Militants terrorising electorate: Khurana
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 9 — Senior BJP leader and former Union Minister Madan Lal Khurana today said militants were trying their best to thwart the election process in Jammu and Kashmir but the central government was equally determined to fight them out and complete the election process smoothly.

Addressing a press conference here this afternoon, Mr Khurana said the militants hurled a grenade at a jeep of his party workers this morning in Doda, who were making announcement about a rally to be addressed by the Doda-Udhampur parliamentary constituency candidate, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta, in the afternoon. He informed that he had also planned to participate in this rally but had changed his plan at the last moment. Eleven of the injured persons had been admitted to hospital while two of them who were more serious had been airlifted to Jammu.

Mr Khurana said he had sent a telegram to the Chief Election Commissioner, asking him to send more paramilitary forces to this state so that free and fair poll could be held. He also said the militants were terrorising the electorate by such acts and the local administration was also hand in glove with such elements. The BJP government, he said, had accepted the challenge posed to democracy and was determined to thwart any nefarious designs to stall the election process.

Demanding a CBI inquiry into the killing of Gulam Hyder Noorani in Bijbehara, he alleged that the local administration had information about it and it had stopped the NC rally in that area while allowing the BJP activists to go ahead with their election campaign. He also expressed doubts over the fact that the jeep in which Mr Noorani was travelling had only one other party activist and the driver while the personal security officer was not in that vehicle. A CBI inquiry is a must to throw light on all such doubts", said Mr Khurana.

He said Mrs Sonia Gandhi was a ‘reader’ while Mr Vajpayee was a ‘leader’. As she had even not been a member of a municipal committee, how could Mrs Gandhi head the country , he questioned, adding that besides being inexperienced, she had a limited knowledge of Indian history also which was why she does not mention the sacrifices made by people other than her family for the country.

On the issue of her foreign origin, he said she applied for Indian citizenship 17 years after her marriage to Rajiv Gandhi only when Mr Ram Jethmalani had filed a writ petition in the court saying that the PM’s house should not have a foreigner living in it. She should either be sent to her own country or should be asked to be an Indian citizen Mr Khurana said it was after this that she applied for Indian citizenship.

He also informed that his party after coming to power would introduce a Bill saying that only persons born in India and would be eligible to become Prime Minister or President of the country. He further informed that the USA had already made such a provision in its constitution and any person born in the USA could only become the President of that country.

BJP evaded debate on Kargil, says Azad
From Our Correspondent

JAMMU, Sept 9 — A senior Congress leader and AICC General Secretary, Mr Gulam Nabi Azad, said today that the BJP had bungled in Kargil and because of it the party had not allowed a special Rajya Sabha session to discuss it.

Addressing a press conference here Mr Azad said his party had taken a note of the recent statement made by the Prime Minister in which he had asked the Congress to prove that the intrusion in Kargil had taken place during August-September last year. "We have accepted this challenge and we will prove all our points with proofs in the next Parliament session in November this year", said Mr Azad, who was campaigning for the party candidate in Jammu along with Mr Jagdish Tytler and Mrs Sheila Dikshit.

"It was in May last year when firing from across the border in Kargil had resulted in the death of 11 citizens and many others had been injured and had caused damage to the district hospital building because of which 10,000 persons had fled from Kargil," he said and added that the Defence Minister had termed the situation to be normal and well under control when he had raised this question during the Parliament session last year.

He said the BJP could not claim to provide a stable government to the people of India because to the ‘inbuilt instability’ in the NDA. Mr Azad said when a coalition of 18 parties could not run the government for more than 13 months, how would they be able to carry on with a coalition of 24 parties this time.

Criticising the ruling National Conference and the BJP, he said both the parties should clarify their stand "As NC candidates are seeking votes on the name of Mr Vajpayee, it appears as if the BJP has fielded two candidates on two different symbols". Mr Azad added that the people of the state deserved to know whether Mr R.S. Chib was a BJP candidate or an NC candidate.

Condemning both the NC and the BJP for lacking the political will to curb militancy in the trouble-torn state, he said both of these parties were incompetent to crush militancy and defeat the nefarious designs of the enemy. "Because of these two parties, the situation in J and K has gone from bad to worse,", the AICC General Secretary added.

He said that his comment regarding Mr Vajpayee’s son-in-law were without any malicious intent.

Leh to host cultural festival
From Ehsan Fazili
Tribune News Service

SRINAGAR: Ladakh, the highest inhabited territory in India lying between the towering Karakorum and Kuenlun ranges, is hosting a week-long annual cultural bonanza, Ladakh Festival from September 9 to 15.

The venue of this year's cultural festival has been rescheduled and would be held in Leh town in view of the Lok Sabha elections. The venue is also rescheduled in view of the situation in Kargil district in the aftermath of the Pakistani intrusion.

The festival is being organised by the Jammu and Kashmir Tourism Department in collaboration with the local and district administration. The festival is designed not only to promote tourism to this unique region but also to revive interest and generate awareness about the richness, depth and pageantry of its centuries old customs, traditions and folk heritage so that these are preserved and promoted for worldwide appreciation and enjoyment.

The festival would begin in Leh town with a spectacular procession to be taken out through the historic bazaar by various cultural troupes attired in colourful traditional dresses, singing songs and performing folk dances to the tune of the local orchestra. Thousands of people would line the route adding to the carnival atmosphere. The procession would terminate at the Polo Ground, where the participants would present a variety of dance items.

The other programmes would include archery competitions in selected suburban centres, musical concerts, tantric plays, mask dance (chhams) and mock marriage ceremonies.

A major polo tournament Ladakh Festival Cup, in which teams from different parts of the region would participate, would be another attraction.

Visitors to Ladakh would witness this ancient sport of the Western Himalayas to be played in its original and vibrant style with fewer rules.

In addition a Central Asian trade mart in Leh Bazaar once the caravan centre of Central Asia, would be organised. Bactrian, camels, donkeys, sheep and goat loaded with goods and skilled artistes in traditional customs would depict how goods were moved on the silk route in the days of yore.

The most colourful and interesting event of the festival would be the archery event to be organised in certain villages by locals in which every village would be required to participate. The event would be held in its traditional regalia and, as per the social code, absentees would be frowned upon and even a fine is imposed for non-participation.

Nature has bestowed Ladakh with elevated plains and plateaus and its high mountains and deep gorges with a rich flora and fauna and it is a magnet for nature and sports lovers all over the world.

Ladakh, which possesses the most unusual eco-system is the abode of lamas and gompas. The centuries-old monasteries are the major contributory factor and a local point of attraction for the growing number of tourists, especially from the USA, Japan and a number of Buddhist countries.