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STOCK-TAKING:
SHRUTI CHOUDHRY BHIWANI-MAHENDRAGARH
STOCK-TAKING:
Naveen Jindal Kurukshetra
STOCK-TAKING:
Mohinder Singh Kaypee Jalandhar |
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STOCK-TAKING:
Sukhdev Singh Libra Fatehgarh Sahib
BJP's 2nd list may be out on March 8
SC refuses to hear PIL against govt advts
Sharing stage with Paswan, Modi attacks Nitish Kumar
Congress considers Raj Babbar from Faridabad LS seat
Lalu campaigns amid suspense over Cong tie-up
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STOCK-TAKING:
SHRUTI CHOUDHRY BHIWANI-MAHENDRAGARH Says inclusion of Bhiwani, Mahendragarh districts in National Capital Region her biggest achievement Ravinder Saini Tribune News Service
Bhiwani/Mahendragarh, March 3
The third-generation politician in her family, Shruti had the responsibility of carrying forward a rich political legacy. In her debut poll, Shruti defeated INLD biggie Ajay Singh Chautala by over 55,000 votes. At that time, she was riding high on people's sympathy as her grandfather and father had done a lot for the area. But now when she prepares to contest the seat again, she will have to seek votes on the basis of her performance. Enumerating her performance and achievements, Shruti says inclusion of Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts in the National Capital Region (NCR), historical inclusion of frost in the list of eligible natural calamities and potable water supply to 118 drought-hit villages of Nangal Chaudhary and Narnaul blocks under Augmentation Drinking Water Supply (ADWS) Project are the highlights of her maiden stint as MP. She claims inclusion of Bhiwani and Mahendragarh in the NCR would not only open new avenues of employment for the youth but also propel development in these districts. Likewise, the ADWS Project has given a new lease of life to the villages of Mahendragarh district, which had been suffering from low groundwater table, she says. Development works Shruti says introduction of slab system to check high power bills of tube-wells in Bhiwani and Mahendragarh districts, grain and vegetable market and Municipal Committee at Nangal Chaudhary, irrigation water for Nangal Dargu village, introduction of Y-MAX service in internet facility at telephone exchange in Dadri, construction of RoB at Dadri by-pass, upgradation of Nangal Chaduhary as tehsil, Kanina as sub-division, Ateli as tehsil, Satnali as sub-tehsil and Badhra as sub-division, setting up a block at Nizampur, replacement of damaged pumps with new ones for lift irrigation system and sewage treatment plant in Bhiwani were among the prominent projects carried out during the last five years. Besides, construction of a 50-bed general hospital at Siwani town is in progress, she says. Sanctioned projects Several projects have been sanctioned by the authorities concerned but work on them is yet to begin, she claims. Among these are four-lane road corridor for south Haryana covering areas of Rai Malikpur (Rajasthan border), Narnaul, Mahendergarh, Dadri, Bhiwani and Kharak, solid waste management project in Bhiwani, six RoBs in Loharu region, setting up of government college for women in Badhra town, 27 projects of road construction in Badhra town, construction of a bus stand at Satnali, women's college at Bahal and a synthetic athletic track at Bhim Stadium. MPLADS funds The MP has utilised 88 per cent of her MPLADS funds during the last five years. "An amount of Rs 19.45 crore out of the total authorised amount of Rs 19.52 crore has been sanctioned till date for various development works like construction of chaupals, streets, roads, sanitation, etc. I have disbursed most of the grants on the demands of village panchayats in my constituency and tried to fulfill all their aspirations in terms of development," she says. Participation in Parliament Shruti is, perhaps, at the top position among MPs of Haryana in terms of raising questions and participating in debates in the Lok Sabha. "I have raised 628 questions and participated in 23 debates on issues pertaining to my constituency and the state during the last five years, which gives me satisfaction and motivation to toil hard with more enthusiasm for the betterment of my constituency," she says.
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STOCK-TAKING:
Naveen Jindal Kurukshetra Residents say MP did nothing for employment generation, was inaccessible Nitish Sharma Tribune News Service
Kurukshetra, March 3 Efforts A BCom (Hons) and an MBA from the University of Texas, Dallas, and an industrialist-turned-MP, Naveen Jindal, runs a social organisation that works for women empowerment, youth and child development, health, education and infrastructure. The billionaire MP who could have taken the path of expending his empire and living luxurious and On January, 23 2004, the Supreme Court of India ruled in favour of Jindal and cited a new fundamental right that would allow every Indian to hoist the Tricolour on any day of the year. After this landmark ruling, Naveen established the Flag Foundation of India. On February 18, 2010, the Rules Committee of the Lok Sabha accepted Naveen's proposal to allow MPs to display the National Flag as a lapel pin while seated in the House. Pending demands Although the MP claims full utilisation of his MPLADS fund, a visit to the constituency shows that a lot still needs to be done. Residents say the MP failed in the fields of employment generation, industrialisation and rail connectivity to the constituency. Major projects Union Commerce and Industry Minister Anand Sharma laid the foundation stone of the National Institute of Design at Umri village on May 22, 2013. However, the work on the Rs 160 crore project is yet to start. The Textile Hub project is only on paper. Residents say the MP also failed to bring Kurukshetra on the tourism map, which he could have done by exploiting the historical and religious importance of the town. In Parliament Naveen Jindal contested the election from the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha seat in 2004 and defeated Abhay Singh Chautala of the INLD by a margin of more than 1.6 lakh votes. In the 2009 elections, he retained his office by beating Ashok Arora of the INLD by a margin of 1.2 lakh votes. With an attendance of 81 per cent, the MP participated in 19 debates and asked 514 questions.
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STOCK-TAKING:
Mohinder Singh Kaypee Jalandhar Rivals accuse him of focussing only on Scheduled Caste-dominated areas, lack of development Varinder Singh Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, March 3 While the SAD-BJP combine has fielded Adampur MLA and Chief Parliamentary Secretary Pawan Kumar Tinu from the Jalandhar (reserved) Lok Sabha seat, the Congress is yet to announce its candidate. Kaypee focussed on the development of backward areas and slums. He was instrumental in creating community-level facilities in the Dalit-dominated villages during his tenure. Kaypee opened the purse strings of his MPLADS funds to improve parks. In the rural areas on the periphery of Jalandhar, Kaypee gave liberal grants for the construction of dharamshalas, cremation grounds, parks, rooms for aanganwadis, setting up of panchayat ghars and stadiums. Kaypee has no qualms in admitting that he had focused more on the development of Dalit-dominated villages. "For me, there has been no discrimination as far as equal distribution of grants is concerned. I ensured that the rural and urban areas falling under my constituency and all 1,567 villages get equal attention while disbursal of grants. I focused more on the construction of dharamshalas, cremation grounds, sewerage systems and streets in rural areas. In urban areas, I ensured that residents get clean drinking water. A tubewell is being installed in Avtaar Nagar at a cost of Rs 14 lakh and another is coming up in Buta Mandi. It is a different matter that the Municipal Corporation is going slow on the work," Kaypee said. Talking about major projects conceived or initiated in his constituency, Kaypee said his biggest achievement was to ensure the inclusion of the Jalandhar city railway station in a list of 160 railway stations, which were to be upgraded by the Railways. "Similarly, my efforts yielded results as the proposed six-laning project on the Bidhipur-Dhilwan stretch of the National Highway-1 is inching towards a reality. The machines have been installed and compensation is being given to shopkeepers, who have been affected due to the widening of the road, in Kartarpur. I also ensured that some trains halt at the Jalandhar railway station. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh also announced setting up of an airport at Jalandhar," Kaypee claimed. He said 90 per cent of the MPLADS funds announced by him had been utilised. However, the utilisation certificates of the completed works have not been submitted to the district authorities by the executing agencies. Asked if any of his MPLADS-based projects generated job avenues, Kaypee said: "The MPLADS funds are released for development, not to create jobs avenues." Statistics show that Kaypee received Rs 14.61 crore under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme, of which Rs 12.7 crore had been utilised or released for various projects. Of the total amount received, Rs. 2.38 crore had been spent in the SC/ST-dominated areas, while Rs 9.5 crore for the development of other areas. Kaypee has been visiting his constituency and meeting people once a week.
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STOCK-TAKING:
Sukhdev Singh Libra Fatehgarh Sahib Locals say he was serious in redressing grievances, but couldn’t bring any major project to his constituency Sanjay Bumbroo Tribune News Service
Fatehgarh Sahib, March 3
MPLAD funds Libra was sanctioned Rs 19 crore under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). The Central Government had released Rs 16.5 crore and after adding Rs 63 lakh as interest, the total funds available to the MP were Rs 17.13 crore. Out of this, a sum of Rs 12.63 crore was recommended and the amount sanctioned thereafter was Rs 11.71 crore. However, expenditure of only Rs 9.67 crore was incurred on development schemes in his constituency. The official data reveals that the Central Government had sanctioned Rs 627.42 lakh to carry out 723 works in Fatehgarh Sahib that comprises five blocks — Sirhind, Amloh, Khamano, Bassi Pathana and Khera. Nearly 550 works have been completed and the rest are under progress. Libra has reportedly failed to bring any major project to the constituency that could help generate employment opportunities for the local youth. However, he has approved smaller projects worth Rs 50,000 to Rs 3 lakh for construction of streets and strengthening of drainage system. Libra said: "I have allocated whatever money I had received from the Centre to carry out development in my constituency. Nobody can point a finger at my performance." In Parliament Libra had entered the Lok Sabha in 2004 as a Shiromani Akal Dal (SAD) candidate. However, he had to resign as he had voted in the favour of the nuclear policy Bill introduced by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during the 14th Lok Sabha. Later, he joined the Congress and successfully contested the elections against SAD candidate Charanjit Singh Atwal. Libra had participated in 12 debates and raised 97 questions. His attendance in the Lok Sabha was 98 per cent. Libra said he had worked for the welfare of the people. "I don't find any reason as to why people will not vote for me if the party decides to field me again from the constituency." However, he evaded elaborating on how many state-related questions he had raised in Parliament. He said he had got approved from the Central Government the railway flyover passing through the main Sirhind town, which eased the traffic flow on the Jalandhar-Rajpura main line. Deputy Commissioner Arun Sekhri said Sukhdev Singh Libra was proactive and had been generous is releasing the funds for development works in villages of his constituency. The rival's take Senior SAD leader and Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha Charanjit Singh Atwal, who had unsuccessfully contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls against Libra, said he would not be able to comment on the performance of the sitting MP as he was holding an important office in the Punjab Assembly. He said everyone knew how many questions Libra had raised in Parliament. On re-contesting polls, he said the party would take a final call.
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BJP's 2nd list may be out on March 8
New Delhi, March 3 The Central Election Committee of the party is likely to announce candidates for 100-150 constituencies, but the list may not include the name of the party's PM candidate Narendra Modi for "strategic reasons". One-year-old Aam Aadmi Party has already indicated that its leader Arvind Kejriwal will contest from Varanasi if the BJP fielded Modi from the seat. Though the BJP firmly believes that the AAP is just a "Delhi-NCR based phenomenon that can, at the most, affect Haryana," many believe that Kejriwal may be daring Modi to contest from Varanasi just to prove a point. If Modi does not fight from Varanasi, Kejriwal will say the BJP's PM candidate is running away from a direct fight with him. The AAP leader is also off to Gujarat to "inspect development" in "Modi's Gujarat". The party is planning to contest all Lok Sabha seats in Gujarat to challenge Modi in his home state. Sources in Kejriwal's party say the plan is to confine Modi to his home state so that his visits to other states get affected. "Even if the AAP does not win seats, Kejriwal's presence can add to votes against the BJP," a source said.
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SC refuses to hear PIL against govt advts
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday refused to entertain a PIL for framing guidelines to regulate advertisements given by the government to project its achievements, saying that election is round the corner and the timing is not appropriate to hear such a plea.
A bench headed by Chief Justice P Sathsivam asked the petitioner, who alleged that governments spend crores in advertisements to project the ruling party and its leaders at the cost of public exchequer, to approach the court after the general elections. "You are right but the timing is wrong. Take a chance after the election. We cannot hear the plea at this stage," the Bench said. It also questioned the petitioner, Kochouspeh Chittilappilly, as why he had approached the court at the eleventh hour. Declines to restrain politicians from making hate speeches
The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a PIL seeking its direction to restrain politicians from indulging in "provocative and hate speeches" saying that it cannot curtail people's fundamental right to free speech. "We cannot curtail fundamental rights of people. It is a precious rights guaranteed by Constitution," a Bench headed by Justice RM Lodha said, adding "we are a mature democracy and it is for the public to decide." The court said that it is a matter of perception and a statement objectionable to a person might not be normal to other person. "We are 128 million people and there would be 128 million views. One is free not accept the view of others," the Bench said. — PTI
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Sharing stage with Paswan, Modi attacks Nitish Kumar
Muzaffarpur, March 3 Addressing a rally in which Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Paswan and his son Chirag appeared for the first time with him since the two parties had merged last week, Modi said the country's politics was now divided into two camps. "One headed by us is looking for a solution to country's problems, while the other is searching for a solution to stop me," the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate said. About Paswan, Modi said the former had remained courteous to him during personal meetings and did not shy away from being photographed with him despite their ideological differences. Without naming Kumar, Modi said the Bihar CM was a "hypocrite" who met him with affection in a closed room and ate together but feared shaking hands in public. "People pardon your mistakes but not hypocrisy," he said. Paswan, who had quit the NDA government at the Centre in 2002 after the Gujarat riots, blaming Modi, today said there was a wave in favour of Modi that would take him to the seat of power. "Modi was born in a poor family. Who says he has been a victim of political untouchability... He is going to wear a crown of thorns. I hope no community will say a year later that Modi is not their leader," he said, apparently referring to Muslims' unease about Modi. "The border (Bihar's) with Nepal is a cause for concern. Bihar has become a haven for terrorists due to vote-bank politics of the government. It has not adopted tough policies against them to appease some people," Modi said, adding: "You may not like Modi or the BJP, but those who died in the blasts were also from Bihar." Modi said: "Those indulging in the politics of vote bank do not understand this ideology... the sooner we get rid of such people, the better it is." Welcoming Paswan, Modi said the NDA's strength was going to grow further and so would the troubles of his rivals. "They think that the BJP, which (they) thought of as a party of Baniyas and Brahmins, has declared a man from OBC as their PM candidate... Let me tell you, the next decade will belong to SCs, STs, the poor and marginalised," he said. Ridiculing the fledgling Third Front, of which Kumar's JD (U) is a member, he alleged that the country's development was the least of their concern. Most parties in the Front had been Congress allies, he said. Accusing rivals of using secularism as a tool to grab power, he said they were trying to stop him with claims that secularism was in danger. "I say give jobs to youths, they say secularism is in danger. I say give food to the poor, they say secularism is in danger... For them, secularism is a political slogan, for us, it is that all communities are ours," Modi said. "Modi says stop inflation, stop corruption... They have only one dream and one agenda: Stop Modi," he said. Earlier, Paswan hinted at his reported insult by the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led RJD and Congress for his decision to snap ties with them. — PTI
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Congress considers Raj Babbar from Faridabad LS seat
New Delhi, March 3 Babbar's candidature was discussed at a meeting of the Congress screening committee for Haryana held here last night. Sources said Babbar was eager to shift his seat from Firozabad in Uttar Pradesh to Faridabad and had conveyed his urge to Congress leaders. The screening committee has decided to send Babbar's name along with Bhadana's for the Faridabad seat on which Congress Central Election Committee will take a final call in its meeting tomorrow. Babbar's candidature was also being considered for Amritsar in Punjab, but he has not shown interest in contesting from there, sources said. As far as the seats with sitting Congress MPs in Haryana are concerned, the screening panel headed by PC Chacko has forwarded the names of MPs Deepender Hooda from Rohtak, Naveen Jindal from Kurukshetra and Ashok Tanwar from Sirsa among others such as Shruti Choudhry. From Sonepat, where Congress' sitting MP Jitender Singh Malik has expressed his unwillingness to contest, the panel has recommended the names of Gohana MLA Jagdish Singh and former MLA Ved Singh Malik. It is learnt that veteran actress Sharmila Tagore has declined Congress' offer to contest the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat from where the screening panel has decided to forward the names of MLA and minister Aftab Ahmed, MLA Dharam Pal, Rao Dan Singh, Chiranjeev Rao, son of minister Capt Ajay Yadav and Rao Sanjay Singh, son of former MP Col Ram Singh to the CEC. The screening committee has also named Choudhary Birender Singh, Rajya Sabha MP from Hisar with sources saying the Congress chief would have to decide whether to field sitting Rajya Sabha MPs for the Lok Sabha. Others in the Hisar panel list of the Congress are former MLAs Prof Sampat Singh and Chattarpal Singh and Rajinder Singh Sura, chairman of the Zila Parishad. Youth Congress leader and MLA Anil Dhantari, former Haryana Congress chief Phool Chand Mullana's son Varun Choudhary and former MLAs Raj Kumar Valmiki and Banta Ram have been included in the screening committee panel for Ambala. The candidate to be fielded will be finalised at the CEC meeting. Party poll panel to meet today
The Sonia Gandhi-led Central Election Committee of the Congress will meet in News Delhi on Tuesday to finalise the first list of the Lok Sabha candidates.
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Lalu campaigns amid suspense over Cong tie-up
At a rally near "Lalu More", a crossing named after him, in Rajauli in Nawada, Prasad asked the poor, backward, Dalits and minority people to unite against the "communal forces" to save the country. Prasad did not comment on the tie-up with the Congress. However, while he left Patna for the rally, he had said: "Let Congress do whatever it wants on alliance. I am starting campaign for my party." The RJD chief, who has been waiting for response from the Congress, attacked the BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, who was in Bihar today to address a rally at Muzaffarpur. "It is this person about whom former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had said he was ashamed of. It is the same person to whom the US did not give visa. And today, he wants to become the Prime Minister. Seeds of communalism are being sown all around by him," Lalu said at the rally. The RJD president also did not spare Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Alleging that Kumar's government has failed on all fronts, Prasad said people were suffering under his rule and they had a long list of complaints against him. "Corruption and bribery are rampant in Nitish Kumar's rule. Police station, block and district-level offices are plagued with corruption," he said. To woo voters, he said: "Forgive me if my party leaders had ever done anything against you. Such things will not be repeated." Against Modi's claim of selling tea in childhood, Lalu said it was he who had sold tea in childhood to sustain studies. The rally is the first in the series of meetings in various parts of the state to be addressed by Lalu. — PTI
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Kalyan Singh is new
BJP vice-president 2 regional parties merge with TMC in Jharkhand IAS KP Ramaiah joins JD(U) to take on Meira Kumar Gadkari meets Raj Thackeray in Mumbai Karuna says no space for more parties in its alliance AAP wants clear guidelines on opinion polls Delhi CEO asks govt depts to help ensure fair polls Jayalalithaa goes after Central Govt |
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Muzaffarpur, March 3
The untimely demise of her father and two-time MP in a chopper crash in March 2005 was the turning point in her life. She had to take a break from her work as a Supreme Court lawyer to help her mother in serving the people of their area.
However, he is praised for staying connected to the grassroots. Local residents said he never missed a function, whether it was public or private. During his five-year tenure, he regularly visited areas of his constituency and listened to the problems being faced by people, who held him in high esteem as he would answer calls even of unidentified people on his mobile phone.
Nawada/Patna, March 3