chamoli district, the other will be set up at Tanakpur in Champawat district of Uttarakhand. The provision of Rs 50 lakh each has been made for the two centres.

The Chief Secretary held that each centre would be spread in an area of 20 acres and the monkeys would be taken to these centres for sterilisation and be kept there till they recover. Van Panchayat Committees would be managing these centres.

Uttarakhand Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Dr RBS Rawat, Uttarakhand Forest Development Corporation’s Managing Director Dr Srikant Chandola and Additional Forest Secretary Sushant Patnaik were present at the meeting.

Cong workers submit memo

Dehradun, December 12
Workers of the Congress today held a protest in front of the District Magistrate against the alleged anti-people policies of the state BJP government. Hundreds of Congress workers came to the DM’s office raising slogans against the stae government. The demonstration was part of the mass protest of the Congress at the district headquaters in the state.

The Congress workers submitted a memorandum to the District Magistrate demanding a probe by the CBI into the alleged scandals of the state government. The Congress also took the state BJP government to task on the issue of spree of announcements and foundation stone laying carried out by Chief Minister BC Khanduri in the state with the aim of luring voters.

“The government has started making false promises to the people without any budgetary sanctions,” said Lal Chand Sharma, a senior Congress (city) leader. — TNS