 |
| Sunday,
April 8, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
|
Tau’s offspring bury
hatchet
Devi Lal was a ‘social revolutionary’ Cong cancels
‘lalkar’ rally Residents without
water for week Grievances panel
fails to deliver |
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
Conference of PWD workers begins Meat, eggs sold on the sly in
Palwal Competitive exam centre sought MDU BA (I) paper repeated 3 killed in road mishaps Robbers loot cash, jewellery
|
|
Tau’s offspring bury
hatchet Chandigarh, April 7 Mr Devi Lal’s cremation was attended among others by Mr Partap Singh, the Tau’s estranged son who also waged a bitter battle with his brother, Mr Om Prakash
Chautala, Chief Minister of Haryana, and Mr Ranjit Singh, son number three of Mr Devi
Lal. Mr Ranjit Singh was perhaps not so much against his father, though his dislike for Mr
Chautala, Mr Devi Lal’s blue-eyed boy, was intense and well-known. What is somewhat reminiscent of the battle for the crown fought by the four sons of Mughal emperor Shahzahan , the two brothers were jealous of Mr Chautala as Mr Devi Lal had chosen Mr
Chautala, his politically astute eldest son, as his successor. Mr Partap Singh, a former MLA, had all along opposed Mr
Chautala. His latest attack against the Chief Minister was when he called a press conference here and alleged bungling by the Chief Minister in the relief sent for the drought-affected livestock in Rajasthan and Gujarat. The state government was quick to react against the charges and had sent long rejoinders to newspaper offices contesting his allegations. Mr Partap Singh had also filed a case against the Chief Minister for a land fraud.
Mr Ranjit Singh joined the Congress and took the family feud to the political arena. Mr Jagdish Singh, Mr Devi Lal’s youngest son, who is no more, was not known to have taken much interest in politics. However, Mr Devi Lal’s cremation today was attended by all his sons, thus setting at rest speculations about the family feud taking its toll on the solemn occasion. Absence of any of the close family members would have been particularly embarrassing for Mr Chautala as the cremation ceremony was attended by leaders of various political hue. From Haryana also, representatives of virtually every political party turned up to attend the cremation. “Mr Devi Lal was above narrow party affiliations, after all he was the creator of
Haryana”, said Mr Sampat Singh, the Finance Minister of Haryana, from Delhi. He said that for him the death of Mr Devi Lal was a great loss as it was the departed leader who was his political guru .“An era has ended with his death”, the Finance Minister said. The Haryana unit of the Congress has , meanwhile, decided to postpone the rally it was to hold at Panipat tomorrow against the ruling INLD and the
BJP. “It does not behave well to hold the rally at the time of national mourning”, Mr Bhupinder Singh
Hooda, HPCC chief, said. He said the rally would be held sometime in
June. Mr Sampat Singh said the scheduled foreign trip by the joint delegation of the Haryana Government and the Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII), led by the Chief Minister, which was to leave India on April 12 for the UK, and subsequently go to the USA and Canada, would also be postponed in view of the state mourning for seven days. |
|
Devi Lal was a ‘social revolutionary’ Rohtak, April 7 The pradesh Congress chief, Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, told The Tribune that Mr Devi Lal was a very senior leader of Haryana and was respected at the national level. When the nation was mourning his death, it would have been inappropriate for the Congress to hold the rally. He clarified that the rally had not been cancelled. It had been postponed and would be held in June. The state secretariat of the CPM paid rich tributes to the departed leader at the start of its two-day deliberations here today. The secretariat members observed two-minute silence and recalled the contribution of Mr Devi Lal in the freedom movement of the country. Paying tributes to Mr Devi Lal, the CPM said. He launched satyagrah to motivate farmers, poor and the common man to fight for their rights. The party stressed the need of a similar satyagrah in view of the challenges being faced by the farming community and the people because of the WTO and liberalisation policies. A former Chief Minister and the President, Haryana Vikas Party, Mr Bansi Lal, has expressed deep sorrow on his death. He was a man of the masses. Even though he occupied senior positions, he had a habit of sitting with common men. Mr Devi Lal, he said was the only leader who had never hesitated in going to his arch rivals and persuade them to join his agitational programmes. The void created by his death would be difficult to fill, Mr Bansi Lal said. The Rashtriya Lok Dal has also mourned the death of the former Deputy Prime Minister. His death was a loss to every section of society in Haryana, the party said in a statement here today. The BJP has described Mr Devi Lal as a messiah of farmers while expressing sorrow on his demise. The introduction of old age pension and pension to the widows and to the poor by Mr Devi Lal during his chief ministership had its impact not only in Haryana but in the country as a whole, the BJP said. A former minister, Mr Krishna Murti Hooda said Mr Devi Lal championed the cause of the poor and the farmers till his last breath. The former Deputy Prime Minister, he said, had special interest in the development of rural areas. Mr Subhash Batra, a former minister, said the death of Mr Devi Lal, the country had lost a national leader and a respected freedom fighter. The association of Physicians of India, Haryana chapter, has cancelled its conference slated for April 8. The annual conference of the HCMS association, slated to be held in Sonepat on Sunday had also been postponed. The nationalised banks and schools remained closed here today as a mark of respect to Mr Devi Lal. Sonepat: Leaders from almost all political parties, social, religious and voluntary organisations and trade unions on Saturday condoled the death of Chaudhary Devi Lal. Mr Chiranji Lal Sharma, former MP and Congress leader said Chaudhary Devi Lal was a dynamic personality and in his passing away the country had lost a great patriot. Mr Sultan Singh, former Governor of Tripura and a senior Congress leader said Chaudhary Devi Lal devoted his whole life to the cause of the country. He was a true leader and a first-rate critic of government policies. Mr Suraj Mal Antil, Mr Padam Singh Dahiya, Dr Ram Kumar Saini, Mr Ramesh Khatak, all MLAs, and Mr Ved Singh Malik, a former Haryana Minister in a joint statement said Chaudhary Devi Lal will be deeply missed by the people whose cause he championed throughout his life. The district unit of the Haryana Accredited Press Reporters Union said socialism in India could never suffer a greater blow. Chaudhary Devi Lal personified the true spirit of social revolutionary. He was a crusader against political hypocrisy, corruption and exploitation. Mr Dev Raj Dewan, an Independent MLA said the country had lost a dynamic personality and an important leader. Chaudhary Devi Lal, he said, was a great patriot with indomitable courage and clear vision. Mr Mukhtiar Singh Malik, a BJP leader said the towering personality of Chaudhary Devi Lal was no more with us. We have lost him at a time when we needed him the most. Mr Kishan Singh Sangwan, a BJP MP (Sonepat) said: We in the BJP pay our humble homage to the great departed leader and pledge to dedicate ourselves for the cause for which he lived and worked.” Shahabad: The general secretary of the Haryana Vikas Party, a son of the former Chief Minister, Mr Bansi Lal and a former MP Mr Surinder Singh, mourned the death of the former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Devi Lal on Saturday. Talking to this correspondent on the phone, he said that he was a great leader of the masses. The local BJP MLA Vaid Kapoor Chand Sharma, a member of the Haryana State Agriculture and Marketing Board and District President of the INALO’s Beopar Cell, Mr Rameshwar Dass Bansal and Mr Kharaiti Lal Singla of Kurukshetra stated that the country had lost a true patriot. Rewari: The BJP has postponed its flag hoisting programmes scheduled for April 7 and 8 in towns and villages of the state in connection with the ongoing celebrations of the 21st anniversary of its foundation day. State unit general secretary, Mr Virkumar Yadav, said the programme would now we held on April 15. FATEHABAD: The local Government College for Women on Saturday organised a condolence meeting on the college premises. The teaching and non-teaching staff observed a two minutes’ silence as a mark of respect for the departed leader. The college principal Mr R.K. Sehgal said Chaudhary Devi Lal was a crusader who always fought for the rights of the poor and the downtrodden. The Haryanvi Punjabi Sabha president Mr Sant Kumar,described Mr Devi Lal as a true farmer whose heart bled for the miseries of the farming community. He said the people of India particularly of Haryana, would never forget the contribution made by him. The local unit of the Beopar Mandal also condoled the death of the departed leader. The mandal president, Mr Mehar Chand Jhandai, said the death of Mr Devi Lal was an irreparable loss to the people of
Haryana. |
|
Cong cancels
‘lalkar’ rally Panipat, April 7 Disclosing this to mediapersons here today, the district Congress president, Mr Suresh Gupta, said the decision had been taken as a mark of respect to the departed soul. He said the Pradesh Congress leaders will participate in the cremation at Kisan Ghat. The Congress Seva Dal workers who had assembled here for the rally with its vice chairman Surinder Singh Hooda observed a two-minute silence to pay homage to the departed kisan leader. |
|
Residents without
water for week Faridabad, April 7 According to Mr S.S. Oberoi, president of the Welfare Association of Residents of this sector, the water supply to Part-I of the sector was stopped on April 1 and till today, it had not been resumed. He said due to repeated request to the authorities concerned, water was supplied for less than an hour on April 3 and the situation had become worse. Claiming that senior officials of the corporation when contacted asked them to lodge their complaint with the office. Members of the association met the Superintending Engineer, HUDA, who told them that their sector was not under his jurisdiction. Mr Oberoi said they could not meet the HUDA Administrator, who was reportedly out of the town at that time. He said the corporation Commissioner or any other senior official of the corporation was not available when they went to meet them in their office on April 6. Alleging discrimination and total apathy on the part of the authorities towards the maintenance of basic amenities in the Sector (21-C), the association said the condition of the sector had been very poor. He said the sector was handed over the corporation in 1992, but there was no one who could tell them which office was responsible for the supply of water in their sector. |
|
Grievances panel
fails to deliver Panipat, April 7 The local MLA, who should act as a key member of the committee, has not been involved by the committee secretary since May, 2000, to assist in redressing the grievances. The cell set up by the grievances committee has allegedly failed to provide timely justice to aggrieved persons of the district. The cell appears to be helpless in solving the problems faced by the general public. It is alleged that no time limit has been fixed by the committee to redress the grievances put up before it. Some problems are reportedly solved at the level of the Deputy Commissioner-cum-Secretary of the committee of the district concerned, while the remaining are tabled before the district grievances committee after scrutinising the cases. According to information, the cell has to send the applications of the aggrieved persons to the department concerned within seven days but allegedly many applications are pending with the cell for the past fortnight. |
|
Conference of PWD workers begins Narnaul, April 7 During the opening session, two-minute silence was observed to mourn the death of former Deputy Prime Minister, Mr Devi Lal. The conference was inaugurated by Mr Chandgi Ram Yadav, president, Narnaul unit. It was resolved that the appeal be made to the Haryana Government to press the demands of the employees. The Union condemned the Haryana Government for winding up some departments which rendered several employees jobless. The union demanded to abolish contractor system and stopping privatisation and retrenchment. Regularisation of employees on the Central Government pattern was also discussed. |
|
Meat, eggs sold on the sly in Palwal Faridabad, April 7 The Municipal Council, in a resolution adopted last month, had decided to declare the town as a ‘vegetarian’ place and ordered closure of all meat and egg shops. While some shops and stalls were ‘forcibly’ closed by activists of right-wing organisations, four meat shop owners moved the court. They said the Municipal Council had itself issued licences to them valid up to March 31. The court ordered the local authorities to ensure the functioning of meat shops until the expiry of the tenure of the licences. The meat sellers have now applied for renewal of their licences for next year. While the council seems uninterested in renewing the licences, the applicants have moved the court, again, stating that the decision was improper. The court has fixed the hearing for April-end. Activists and members of some organisations took out a procession in the town recently in support of the move. They said they would not let any meat shop to function in the town. The meat shop owners are a ‘frightened’ lot and have sought security from “anti-social” elements. As a result, meat and eggs are being sold on the sly and the rates of these products have gone up considerably. |
|
Competitive exam centre sought Hisar, April 7 In a press note issued here today, he said the city had developed into a big academic centre in the state during the past five years. There were two universities, six colleges, an engineering college and a polytechnic in the city. The Agroha Medical College was also situated about 20 km from here, he added. He said in the absence of such centres the local students were forced to go to Chandigarh and Delhi to appear in competitive examinations. Mr Goyal demanded that competitive examination for National Defence Academy (NDA), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), All India Medical entrance tests and other similar examinations should be held here. He said students of Sirsa, Bhiwani, Fatehabad and Jind districts would also benefit from the creation of such centres. He said more than 10,000 students of the area took such examinations every year and a majority of students wanted such centres in the town. He urged Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala to take up the matter with the
Centre.
MDU BA (I) paper repeated Sonepat, April 7 According to many examinees, the only difference in both papers was that the word “pain” was substituted by the word “path” in the second question of the evening shift question paper. The code of the morning question paper was 602 whereas in the evening question paper it was 602-E/2001. This mistake on the part of MDU, Rohtak, surprised examinees and college lecturers. Meanwhile, members of the flying squad conducted a surprise raid on an examination centre of a local college and found 55 examinees employing unfair means during the paper of English B of BA (I) yesterday. According to a report, all erring examinees were booked by the flying squad. |
|
3 killed in road mishaps Rohtak, April 7 According to information, Mange Ram of Indraprastha Colony here was hit by a truck on the Rohtak-Sonepat road. Perturbed by the accident the driver accelerated the vehicle but subsequently lost control over it. The vehicle ran over and killed a cyclist, Ram Chander of Bohar village. The injured Mange Ram also succumbed to his injuries at the PGIMS. The truck driver drove away the vehicle. In a separate incident, a 10-year-old boy was run over and killed by a truck at Kalanaur, 25 km from here, last night. The police said Somveer of Kalanaur was crushed to death by the truck when he was crossing the road. The driver of the vehicle tried to escape after the accident but was caught and handed over to the police by some people.
Robbers loot cash, jewellery Panipat, April 7 According to information, robbers entered the factory premises in part II of HUDA Sector 25 around 2 am last night. After overpowering the
chowkidars, they threatened workers with knives, iron rods and other sharp edged weapons by the criminals. However, one of the workers managed to escape and informed the police on phone. Before the police could reach the spot, the workers overpowered one of the robbers when they were escaping. Sanjay of the local Shiv Nagar was given a severe beating and was handed over to the police. The police has also reportedly taken into custody four other criminals allegedly involved in this robbery. The police has registered a case. |
 |
| Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir | Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs | Nation | Editorial | | Business | Sport | World | Mailbag | In Spotlight | Chandigarh Tribune | Ludhiana Tribune 50 years of Independence | Tercentenary Celebrations | | 121 Years of Trust | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
