Mulayam defends himself
GURGAON, May 2 — In a spirited defence of his Samajwadi Party’s step of not supporting the Congress President’s candidature for the office of Prime Minister after the fall of the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav charged that his political friends and the Congress were responsible for the mid-term elections.

'No decision yet on poll pact with BJP'
ROHTAK, May 2 — The INLD supremo, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has said that his party has not yet taken a decision on an electoral alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha poll.

Haryana's first skating rink
ROHTAK: Bal Bhavan run by the Child Welfare Council here has provided a skating rink for children and youth. This is the first skating rink to be constructed by a Bal Bhavan in Haryana.

‘Caste war has hit development’
YAMUNANAGAR, May 2 — Uncertainty prevails in India on account of the "caste war", which has hampered development.

Nagrik Sabha sore over road blocking
SONEPAT, May 2 — Organisers of the Bhagwati jagran blocked the main road between Gita Bhavan city chowk and the railway crossing near Hindu College by erecting shamianas there yesterday.

Notice to Haryana Chief Secy on contempt plea
CHANDIGARH, May 2 — The Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary, Haryana, Mr R.S. Varma and Mr K.G. Verma, respectively, on a contempt petition filed by a former Director-General of Prisons, Mr Ramesh Sehgal.

Frequent power cuts hit farmers
SIRSA, May 2 — Mr Veer Bhan Mehta, joint secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (I) and senior Congress leader said here today that power cuts imposed by the Haryana Vidyut Parasaran Nigam in the district had adversely affected normal, life in villages.

BJP coalition fell apart: Cong
BHIWANI, May 2 — Mr Arun Agarwal, secretary of the Media Committee, has said the BJP-led government at the Centre collapsed due to the withdrawal of support by its coalition partner and the Congress had nothing to do with its fall.

Charred bodies of missing girls found
HISAR, May 2 — Two local teenaged girls were found burnt to death near Jatu Lohari, village under Bawani Khera police station in Bhiwani district today.

Mulayam defends himself
Tribune News Service

GURGAON, May 2 — In a spirited defence of his Samajwadi Party’s step of not supporting the Congress President’s candidature for the office of Prime Minister after the fall of the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav charged that his political friends and the Congress were responsible for the mid-term elections.

Addressing a function organised here today by the Yadav Mahasabha, Mr Mulayam Singh, for the first time, took the President of the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and leader of his Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM), Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, to task for adopting "double standards" to prevent him for the second time from becoming the Prime Minister. Of course, he did not name Mr Laloo Yadav but left no one in doubt about his identity. "My friend had apologised for preventing me from becoming the Prime Minister. But he played a ‘dubious’ role again after the fall of the BJP-led government", he said. He was referring to the political development after the fall of the government headed by Mr H. D. Deve Gowda.

Incidentally, this was the first public speech of Mr Mulayam Singh after the dissolution of the 12th Lok Sabha.

Putting the record straight, he said his name for the office of Prime Minister was sponsored by the Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mr Jyoti Basu, at a meeting of non-Congress Opposition leaders at his residence. The meeting had decided to approach the Congress with another two proposals as a fool proof measure to avoid a mid-term poll. These were: in case Mr Mulayam Singh was not acceptable as Prime Minister, it should name any leader from the Third Front for the top office. If this proposal was not acceptable, then the Third Front was willing to be part of a coalition government along with the Congress.

According to him, Mr Laloo Yadav and the AIADMK chief, Ms Jayalalitha, were sent to Mrs Sonia Gandhi with the proposals. But the Congress rejected all of them and staked its claim to form a government. The two leaders were not even treated in a proper manner by Mrs Gandhi.

He criticised the role of Mr Laloo Yadav saying that he tried to keep his and Ms Jayalalitha’s interaction with Mrs Gandhi a secret. He got the details from Ms Jayalalitha. The RJD leader should have given him details of the meeting as he was also an RLM leader.

He further said that at his meeting with Mrs Gandhi he told her that a majority of her seniormost party leaders were pro-BJP.

He dropped a bombshell saying that some leaders, including those from the Congress, had tried to argue with him that his Samajwadi Party should install Mrs Gandhi as Prime Minister and withdraw support to her government after a few days.

Addressing his party workers, Mr Mulayam Singh questioned the version of some leaders of the CPM. He wondered why Mr Somnath Chatterji had told Third Front leaders, including himself, that the Politburo had agreed to his candidature for the top office. According to him, Mr Chandra Shekhar and he had strongly proposed the name of Mr Basu for the office. But Mr Basu had declined the proposal and sponsored his (Mulayam Singh) name for the office.

Mr Mulayam Singh also mildly criticised the CPM general secretary, Mr Harkishan Singh Surjeet’s role in the entire episode. He made special mention of Ms Jayalalitha saying that on account of the role of the Congress and leaders of the Third Front her political career was now doomed.

He said only his Samajwadi Party and the AIADMK were responsible for the fall of the Vajpayee government. The Congress was trying to take credit, he added.

Later talking to newsmen, he said as far as he was concerned, the RLM was intact. It would depend on Mr Laloo Yadav, he added.

Is HVP-BJP alliance breaking up?
by U.K. Bhanot

CHANDIGARH, May 2 — Is the Haryana Vikas Party-BJP alliance in Haryana cracking?

The Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal, who is generally known for maintaining a dialogue only with the top BJP leadership, has been asserting repeatedly that his Haryana Vikas Party will continue its alliance with the BJP in the coming Lok Sabha elections. He has even affirmed that the tickets for the 10 Lok Sabha seats will be distributed among the aspirants after mutual consideration. Despite these "declarations", BJP leaders in the state who have often felt "slighted" over the manner in which they have been sometimes treated by the HVP leader and the BJP's top leaders have not yet said anything to confirm or deny this effectively.

At least one thing is clear that none among the BJP's Haryana leaders is in a position to hold straight talks with Mr Bansi Lal or any other major party in the state on any issue.

Although the HVP — the largest single party having a strength of 35 members in a House of 90 members — does not have many choices in the event of a break up, the BJP with only 11 members at this time enjoys the vantage position of being able to manoeuvre readjustment in the state Vidhan Sabha.

If this happens, as is being discussed in the corridors of power, the BJP could no doubt do so by taking the support of Mr Om Prakash Chautala, a former Chief Minister and President of the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya), who is too willing to do so and has in fact been reportedly lobbying with the Central BJP leadership to help create a situation that would engineer the fall of the Bansi Lal Government in Haryana. By the Bansi Lal Government, he would mean, at least temporarily, the throwing out of only the HVP from power.

Although Mr Chautala has denied that he had mainly the "readjustment" of political parties in Haryana as the "business deal in politics" when he offered the support of four MPs of his Indian National Lok Dal to the Vajpayee Government at the Centre before it lost the trust vote in Parliament, no politician of the level of Mr Chautala will offer the support of his party MPs, as he did, without a bargain, it is commonly believed. The reason is that the faith in clean politics does not exist anymore.

If the BJP withdraws support from the HVP and accepts the support of Mr Chautala, it would be serving two purposes. First, it will honour the "undeclared" bargain. Second, it will do so to achieve its unfulfilled ambition of leading the state government, at least once for some days by securing the support of disgruntled, though "well-fed" MLAs of the HVP and some Independents.

As such an arrangement may not be durable, the BJP may have to face the next Vidhan Sabha elections also in the company of Mr Chautala very soon and may be along with the other nine state Assemblies at the time of the Lok Sabha poll.

At least one BJP leader "who is known for having cooperated with Mr Bhajan Lal, when he was the Chief Minister, for both personal and political reasons, reports suggest, has set his eyes on the Chief Minister's seat. But he too will be a Chief Minister on borrowed strength of weak shoulders if his dream comes true.

Election results in the past two decades suggest that the BJP has always been a gainer in alliance with other parties. When it contested alone, it got two seats in the state Assembly. Before the things could get going, one of the MLAs quickly switched his loyalty to the then ruling party. As a result, the BJP marked its time in the Vidhan Sabha with only one member who had his own limitations.

Mr Bansi Lal, who may still have some powerful cards up his sleeves, is in a tight situation being leader of a state party with no leverage at the Centre.

For the BJP, the major question is: Whom to side with in the next Assembly elections even if it is held this year or two years later.

In the last Lok Sabha elections, the BJP had got only seat — Mr Ram Chander Bainda from Faridabad. And so had the HVP from Bhiwani.

For the common voter it is very difficult to understand how Mr Chautala first extends support to the Vajpayee Government, then withdraws and then again supports it — all done in "national interest" as he claims. It will be equally difficult for the BJP to convince the voter why it first prefers to have the support of Mr Bansi Lal and then that of Mr Chautala in state politics.

'No decision yet on poll pact with BJP'
From Our Correspondent

ROHTAK, May 2 — The INLD supremo, Mr Om Prakash Chautala, has said that his party has not yet taken a decision on an electoral alliance with the BJP in the Lok Sabha poll.

Talking to newsmen after a meeting of party workers and leaders here today, he said the options on seat adjustment with other parties, including the BJP, were open. His party would not beg anyone for an alliance, but if some party approached the INLD, the matter could be discussed. He added that the INLD could go it alone as it was confident of winning all 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana.

When asked about the alliance of the BJP with the Haryana Vikas Party, he said it was for the BJP to decide the party with which it wanted to go now.

Mr Chautala said the strategy of the party would be decided after the poll date was announced. His party favoured holding of the elections before June 15.

About the political situation in Haryana, Mr Chautala said the present government might go anytime as the people were "fed up" with it.

He said the INLD and the BJP were not in a position to form the government in the state. If the BJP decided to withdraw support to the HVP, the INLD would support the dissident group of the HVP to form a government from outside.

He said his party was ready to face a snap poll in Haryana.

Haryana's first skating rink
From Bijendra Ahlawat

ROHTAK: Bal Bhavan run by the Child Welfare Council here has provided a skating rink for children and youth. This is the first skating rink to be constructed by a Bal Bhavan in Haryana.

According to the district Child Welfare Officer, Mr A.S. Dahiya, the rink, constructed at a cost of about Rs 6 lakh, is suitable for preparing the children for international tournaments. Claiming that Bal Bhavan here had been a leading centre in the state which had been engaged in developing multifarious talents in the younger generation at the minimum cost to students or members of the bhavan. The bhavan has been providing training and guidance in fields like computers, music, dance, art and painting and sports like gymnastics.

The Child Welfare Office had in 1997 had started a mini-Appu Ghar and a lake for boating for local residents in the heart of the town. Amusements like mini train, caterpillar and merry go-round were installed in Appu Ghar at a cost of about Rs 14 lakh.

The office is also running as many as 18 centres for training poor children and those weak in studies. A computer centre with about 100 students on rolls has also been running at Bal Bhavan office for about four years.

Proper care and education of tiny-tots has been provided at the balwaris and creches run by Bal Bhavan for the past several years in the town and nearby areas. Free medical check-ups and vaccinations are given to children who attended these balwaris.

‘Caste war has hit development’
From Our Correspondent

YAMUNANAGAR, May 2 — Uncertainty prevails in India on account of the "caste war", which has hampered development.

Stating this here yesterday, Mr Sunil Dutt, film actor, said a country like China also got independence along with India but now it was competing with the Americans because there was no barrier of the caste system.

Mr Dutt, who was addressing a function organised by the Nehru Yuva Kendra given to primary education, basic health care, safe drinking water, assured irrigation, electrification of all villages and linking all villages with all-weather roads.

He laid stress on peace in the world because the arms race could lead to disaster.

He said 50 crore people in South Asia were living below poverty line and 63 crore people had been deprived of drinking water.

Mr Dutt, who belongs to Mandoli village in Yamunanager district, passed through here as part of an expedition, 'Hands across the border", carrying the message of hope, peace and progress to the people of South Asia.

The expedition, launched by the Yuva Shakti Youth Organisation, comprises 14 men and women from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bhutan.

Mr Akhil Bakshi, expedition leader and president of the Yuva Shakti, said 90 per cent of the blind persons in the world were living in South Asia.

Mr Bakshi demanded expansion in the employment opportunities for the youth of South Asia through joint manpower training and development programmes and by lifting all barriers to free trade.

He said a peaceful environment in South Asia could only be achieved if the people themselves went a step further than their governments.

The expedition members who visited Yamunanagar included Arjun Singh and Nazir Chagala from India, Sonam Tashi and Karma Tscing from Bhutan, Popy from Bangladesh and Wijitha Kannagarh and Asoka Ranjani from Sri Lanka.

The expedition started on March 3 from Colombo and will end on June 4 at Amritsar. It will visit Pakistan on May 26.

Nagrik Sabha sore over road blocking
From Our Correspondent

SONEPAT, May 2 — Organisers of the Bhagwati jagran blocked the main road between Gita Bhavan city chowk and the railway crossing near Hindu College by erecting shamianas there yesterday. The traffic on the road remained disrupted for at least 16 hours thereby causing inconvenience to motorists and pedestrians. The Haryana Roadways buses bound for Gohana and Jind were forced to change route.

The authorities and the police failed to take any action against the organisers, who blocked the road without the permission of the authorities concerned. The district authorities too remained silent spectators.

Meanwhile, blocking the road and public streets, erecting of shamianas for holding social and other functions, including the jagran, and digging of public roads and streets has become a common feature in the city. The lax attitude of the authorities concerned regarding this encourages the people to violate the laws.

The district unit of the Nagrik Sabha today urged the district administration to take stern action against the persons responsible for blocking the main roads and streets.

The sabha also threatened to move the court if the official agencies failed to take any action against those who block roads and public streets cause inconvenience to people.

Notice to Haryana Chief Secy on contempt plea
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, May 2 — The Chandigarh Bench of the Central Administrative Tribunal has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary, Haryana, Mr R.S. Varma and Mr K.G. Verma, respectively, on a contempt petition filed by a former Director-General of Prisons, Mr Ramesh Sehgal.

Mr Sehgal is now under suspension.

The Chief Secretary and the Home Secretary have been asked by CAT to appear either in person or through their counsel before it on May 18 to explain why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them for not complying with the orders passed by the Chandigarh Bench on Marcy 19, 1999, quashing the suspension orders against Mr Sehgal and directing the respondents to reinstate him in service "forthwith".

Mr Sehgal moved the CAT, alleging that the respondents had not implemented the orders of the tribunal despite his repeated requests.

The tribunal had also ordered that Mr Sehgal should be posted against the post to which he "is entitled to as per his seniority in service. Directing the respondents to treat Mr Sehgal as if he was never placed under suspension, the Bench made it clear that this order would not be construed as an expression of opinion on the merits of the charges levelled against him.

In his contempt petition Mr Sehgal said the Ministry for Home Affairs, which is the cadre controlling authority and which was the respondent number one in the original application filed by him, had directed the state government to implement the orders of the tribunal immediately under intimation to the Home Ministry. Therefore, he said, the state government had absolutely no right, locus standi or cause to withhold the compliance of the CAT orders.

Frequent power cuts hit farmers
From Our Correspondent

SIRSA, May 2 — Mr Veer Bhan Mehta, joint secretary of the Haryana Pradesh Congress Committee (I) and senior Congress leader said here today that power cuts imposed by the Haryana Vidyut Parasaran Nigam in the district had adversely affected normal, life in villages.

He alleged that supply of drinking water had also been hit by the cuts and farmers were facing acute shortage of water for irrigation. The supply of water from canals was inadequate and farmers were also not able to operate their tubewells due to the power cuts and erratic power supply with low voltage.

He also alleged that about one-and-half-hour power cut imposed in the city in evenings had affected business of the shopkeepers.

He warned the local authorities of the HUPN that if the power supply did not improve soon they would be forced to launch an agitation.

BJP coalition fell apart: Cong
From Our Correspondent

BHIWANI, May 2 — Mr Arun Agarwal, secretary of the Media Committee (HPCC), has said the BJP-led government at the Centre collapsed due to the withdrawal of support by its coalition partner and the Congress had nothing to do with its fall.

In a statement here today, Mr Agarwal criticised the BJP for having launched a tirade that the Vajpayee government had collapsed due to the manipulations of the Congress.

He said it was clear from the start that the unholy alliance of the BJP and other parties was an illogically forged opportunistic arrangement, self-defeating and self-devouring and its collapse was a foregone conclusion.

He said the Congress had always played the role of a responsible Opposition during the past 13 months making clear from the beginning that it would not indulge in any toppling game.

Charred bodies of missing girls found
From Our Correspondent

HISAR, May 2 — Two local teenaged girls were found burnt to death near Jatu Lohari, village under Bawani Khera police station in Bhiwani district today.

The girls were reportedly missing from here since April 28. Identified as Priyanka (17) and Manisha (18), the girls were reportedly last seen on April 28. While Priyanka was a resident of Model Town, Manisha lived in Vidyut Nagar. Their scooty was also found burnt near the bodies.

According to information Priyanka had left home for market on her cycle, and reportedly met her friend Manisha in Urban Estate and left on her friends scooty.

The incident has shocked the entire city. A police party has been rushed to the spot. Though complaint regarding missing girls was with the police but no case had been registered in this regard so far the police said today.