CM: paper on benami land deals soon
THEOG, Dec 5 — The HP Government will soon come out with a comprehensive document on irregular land deals effected during the Congress regime.

Virbhadra loyalists blame
Sat Mahajan
DHARAMSALA, Dec 5 — Virbhadra Singh loyalists in Kangra are blaming the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Mr Sat Mahajan, for the party's defeat in the Baijnath byelection.

SFI flays invitation to Joshi
SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The SFI has sought intervention of the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, for preventing the prestigious IIAS here from being 'saffronised' by inviting the Human Resource Development Minister, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, to deliver the Dr Radha Krishnan Memorial Lecture.

Sonia lauded for Congress victory
SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The Himachal Pradesh Congress Legislature Party has congratulated Mrs Sonia Gandhi for leading the party back to power in three states.

Vice-President of council quits
SOLAN, Dec 5 — The Vice-President of the local Municipal Council, Mr S.S. Jhina, a Congress loyalist, pre-empted a BJP-sponsored no-confidence motion against him by tendering his resignation to the SDM, Mr Rakesh Dhiman, about an hour before it was taken up at a general house meeting today.

CM: paper on benami land deals soon
Tribune News Service

THEOG, Dec 5 — The Himachal Pradesh Government will soon come out with a comprehensive document on irregular land deals effected during the Congress regime.

Talking to mediapersons after laying the foundation stone of Government Degree College here, the Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, said the document would expose how the previous regime regularised "benami" land deals and accorded the status of agriculturists to non-agriculturists, who were not permitted to purchase land in the state without the prior permission of the government. It would also throw light on unauthorised constructions and regularisation of illegal structures during the past four years.

He said his government had already declared that it would not allow construction of any building without approval in and around Shimla.

Referring to the 800 mw Dol Ram project, Mr Dhumal said a final decision on handing over the project to a Central agency for execution would be taken after December 15. He said the Daewoo company, which had given a bid, had sought time for submitting its final offer. The government would first consider its offer and take further action on the matter.

He said the government would like to offer the project to the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) which had now been allowed to take up hydel projects.

Negotiations for the 600 mw Rampur project were also at an advanced stage. The World Bank had not only agreed to provide funds to meet the enhanced cost of the Nathpa Jhakri project but was also keen to fund the Rampur project.

The Chief Minister said that to encourage floriculture in the state the government had decided to extend same incentives and concessions as available to the fruit growers.

Earlier, addressing a public meeting Mr Dhumal said besides opening a college the government would also make efforts to set up an industrial training institute at Theog. He released Rs 50 lakh for the college building and appealed to the people to contribute the required amount for completing the building under the Vikas Main Jan Sahyog scheme.

Mr Dhumal said that work on a Rs 2.01 crore drinking water supply scheme was under way and urged people to extend cooperation by providing land required for the scheme.

He said the government had decided to upgrade the District Hospitals in Hamirpur and Sirmaur to Zonal Hospitals. He said that this clearly indicated the government was committed to ensuring equal development of all areas. In Hamirpur the BJP had won all five Vidhan Sabha seats, whereas in Sirmaur it could not get even single seat out of five.

Mr I.D. Dhiman, Education Minister, accused the previous government of opening various educational institutions in the state without making any provision for staff and buildings. He said that steps were afoot to make these institutions functional.

Virbhadra loyalists blame Sat Mahajan
From Pratibha Chauhan
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Dec 5 — Virbhadra Singh loyalists in Kangra are blaming the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee chief, Mr Sat Mahajan, for the party's defeat in the Baijnath byelection.

The first one to take the lead in this regard is a former Tourism Minister, Vijai Singh Mankotia, who along with other leaders from Kangra district, like Mr Chander Kumar, had been claimants to the post of the PCC chief.

Mr Mankotia, the most vociferous critic of Mr Mahajan, has said that lack of "coordination" amongst the party leadership was one of the major reasons for the party's debacle in Baijnath.

In political circles, this criticism is being viewed as the beginning of rivalry between the Virbhadra Singh and Sat Mahajan factions once again. During the election period itself, a number of leaders, owing allegiance to Mr Virbhadra Singh, had complained that they were not being taken into confidence and only selective invitations were being sent for campaigning.

Mr Mankotia, while talking to mediapersons here yesterday, admitted that the Congress had lost its base amongst Rajputs, Scheduled Castes and OBCs. He said those holding top party positions had proved to be ineffective.

He pointed out that the party had badly lost the Pragpur byelection also and its base in districts of Una, Kangra and Hamirpur had been eroded. He demanded that a meeting of the PCC should be convened to find out reasons for the party's defeat when the Congress had swept the polls in other states.

Senior Congress leaders from Kangra district point out that Mr Sat Mahajan had been appointed the party chief to remove the feeling that the Congress was concentrating all important posts in the Old Himachal areas.

In fact, it was the allegation of regional discrimination levelled against the Congress by the BJP which clicked with the electorate and as a result only four out of 16 seats in Kangra went to the Congress.

Even before the result of the Baijnath byelection was declared, there had been speculation that critics of Mr Sat Mahajan might use the occasion to question his hold over the people of Kangra and other merged areas.

However, one thing that is clear after the Baijnath poll is that once again the Congress will remain ridden with factionalism, and both groups will put the blame of the Baijnath defeat on each other.

Singh Sabha flays attack
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 5 — Mr Kuldip Singh, president of the All-India Guru Singh Sabha, has demanded that those involved in the attack on Guru Ram Dass Academy near Dehra Dun should be immediately arrested.

Mr Kuldip Singh told reporters here today that the minority communities were not feeling safe under the BJP regime. It was only the Congress which took care of their interests.

He alleged that the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) was also misleading the Sikhs living outside Punjab.

He said the Sikhs were feeling insecure, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, where the BJP Government led by Mr Kalyan Singh had ignored their demand on Udham Singh Nagar.

Mr Kuldip Singh said the recent assembly poll had shown that the Sikhs living outside Punjab were no more under the spell of the SAD which they had realised was trying to mislead them for its political ends.

He alleged that the SAD had sacrificed the interests of Sikhs of Udham Singh Nagar by entering into a secret understanding with the BJP government at the Centre.

The Congress victory in Adampur had clearly indicated that people had understood the gameplan of the Akalis and the tendency of the Akali leaders to exploit the religious sentiments of the community.

SFI flays invitation to Joshi
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The Students Federation of India (SFI) has sought intervention of the President, Mr K.R. Narayanan, for preventing the prestigious Indian Institute of Advanced Study (IIAS) here from being 'saffronised' by inviting the Human Resource Development Minister, Mr Murli Manohar Joshi, to deliver the Dr Radha Krishnan Memorial Lecture.

Activists of the SFI today submitted a memorandum addressed to the President to Mrs Rama Devi, Governor, in the Raj Bhavan here.

They also staged a dharna outside the IIAS to protest against saffronisation of the internationally famous institute.

The memorandum said that all previous norms and precedents had been 'shown the door' by the BJP in inducting RSS activists to educational institutions.

The invitation of the governing body to Mr Joshi has taken fellows of the IIAS and the academic community completely by surprise.

The convention has been to invite only highly accomplished scholars to deliver the lecture. Previous invitees were Prof K.N. Raj, Prof Simon Blackburn, Prof Richard Sorabjee, Prof Andre Beteille and Prof M.G.K. Menon.

The governing body has also appointed a BJP-dominated committee to review certain appointments and selections of fellows. The governing body had never before interfered in the selection of fellows.

The SFI leaders, Mr Kushal Bhardwaj and Mr Dalip Kaisth announced that effigies of Mr Joshi would be burnt throughout the state on December 9 to protest against saffronisation of educational institutions. A strike will be observed in educational institutions on December 11 as part of the protest.

Sonia lauded for Congress victory
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Dec 5 — The Himachal Pradesh Congress Legislature Party (CLP) has congratulated Mrs Sonia Gandhi for leading the party back to power in three states.

A meeting of the CLP, held here under the chairmanship of Mr Virbhadra Singh, adopted a resolution saying Mrs Sonia Gandhi had brought the party on the winning trail by winning the Assembly elections at Delhi and Rajasthan and retaining Madhya Pradesh.

A meeting of the Congress workers of the Kumarsein Assembly constituency also adopted a resolution appreciating the win of the Congress under the leadership of Mrs Sonia Gandhi.

Three resolutions were adopted at the meeting, urging the state government not to indulge in the campaign of revenge and disturb the existing institutions functioning in the areas where opposition members were represented in the Assembly.

Another resolution condemned the behaviour of some BJP workers in the constituency who were trying to demoralise Congressmen and also government employees by getting them transferred.

Vice-President of council quits
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Dec 5 — The Vice-President of the local Municipal Council, Mr S.S. Jhina, a Congress loyalist, pre-empted a BJP-sponsored no-confidence motion against him by tendering his resignation to the SDM, Mr Rakesh Dhiman, about an hour before it was taken up at a general house meeting today.

The general house was to meet at 4 pm and Mr Jhina resigned at 3.10 pm.

A notice for the no-confidence motion was given by seven BJP councillors, one of whom had switched over loyality from the Congress to the BJP about a month ago.

In another no-confidence move, the Vice-President of the Notified Area Committee, (NAC), Parwanoo, Mr Ram Dhian Singh, who was also Vice-President of the BJP Mandal, Kasauli, was ousted from the post at a meeting held yesterday.

Later, addressing a press conference here today, Mr Ram Dhian Singh accused the NAC President, Mr Narinder Walia, of misusing his position. He threatened to move court if the government failed to order an inquiry into the 'misdeeds' of Mr Walia.