The nine-year Hooda regime is a saga of exploitation of all sections of society and will be remembered for property dealing by government functionaries to deprive farmers of their land and extending benefits to big corporates. — Ram Bilas Sharma, Haryana BJP chief

Chandigarh, October 25
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda completed four years of his second consecutive term today. While the Opposition and Congress detractors kept Hooda on tenterhooks for his government’s alleged acts of omission and commission, his loyalists rallied around him claiming satisfactory performance on all fronts.

While Hooda took the criticism about lop-sided development and bias in jobs in his stride maintaining that Haryana had attained ‘No 1” slot on a number of developmental and economic parameters, the Opposition and his own party leaders went ballistic alleging ‘Rohtak-centric’ development.

Surprisingly, independent observers echoed sentiments of the Opposition and Hooda’s detractors. “With unbridled bureaucracy which lacks the will to implement various projects, Hooda has been a failure on almost all fronts. Be it crime, social indicators or governance, there is nothing to write home about government’s performance,” said social activist DR Chaudhry.He, however, hastened to add that unlike previous Chief Ministers, Hooda had hardly indulged in vendetta politics.

State BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma said: “The nine-year Hooda regime is a saga of exploitation of all sections of society and will be remembered for property dealing by government functionaries to deprive farmers of their land and extending benefits to big corporates.” The BJP, Sharma said, was preparing a chargesheet against state government’s misdeeds.

Hooda, however, put up a brave front claiming that the Congress government had fulfilled its election promises. “The previous tenure of the government was symbolic of social, economic and educational revolution. In the past four years, the government has built a strong structure fordevelopment. As a result, Haryana has become an ideal statefor inclusive growth, he asserted.

Questionable land deals kept the Hooda Government on its toes with Hooda himself facing the charge of fast-tracking the change-of-land-use (CLU) case of land belonging AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra’s firms after IAS officer Ashok Khemka passed an order against the Vadra-DLF land deal.

Politically, much of Hooda's time was spent warding off attacks from his detractors within the Congress, especially union minister Kumari Selja and MPs Birender Singh and Rao Inderjit Singh.

Political compulsions forced Hooda to postpone the much-awaited Cabinet reshuffle.This is despite the fact that Hooda was able to mend fences with former detractors and Cabinet colleagues, including Kiran Choudhry, Ajay Yadav and Mahendra Pratap Singh and able to retain his confidant Phool Chand Mullana as the Haryana Congress chief for the “time being”.

While atrocities on Scheduled Castes and women brought the government under the scanner of several constitutional bodies and the media, the spiralling crime graph saw no sign of abating.It was ironical that two former ministers, Gopal Kanda and Om Prakash Jain, and CPS Zile Ram Sharma are behind bars in criminal cases while two CPSs, Ram Kishan Gujjar and Ram Kishan Fouji, are facing criminal charges. To top it all, certain MLAs were accused of demanding money in return for getting CLUs through the release of video CDs by the INLD.

Fatehabad, October 25
Irate farmers blocked the National Highway-10 outside the grain market here twice today against their alleged fleecing at the hands of a nexus comprising traders, millers and government officials.

Farmers alleged that while their counterparts in other parts of the state were getting price of over Rs 3,900 per quintal for their 1121 and Muchhal varieties of Basmati, they were being forced to sell their produce for Rs 3,400 to 3,500 without any auction.

“There is a visible nexus between ‘pacca arhtiyas’, who organise auctions, agents of millers, who purchase our produce and the government officials who are supposed to protect our interests,” alleged Milakh Raj Kamboj, a farmer from Ahlisadar village in the district.

“Instead of procuring our crop in the open auction, they started quoting Rs 3,400 as price for 1121 variety, while farmers in other districts are getting over Rs 3,950 for it. When we protested, they refused to purchase our produce and when we went to the Market Committee with our complaint, Secretary Sanjeev Sachdeva was unavailable while other officials expressed their helplessness,” he alleged.

There are merely six ‘pucca arhtiyas’ in the Fatehabad grain market and some other traders allege that they team up with the authorities to fleece farmers by harassing them so that they sell their crop for lesser value in distress.

Angry farmers alleged that they had lodged their protest with senior officers of the district too.

Farmers agreed to lift the blockade only after the authorities assured them that the auction would be resumed. Sanjeev Sachdeva said he was away for some official work.

“The auction has been resumed and I am myself overseeing the purchases now,” Sachdeva said.

Devi Dayal Tayal, a spokesperson for the ‘pacca arhtiyas’ in Fatehabad said prices of crops fluctuated on daily basis. He said 1121 variety sold for over Rs 3,900 per quintal yesterday, but the prices had fallen by Rs 300 per quintal.

Chandigarh, October 25
More than factionalism, Haryana is now seeing competitive politics within the Congress. The “high tension” generated by the remarks of Union Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and Ambala MP Selja at the Saha rally yesterday, asking Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda to include her constituency for “development” is nothing more than the MP’s political compulsion ahead of the parliamentary elections due next year.

It is incidental that this has become the first critical public statement made by Selja in the presence of Hooda. Hooda’s reaction was natural — he denied being selective in terms of development but came out with a rebuttal saying that “writing letters sitting in Delhi means nothing, to see development you have to come to the constituency to see things first hand and to meet people to get the correct feedback”. This slamming match may have attracted attention to the Ambala parliamentary segment, but it is certainly not a gain for the Congress.

The factionalism in the Congress that had so far remained confined to “closed doors” and “party forums” has spilled out to public places. Selja has very cleverly stated that Haryana was the country’s number one state but Ambala (Parliamentary Segment) too should be included in the process of development. She along with former Finance Minister Birender Singh has been accusing Hooda of partisan development and her remarks were in the same light. But her objective appeared to be different. It is Selja’s compulsion to tell the people that she has been writing letters for development in her constituency and now she has even said it from a public stage.

Being a two-time MP, it is obvious that “anti-incumbency” would bother her. Therefore, she wants to convey to the people that she has been working for the constituency but it is the Chief Minister who is a hindrance to development here. To make her point, she has used all arguments including the “Dalit card” espousing their cause. She, however, has failed to realise that adopting a strong “pro-Dalit” posture would hit her poll prospects as this tends to annoy non-Dalit voters across the nine assembly segments in her parliamentary constituency.

Of the nine assembly segments in the Ambala parliamentary segment, only two are reserved (Mullana and Sadhaura). The Congress holds four segments while five others are shared among the INLD (3), BJP (1) and the BSP (1). Dalits form only a small fraction of the 1,259,674 electorate. Playing the Dalit card may not be the best strategy for Selja.

The public bickering at the rally has, however, eroded authority of the top party leadership even though many of them were not present. It certainly negates what Congress General Secretary in charge of Haryana Shakeel Ahmed has told all Congress leaders. After Selja, Hooda, Haryana Congress President Phool Chand Mullana and others, including Birender Singh, met Shakeel Ahmed, the latter told them not to go to the media or air grievances in public. It now remains to be seen if the high command reacts.

A large number of Congress leaders feels that the Centre is unlikely to react as it thinks that Selja is not the mass leader of Dalits--she only has pockets of influence. She may have tried to capatalise on the sentiments of Dalits in Haryana but they feel that she is seen nothing more than an MP from Ambala.

Turn of Events Jitender Kumar on Friday reported to the police that four unidentified men had thrown chilly powder into his eyes near Sector 7 market and robbed him of Rs 45 lakh The police launched a search operation in Sector 7, and zeroed in on a courier service that provided some hosiery items to dealers. The cause of suspicion was that all payments were made in cash

Ambala, October 25
The city police said its investigation into a robbery incident on Friday involving a diamond trader might lead it to a hawala racket being operated from Ambala.

Jitender Kumar, an Ahemdabad resident living in the city, on Friday reported to the police that four unidentified men had thrown chilly powder into his eyes near Sector 7 market late this evening and robbed him of Rs 45 lakh.

The trader told the police that the incident occurred in a spilt second, and that before he could react, the miscreants disappeared with the bag containing Rs 45 lakh in cash.

The police launched a search operation in Sector 7, and zeroed in on a courier service dealing in distribution of hosiery items to dealers. The cause of suspicion was that all payments were made in cash, police sources said.

The police then raided a house from where it recovered Rs 17 lakh in cash and some money counting machines, said Commissioner of Police Rajbir Deswal. He said some persons from Surat in Gujarat had been detained, and that it appeared robbery could have been a 'cover-up' for a hawala racket.

He said the detained were in the process of winding up their business when the police had raided their house and recovered the cash, which the accused could not account for.

Deswal said it was possible that the currency was being counted, 'stapled' and 'packed' in the house. The Commissioner said some persons had been questioned. The CIA, Ambala, has been tasked to investigate the case.

Hisar, october 25
A dengue patient reportedly died in a private hospital today while reports from various private hospitals put the figure of patients at 35 who have tested positive for the disease.

Sources said Maman Ram of Sikarpur village, who was under treatment for dengue in a private hospital, died today.

Civil surgeon SR Siwach, however, denied having received a report about any death so far.

He, however, admitted that about 35 patients admitted to private and government hospitals in the district had so far tested positive for dengue so far.

Lahli (Rohtak), October 25
The Ch Bansi Lal stadium at Lahli village, which is located on the Rohtak-Bhiwani road in the district, has turned into a hotspot in the past few days. A Ranji Trophy match between Haryana and Mumbai to be played here on Sunday has heightened the euphoria among the youth due to the participation of Sachin Tendulkar, a cricket icon.

An official of the organising committee said for the first time, cricket fans of the district and the state would be able to see Sachin playing live, though a Ranji match hardly attract the attention of the common man.

“I and my friends are looking for the passes as watching Sachin playing on the ground would be a unique experience,” said Vikas, a university student. He said acquiring a pass had now become a kind of status symbol for the youth.

Sumitra Devi, a middle-aged resident of the village, said she had no interests in this game but younger members of her family had been talking about Sachin Tendulkar. Raavi, a college student, said she and some of her friends were fans of Sachin and it was the best occasion to see such a great player play here.

Ranbir Mahendra, a former BCCI office-bearer, and patron of the Haryana Cricket Association (HCA), said the stadium would be filled to the brim in view of the enthusiastic response. Out of the total 8,000 seats, 2,500 seats had been spared for the security personnel and officials of the administration in view of Sachin playing here, he said.

He said the presence of Sachin would fuel the promotion of cricket and sports in the region. He said none of the tickets had been sold but given as complimentary to the spectators.

A spokesperson for the district police said nearly 1,000 police personnel would be posted at the venue.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda is expected to see the match. Meanwhile, the authorities said the team members, including Sachin, reached Rohtak in the evening and they would be staying at a government guest house in the city.

Hisar, October 25
The Haryana Archaeology Department has seized 151 gold and 120 silver coins dating back to Mughal period from a farm labourer at Bhata village in the district.

Sajjan Kumar stumbled upon the treasure trove while ploughing a field at Akanwali village of Mansa district in Punjab about four months ago.

The Hisar police had given the custody of the seized coins to the Zonal Museum of the state Archeological Department yesterday.

Museum in charge SP Chalia said: “Each gold coin weights around 10 gram though the coins varied in sizes. The coins are made from pure 24 carat gold and are nearly 300 years old. The total weight of the seized coins is around 1.5 kg.”

Chalia said the seized coins would be put on display in the museum after completion of the court formalities.

A police official said the accused found the coins while levelling a field at Akanwali village earlier this year. One of his close friends got a whiff of it and informed the police.

Sirsa, October 25
The police has registered a case against an unknown person for preparing a fake Facebook account of Sirsa MP Ashok Tanwar.

City police station SHO Dalip Singh said a case had been registered on the complaint of Tanwar’s Personal Assistant Paramvir Singh.

He said the matter was being investigated and the police had so far not been able to establish the identity of the accused. Tanwar could not be contacted for his comments on the issue.

Chandigarh, October 25
The government has decided to grant interest-free Diwali festival advance of Rs 4,000 to all Class-IV employees.

Finance Minister HS Chattha said the advance would be admissible to permanent and temporary class-IV employees and to ad hoc staff, who had been continuing in service for the past one year and were likely to continue for another four months. — TNS

Sonepat, October 25
Ravinder of Jharonthi village and Gulfam of Fazilpur died on the spot when their motorcycle was knocked down by a vehicle near the Chauhan Joshi turning on the GT road last night.

While Ravinder ran a spare parts shop at Rai, Gulfam was working as a mechanic in his shop. After closing the

shop, both were going on a motorcycle to Murthal for dinner at a Dhaba on the GT road around 10 pm. Their motorcycle was hit by a vehicle in the rear, kiiling both of them on the spot.

After preliminary investigation, the police brought the deceased to the civil hospital here. A case was registered against the unidentified driver.