Cong claims support of HVC men, CPI, CPM
MANDI, Sept 18 — Thakur Kaul Singh, former Himachal Speaker and Congress candidate for Mandi parliamentary constituency today criticised the BJP-HVC government's failure on all fronts and added that it had nothing to offer to the people.

Cong will win all 4 seats: Dhawan
SOLAN, Sept 18 — Mr R.K. Dhawan, a General Secretary of the AICC addressing party workers here today, predicted that the Congress would win all four parliamentary seats in Himachal.

Local issues will ‘dominate’ poll
HAMIRPUR, Sept 18 — Prof Narain Chand Prasher, a Congress leader and former Minister, has said that local issues will definitely prevail upon other issues in the Lok Sabha elections. The people of Himachal Pradesh were least interested in national issues, as they were concerned with their own problems and difficulties.

Dhumal denies RSS control of government
From Our Correspondent

JAWALAMUKHI, Sept 18 — The Himachal Government would fulfil its poll promises, said state Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal. Almost all promises had already been fulfilled. And some would be implemented very soon, he added.

Talking to reporters at Sapari airstrip today he said there were no major irritants between the alliance partners.

To a question Mr Dhumal said: "I don't think there is any need to revise the policies and programmes. It is our effort to see that we achieve our objectives."

On reports that the BJP was remote-controlled by the RSS, Mr Dhumal said: "It is a propaganda of anti-BJP outfits to tarnish image of the party.

He denied groupism in the party and held responsible a section of media for creating a rift among party workers.

He said that an ambitious plan involving Rs 92,000 crore investment to make Himachal a prosperous  state had been drawn up by the 2020. The plan envisages raising hydel potential of 21000 MW, the raising of annual fruit production to 12.5 lakh tonnes and vegetable production to 10 lakh tonnes, promoting tourism, providing safe drinking water, basic health care and shelter to all.

He said Congress president Sonia Gandhi's candidature for Prime Ministership was security risk. "A foreigner heading the country will have first hand information about defence and other secret matters of the country."

He charged the Congress with having brought down seven central governments and imposed elections on the country twice.

Cong: HVC influencing Koli community
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 18 — In a last-ditch effort to improve its electoral position in the Shimla (reserved) Lok Sabha constituency, the Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC) of Mr Sukh Ram is trying to win over the Koli community, which has a considerable number of voters in the area.

There are allegations that the PWD Minister, Mr Mohinder Singh, who belongs to the HVC, has also rolled in bulldozers in various interior areas for speeding up construction of roads.

The Block Congress Committee (BCC) of the Shillai assembly segment in Sirmour district today alleged that the local PWD engineers, on the orders of Mr Mohinder Singh, had recruited over 200 daily wage workers in the past few days for constructing roads in the villages of Timbi, Milla, Bakras and Dhamon.

The BCC has complained to the Chief Election Commissioner and the Chief Electoral Officer alleging that the minister was doing all this to influence the electorate in the backward area.

The Congress is annoyed that neither the Election Commission nor the election authorities in the state have responded to their complaints of alleged violation of the model code by the ruling BJP-HVC alliance.

It is alleged that the BJP-HVC alliance is trying to exploit the sentiments of the Koli community by reportedly claiming that the Congress party had insulted it by suddenly removing Mr K D Sultanpuri, who belonged to the community, from the fray and fielding Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, who is a Ramdasia, in his place.

The HVC candidate, Col Dhani Ram Shandil (retd), belongs to the Koli community.

Mr Vineet Gautam, Political Secretary in the PCC, claimed that he along with Mr Yogendera Chandra, a sitting MLA of Chopal, had personally submitted a complaint of violation of the model code to the Chief Electoral Officer here and also sent a copy to the Election Commission, but nothing had so far been heard from them.

He alleged that the authorities have not taken any action against the HVC, which had violated the instructions of the Election Commission by pasting its election posters on the walls of the secretariat and other government buildings.

Helping their spouses in their own way
Tribune News Service

DHARMSALA, Sept 18 — While BJP candidate Shanta Kumar and Congress nominee Sat Mahajan sweat it out in the election arena, their wives participate in the campaign, in their own way.

Mr Shanta Kumar’s wife, Mrs Shailja, a teacher by profession has always been by his side, be it in politics or in his literary works. Hearing her give election speeches at meetings in villages, one can not guess that she hails from Delhi, as she converses in local Pahari. "Apart from looking after the house, I have always campaigned extensively in all elections that Shanta Ji, has contested", she reveals.

She leaves home every day at 10 a.m., along with some other BJP mahila wing leaders, to meet people and address election meetings in all parties of Kangra district. "I am amazed too see tremendous response that we are getting, especially from women even in the rural areas. Gone are the days when women would do what men directed them to do, as they are aware of their rights and the happenings outside their village," said Mrs Shailja. She added that people not only come and listen to them, but put forth demands and the local problems.

Having remained an RSS Pracharak and a social worker in Delhi, before marriage she did not find it difficult to adjust to being a politician's wife. She joined service as a government school teacher in the year 1977 and quit it in 1990. Apart from helping her husband in political life, she shares his interest in Hindi literature and penning down books.

If Mr Shanta Kumar, can take credit for writing a number of books, she too can boast of writing three novels, three short story books and two books containing collection of poems. "It was around the same time after marriage that my book, "Jauhar ke Akshar" and Shanta ji’s book, "Himalaya per Lal Chaya", was published. As such both of us have a number of common interests and hobbies," she says. She however, adds that her son Vikram and her daughters, have no interest in politics and stay away from limelight.

On the other hand Mrs Kailash Mahajan, wife of the State Congress chief and Congress nominee from Kangra, Sat Mahajan, is still a novice to politics. Being a typical Indian woman, she prefers not to step out of home, in the public gaze. "Despite his long political career, spanning so many decades, I am not comfortable being out in the thick of electioneering, so I sit at home to manage the home and business," she states.

She remains busy looking after needs of the party workers and keeps the flow of publicity material to all the areas. Meticulously she dispatches posters, banners, flags and pamphlets to all polling booths and takes care of the needs of the workers in the absence of Mr Sat Mahajan. When the elections are not round the corner, she looks after the family business. So that her husband can devote his full time to politics. Her son, Ajay Mahajan, though a businessman, is fully involved in the elections, leaving the home front in the care of his mother.

Both spouses are confident of their husbands’ victory and say that keeping in view the popularity of the political parties Mr Shanta Kumar and Mr Sat Mahajan, represent, and the work they have done for the welfare of the people, they will be successful in the elections. Both the women are providing strength and support to their husbands in their own way.

Atal not to campaign in HP
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 18 — Not many senior leaders of the ruling BJP or the opposition Congress are coming to Himachal Pradesh to campaign for their party candidates.

Himachal Pradesh with only four Lok Sabha seats goes to the polls on September 25.

The Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee, who was earlier expected to address election rallies at three places, is not coming to the state now. BJP sources said that his visit did not materialise as he was busy campaigning elsewhere.

The Home Minister, Mr L.K. Advani, is scheduled to touch all four Lok Sabha constituencies of Kangra, Mandi, Hamirpur and Shimla (reserved) on September 22.

He will address election rallies at Mandi, Rehan, Ghumarwin and Solan. The sources said that the venue of the rally might be shifted here from Solan.

The AICC General Secretary, Mr R.K. Dhawan, arrived here today to tie up the visit of Mrs Sonia Gandhi. She will address an election rally at Nagrota Bhagwan in Kangra district.

After a day-long effort, the Congress leadership succeeded in obtaining permission of the state government for holding her rally here at The Ridge also. Any public meeting can be held at The Ridge only with prior permission of the state government.

The special protection group (SPG) officials, who have arrived here, have reportedly approved The Ridge for her election rally because of security reasons. The SPG officers visited The Ridge and also the nearby Rani Jhansi Park to explore the possibility of her rally from the security point of view.

Certain Congress leaders reportedly contacted the Chief Minister, Mr P.K. Dhumal, for granting permission for the Congress rally at The Ridge. The Congress has been asked to bear the expenses of barricading the area and other arrangements during her visit here.

In normal circumstances, political meetings are not allowed on The Ridge, but such rallies have been held in the recent past.

Mrs Sonia Gandhi is unlikely to visit any other constituency, although Mr Kaul Singh, the Congress candidate in the Mandi constituency, has also sent a request for her visit.

Mr Narendera Modi, General Secretary of the BJP, has been touring all constituencies to address election rallies.

Mr Vinod Khanna, a cine star, will address election meetings at Rohru, Shahtalai, Dehra and Una on September 20.

Shatrughan Sinha will address BJP rallies in Kangra constituency tomorrow.

Cong claims support of HVC men, CPI, CPM
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Sept 18 — Thakur Kaul Singh, former Himachal Speaker and Congress candidate for Mandi parliamentary constituency today criticised the BJP-HVC government's failure on all fronts and added that it had nothing to offer to the people.

Talking to reporters he claimed that besides the left and secular parties the cadre of the HVC was also supporting the Congress party. The HVC workers who were not treated well by the BJP now were giving vent to their ire and added that with the support of youth, the CPI, the CPM and angry workers of BJP's alliance partner the HVC, the Congress was poised to wrest the Mandi seat.

He said non-performance and non-governance were the main issues agitating the voters and added that eloquence was no substitute for development.

He charged the BJP government with failure to solve the problem of silt in Balh valley, greenery of Mandi, which had made thousands of bighas of fertile land a desert, though it was in power at the Centre and in the state.

He said the entire catchment area of Beas had become vulnerable to soil erosion posing danger to Beas Sutlej Link and Bhakra Projects besides danger of floods in the plains of Punjab and Haryana due to the failure of the government to take up conservation and plantation steps.

He criticised the BJP government for virtually abandoning the poverty alleviation programmes and weakening the public distribution system. Increase in the prices of foodgrains and other essential commodities made available through the fair price shops had rendered them useless for the poor as some items were ironically cheaper in the open market.

The former Speaker regretted that the present government was undoing the basic lay-out drawn by the Congress for the development of the state by dividing it into three zones. "It has virtually wiped out the zonal concept motivated by narrow regional considerations", he said.

Mandi, which had been declared the central zone by opening the offices of three chief engineers of the PWD, the IPH and the HPSEB besides the offices of Divisional Commissioner and DIG for four districts, was being ignored by the Dhumal government, he alleged.

The District Congress Committee today alleged that the BJP-HVC government was indulging in misuse of government machinery and violating the code of conduct.

Briefing reporters DCC chief Thakur Sher Singh drew the attention of the Election Commission and the Returning Officer for Mandi parliamentary constituency towards the government buildings wherein election posters of the ruling alliance had been pasted in contravention of election rules.

He charged the BJP-HVC with misleading the people about the so-called development and ridiculed its claim that what the Congress failed to do in 40 years, which it did in just 14 months.

The District Congress chief said the fact was that all development had come to a halt and people wondered where the Rs 300 crore had gone which Mr Vajpayee gave them. Health and education institutions were starving without staff and the only remedial measures being adopted by the government were to blame the previous Congress government for its "dismal failures".

He claimed that people had been disillusioned with the BJP-HVC rule for its non-governance and compromise with the corrupt elements.

Cong will win all 4 seats: Dhawan
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Sept 18 — Mr R.K. Dhawan, a General Secretary of the AICC addressing party workers here today, predicted that the Congress would win all four parliamentary seats in Himachal.

He asked workers of the party not to be "misled" by the results of the so called exit polls and claimed that the Congress was poised to regain lot of lost ground elsewhere in the country as well.

Mr Dhawan appealed for unity among Congress men and assured them that grievances, if any, of party workers would be redressed.

Ms Santosh Chaudhry, Congress candidate from Phillaur (Punjab) parliamentary constituency accompanied Mr Dhawan.

Local issues will ‘dominate’ poll
From Our Correspondent

HAMIRPUR, Sept 18 — Prof Narain Chand Prasher, a Congress leader and former Minister, has said that local issues will definitely prevail upon other issues in the Lok Sabha elections. The people of Himachal Pradesh were least interested in national issues, as they were concerned with their own problems and difficulties.

Addressing a press conference here last night, he claimed that the Congress party was poised to win all four Lok Sabha seats in the state as the people were "disillusioned" with the BJP government for its alleged anti-people policies.

Prof Prasher, who joined the campaigning in the state after working for the Congress nominee in Delhi, Dr Manmohan Singh, said that he was a Congressman and there was no question of his opposing the official party nominee, Mr Ram Lal Thakur. He clarified that he had met Mr Thakur thrice to discuss the election strategy.