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Monday,
February 24, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Advani
harps on development, security No talks
with Pak: Advani Bad weather may hit campaigning CM dared
to give list of bank beneficiaries
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Leadership
war within Congress: Jaitley Kaul Singh
has a dig at BJP BJP, Cong
promoted graft: Paswan FIRST-TIME VOTERS FIRST-TIME VOTERS FIRST-TIME VOTERS 12 hurt
as BJP, Cong workers clash
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Advani harps on development, security Solan, February 23 Mr Advani, while addressing a gathering at Barotiwala in Baddi constituency in support of the BJP candidate, Mr Dhyan Singh, flayed the Congress for its propoganda about corruption in Himachal saying these allegations were only campaign gimmicks and far from reality. Referring to the disclosure of properties of Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal by the Congress government in Punjab, he said Capt Amarinder Singh was indulging in unethical tactics to run down the BJP, which enjoyed the confidence of the people. While asserting that security and development were the main issues and achievements of the BJP government at the Centre, Mr Advani in his 15 minutes of speech took the Congress to task for indulging in a slander campaign and vilification of the BJP leaders. Speaking about developments in the field of security after the Pokhran tests, destruction of ISI camps in the country and the arrest of ISI agents, he said the government had checked the spread of terrorism in the country. Dwelling on the developmental activities undertaken by the BJP government, he urged the people to vote for the party. Referring to developmental activities undertaken by the Central Government, he said an ambitious project to link the rivers of the southern and northern states was being worked out, which when completed would address the problem of drought in the country. Notwithstanding the defeat of the BJP in Jammu and Kashmir elections, the party would score a hat-trick in the Himachal elections after its victory in Goa and Gujarat, Mr Advani said. BILASPUR: Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani said on Sunday that after having toured Himachal Pradesh for three days, he was confident that the BJP would return to power in Himachal Pradesh with a clear majority. Addressing a BJP election rally here, he said that development and security were the two main election issues on which the BJP was fighting this election. He said the Congress had failed to build the India of the dreams martyrs. He added that the BJP was trying hard to bring about good rule for the prosperity and happiness of the people. He said during the last five years, the BJP government had left no stone unturned to ensure faster development in Himachal Pradesh while the Centre had extended full support to the state. PAONTA SAHIB: Mr Advani addressed a rally on the Municipal Grounds opposite Gurdwara Paonta Sahib in support of Mr Sukh Ram, BJP candidate from the Paonta Doon area, on Sunday. He put main emphasis on national security and national development. Mr Advani gave a clean chit to Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal on the corruption charges levelled by the Congress. He also projected Mr Dhumal as the Chief Minister if the BJP was voted to power highlighting the smooth and cordial relationship between the Central and state governments. |
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No talks with Pak: Advani Mandi, February 23 During an informal talk with newspersons at Sundernagar he said India had been bearing the brunt of terrorism for a long time and had been fighting it single-handedly while the USA realised its gravity only recently. Pakistan was a terrorist country and harbouring hardcore terrorists. He said there was no place for terrorism in a civilised society and Pakistan was bound to be isolated in the world community if it did not mend its ways. India would not enter into any dialogue with Pakistan on any issue unless it stopped aiding and abetting cross-border terrorism. Evading questions on POTA and contradictions in UP politics he said he would not comment on these questions being the Home Minister, adding that let the courts go into the use or misuse of POTA. When his attention was drawn to the recent outbursts of BSP leader Kanshi Ram that the Congress had made POTA for terrorists but the BSP used it to put Rajputs and Brahmins behind the bars, Mr Advani said: “No comments”. He expressed confidence that after Goa and Gujarat the BJP would come to power in Himachal for the second term on the strength of its “excellent performance” and added the BJP would make this small hill state a Switzerland of India by harnessing its vast potential of tourism and hydel power. |
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Bad weather may hit campaigning Chandigarh, February 23 Three of the senior BJP leaders and five of the Congress will be using aircraft to complete the last round of campaigning. The chances of their hectic schedule being disrupted by inclement weather cannot be ruled out. Same may be true for the leaders of other parties, including the Himachal Vikas Congress, which rely on motor vehicles for taking senior party leaders to venues of the rallies. But apprehension of landslides may curtail even travelling by road. The BJP chief, Mr Venkaiah
Naidu, and two cine-star-turned politicians-cum-Union Ministers — Mr Shatrughan Sinha and Mr Vinod Khanna — are scheduled to address a series of election meetings and press conferences tomorrow at various places in the state. They will be joined by Mr Narendra
Modi, Mr Sunil Shastri and Sadhvi Uma Bharti. For the Congress, Ms Ambika
Soni, Mr Moti Lal Vora and Mr Arjun Singh will continue to spearhead the campaign. The Delhi Chief Minister, Mrs Shiela
Dikshit, who came this morning for campaigning, will continue to work for the party candidates tomorrow also. They will be joined by the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh and the PPCC chief, Mr
H.S. Hanspal. Mr Vora will continue to hold the fort in the Hamirpur-Bilaspur belt where he will be joined by Mr Hari
Persad. Other Congress leaders, including those from neighbouring Punjab and Delhi are expected to campaign in different parts of the state. Many of these leaders, including Mr Venkaiah
Naidu, Mr Narendra Kumar Modi, and Mr Shatrughan Sinha of the BJP; Ms Ambika
Soni, Capt Amarinder Singh, Mr Arjun Singh, Mr H.S. Hanspal and a few others will depend upon helicopters to complete their last round of campaigning. Their movement will depend greatly on the weather, which had earlier also curtailed campaigning by the leaders from the
Centre. “Perhaps the ‘dev bhoomi’ does not want peaceful atmosphere of the state to be “politically vitiated,” remarked a senior
journalist. Interestingly, it had started raining when Ms Ambika
Soni, Mr H.S. Hanspal and Capt Amarinder Singh took off from Santokhgarh after addressing their last rally this evening. For the Himachal Vikas Congress, Mr Sukh Ram will address rallies at Kot
Kehloor, Ghumarwin and Hamirpur. Officially the campaigning has to end 48 hours before the closing time of polling. Mr Naidu will stay put in Shimla and address a rally at subzi mandi and also a press conference. He will be joined by the Gujarat Chief Minister, Mr Narendra
Modi, whose first round of electioneering in the hill state was marred by similar freak weather. The BJP is also making a last-minute effort to woo women voters by relying on Sadhvi Uma
Bharti. Mr Narendra Modi will address four rallies, including two in Bilaspur district at Kothipura (Bilaspur) and Namhol
(Kot Kehloor) besides two others at Banikhet and Joginder Nagar. Mr Shatrughan
Sinha, too, will have a busy day tomorrow as he is expected to address rallies at Nerwa
(Chopal), Nirmand (Aani), Rampur and Balh. Mr Vinod Khanna, however, has just one rally at Solan. Another BJP stalwart, Mr Sunil Shastri will be addressing rallies at
Degal, Ram Shehar and Chandi — all in the Doon Assembly constituency. |
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CM dared to give list of bank beneficiaries Shimla, February 23 Talking to newspersons here, he said the loans had been given to ruling party leaders for building huge mansions and setting up business ventures. Worse, most of them were among the defaulters and deserved to be prosecuted. However, the BJP had
renominated the defaulters as party candidates. Mr Sharma expressed surprise over the repeated assertions of Prime Minister, Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and other senior BJP leaders that the Congress should make its stand clear on the Ram temple and said that his party had taken an unequivocal and consistent position that the matter was under adjudication in the apex court of the country and its verdict should be accepted by all concerned. The most objectionable part was that Mr Vajpayee had commented on the outcome of the temple case at a time when Parliament was in session. It was an attempt to influence the verdict and highly unbecoming of the high office Mr Vajpayee was holding. Referring to Mr Arun Jaitley's charge that the Congress was avoiding a debate on the performance of the BJP Government and the previous Congress regimes, he said the party had placed facts before the people. The party brought Himachal into existence, ensured its all-round development. For instance literacy increased from 6 per cent to over 70 per cent, all villages were electrified, universities, medical colleges, engineering colleges and other educational institutions were set up. The biggest achievement of the Dhumal Government on the other hand, was that the per capita loan shot up from around Rs 8,000 to over Rs 24,000, about 4,000 industrial units were closed down and instead of providing 1 lakh jobs annually, as promised in the election manifesto, the BJP government distinguished itself only in retrenchment and recruitment scandals. The force with which the Congress had raised the issue of corruption had rattled the BJP. It was repeatedly saying that the Congress had no moral right to talk of corruption as its leaders had been involved in it. The fact was that it was the BJP which took the support of Mr Sukh Ram, who had been convicted in the telecom scam, to form the government. |
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Leadership
war within Congress: Jaitley Shimla, February 23 The minister said the indecision on the leadership was part of the ideological confusion the Congress had on privatisation and even Hindutva. Mr Jaitley said Ms Sonia Gandhi’s election speeches in the state had only “confounded the confusion on leadership, privatisation and what the people called Hindutva.” He said the Congress Chief Minister of Karnataka, Mr S.M. Krishna, had reportedly been saying that all state PSU’s should be privatised and the Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, had put the profit-making Punjab Tractors Limited on the chopping block while their leader chose to oppose privatisation in her speech in Himachal Pradesh. The minister said the Delhi Chief Minister, Ms Sheila Dikshit, was vying with others to take credit for privatisation of power distribution in the state. Mr Jaitley said the Congress Chief Minister of Rajasthan , Mr Ashok Gehlot, had attended the Ram katha of Murari Bapu, the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister, Mr Digvijay Singh, had realised the importance of cow urine and the Jharkhand Chief Minister, Ajit Jogi, was claiming to have held Ramayan melas before the state went to the polls. Sounding convinced on Hindutva, Mr Jaitley said the Congress Chief Ministers were trying to fit into “popular aspirations” of the people (Hindutva). He indicated that here also the party seemed confused. SUNDERNAGAR: Mr Shanta Kumar, Union Minister for Rural Development, while addressing an election rally near Chail Chowk, 22 km from here, said on Saturday that the Congress had rightly not declared the name of chief ministerial candidate as the BJP would form the government after the elections. He was visiting this assembly segment after 20 years. He said the Prime Minister had given full respect to the state by giving the post of Cabinet Minister to a person from the state for the first time. The Prime Minister had given Rs 1,700 crore to the state government, he said. He added that the Prime Minister had started the Prime Minister Gram Sadak Yojana and had earmarked a budget of Rs 60,000 crore for it, besides starting work on hydroelectric projects in the state. DHARAMSALA: Former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana blamed the Congress for most of the ills being faced by the nation, particularly concerning terrorism and security of the country. Talking to mediapersons here on Sunday, he said that had the Congress governments not been soft with Pakistan after 1947, 1965 and 1971, the country would have been stronger and cross-border terrorism could not have increased. He said that it was the Congress which had bowed before foreign pressure and allowed Pakistan to retain a part of Kashmir, which had given birth to the Kashmir problem. Terming the Congress as the mother of corruption in the country, the BJP leader said the former Congress Prime Minister and the former Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh were fighting court cases. KANGRA: Former Delhi Chief Minister Madan Lal Khurana on Saturday charged Punjab ministers with patronising terrorists and demanded resignation of the Punjab ministers involved in the Gujarat sex scandal. Addressing a public meeting here, he said that Pakistan had a soft corner for the Congress and it was because of this that the Pakistan diplomat, while crossing over to Pakistan, had told media persons that there should be a Congress government in India to have better relations between the two countries. NURPUR: Union Minister of State for External Affairs Vinod Khanna exhorted the people not to be misled by the false propaganda of Congress leaders, who were resorting to character assassination. Addressing election meetings at Lodhwan, Thakurdwara and Bhadwar on Saturday in support of BJP candidates, he asserted that the BJP would not allow the Congress to succeed in its nefarious designs. Lashing out at Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh for stooping low in politics, he said such political tactics would boomerang on the Congress. He alleged that Capt Amarinder Singh had earlier hatched a political conspiracy against Mr Parkash Singh Badal. |
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Kaul Singh has a dig at BJP Mandi, February 23 Talking to newspersons, he said it was an irony that the government, which could not even protect its Parliament from the intrusion of terrorists, was claiming of providing security to common man. He said interests of Himachal had been bartered while signing MoUs for power projects with the private parties and described the deals as “shady”. He said while about 11 lakh youths were jobless in the state, outsiders were being favoured. KULU: Mr Sushil Kumar
Shinde, Chief Minister, Maharashtra, said the double standards of the BJP leaders on the issue of Hindutva had been exposed as they had always tried to woo the voters before every election in the country by raising the Ram temple issue. Mr Shinde was addressing an election rally at Sainj village, about 35 km from here, on Saturday. Mr Shinde said victory of Mr Satya Prakash Thakur from the Banjar Assembly constituency would mean progress as he would be given a ministerial berth. He said the Congress wave in Himachal had frustrated the BJP leaders and they had started character assassination of the Congress
leaders. SUNDERNAGAR: Congress leader Mr Virbhadra Singh, has said that both BJP and the HVC talk about the development of the State only during election time. Addressing a gathering at Mahadev in the Nachan Assembly segment on Sunday, he said Union Minister Shanta Kumar had visited this Assembly Segment after many years and now was talking about the development of
Nachan. When Mr Shanta Kumar could not develop Palampur how he would develop this Assembly segment, the Congress leader said. |
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BJP, Cong promoted
graft: Paswan Nahan, February 23 Addressing election rallies in support of the party candidates, Sadanand Chauhan from Nahan and Mohan Lal Azad from Renuka at Dadahu, Shambhuwala, Kolanwala Bhood, Kala Amb and at Rama Dhaun in Nahan tehsil today, He alleged that Congress and BJP leaders making personal allegations against each other just to divert the attention of the people from their failure and main problems of Himachal. |
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FIRST-TIME VOTERS Dharamsala: Though embroiled in student politics, a majority of the first-time voters do not seem to have much political awareness about the core issues affecting the country but the problem which weighs on their mind is rising unemployment, which hits them directly. “With limited jobs in the government sector, employment opportunities will have to be created in the private sector so that mounting frustration amongst the educated youth can be checked,” feels Shalini Pathania a B.Sc-I student at Government Degree College, Dharamsala. She feels that the present regime in Himachal did not pay adequate attention towards this issue, which has made the unemployment scenario even more grim. A majority of the first-time voters are of the opinion that there should be reform in the education policy so that it can be made job-oriented. They are unanimous in their view that with few government jobs, it is only through industry, power sector and tourism promotion that jobs can be created. Though keen on casting his vote for the first time 18-year-old Kuldeep Singh, hailing from Lambagaon village in the
Thural Assembly segment of Kangra district, is confused. “Even after so many years the road to my village is still “kutcha” and as such there is no bus service but I feel that the BJP should be given another chance,” he says. With jobs becoming more and more scarce, he has already given up his studies. Corruption is another issue, which causes concern to the younger generation. “It is a matter of shame for us when India figures high in the list of the countries, where there is rampant corruption,” feels Hitender Singh, a first-year arts student at the local Government College. He says what disappoints the youth most is when jobs are not given on merit but are bought by paying bribes or using political influence. He says that in the recent years this trend has been on the rise and the State Subordinate Selection Board at Hamirpur has been in the thick of a controversy for this very reason. With talk of nepotism and favouritism in jobs, he feels that a change of government could help. Though young in age and still politically immature, the development works undertaken by the BJP regime have not gone unnoticed as far as the youth is concerned. “The tremendous work done in strengthening the road network in the state, which is its lifeline has been a major achievement of the government,” feels Sheetal, a commerce student at Goswami Ganesh Dutt Sanatan Dharam College, Rajpura, near Palampur. However, one thing which was evident was that a majority of the first-time voters did not have an independent opinion about the ideology of a particular party, performance of the central or state governments. It is either the family leaning towards a particular party or the student outfit which they had joined more for fun which will be the deciding factor in their selection of a candidate while casting their votes on February 26. |
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FIRST-TIME VOTERS UNA: Politicians listen to the rumblings here that the Hindutva is no issue except among the staunch party cadres and the caste-based politics is an absolute no-no. Educated youth in the area, exposed to television, market forces and development in other states, want to see a Himachal Pradesh which is comparable with the best of states. They want the pace of development like better road links and water supply schemes to be hurried. They want job opportunities even in the private sector and an economy which is on the upswing. The educated youth have been moving out to Delhi, Chandigarh, Jalandhar, Ludhiana, Jaipur and even abroad for jobs. To keep the talent within the state and to attract outsiders an industrial base is required. Himachal with its surplus power needs to use its plains like Una to attract industry. Incidentally, Una is also connected with the railway broad gauge network. The youth want the Information Technology sector to look up as it can open new vistas for employment besides, open up a new services sector. Tourism with its vast untapped potential can provide more jobs and create self-employment opportunities. The tourism requires good roads free from railway crossings, more entertainment parks, world-class facilities, comfortable transport to scenic spots and conducted tours, not just picture-perfect brouchers. Mr Joginder Thakur, who met the Tribune near Amb on the Una-Dharamsala road on Sunday morning, says he has studied in Chandigarh and Shimla. Look at the facilities there and compare them with those here. “The state needs an all-round development and not just in some pockets. Otherwise, the youth is being uprooted from its homeland”. In any case well-placed officials and traders based in this area are sending even their daughters for studies to Chandigarh or Jalandhar, he adds. The jobs in the state, which has a large force of government employees, are hard to come by. One needs “sifarish” to get a government job whether there is BJP or a Congress government, points out Mr Avinash Sharma from Mehatpur. In such a scenario one has to have political linkages thus the need to establish a political ideology is felt, he opines while adding that roads are seen as a benchmark of development in Himachal. However, to keep the interest of the youth alive the need is to have more industries and opportunities for self-employment. On the whole the youth here largely have no clear-cut political ideologies like of those connected with the BJP or having the Congress-oriented thought. Only those who have studied in towns and are connected with student bodies have something to say on their own. Others are just following the trend among their social groups and even the choice of the candidate may be the same as that of the father or uncle or other elders in the family. Like any other place in the state, Una also has its share of about 10 to 12 per cent of youth voters, who can tilt the scales in favoured of any party. |
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FIRST-TIME VOTERS SOLAN: Unemployment, shrinking job opportunities, lack of avenues to generate self-employment and a pick-and-choose policy being adopted by MLAs while undertaking developmental activities are some of the questions haunting first-time voters in this constituency. While rural voters are concerned about their future and don’t see much hope in the form of government jobs, the urban electorate is worried about the declining standards of politics. An interaction with a cross-section of urban voters going to exercise their franchise for the first time reveal that they accord utmost importance to education. Vijay Kumar, an ITI student from Dharampur, feels that unless a candidate is well qualified he cannot have a focused view about the area. Nor can he develop the region by possessing limited qualifications. With the changing times, the need to have a representative who can instill confidence in the masses through innovative developmental activities is the need of the hour. Unemployment weighs high on the minds of the youths, even those pursuing professional courses. The fact that the old candidates are repeatedly getting elected by virtue of the cadre vote is a cause of concern for them. Raman Kumar, a Solan resident, feels it is unfortunate that the older generation still has not changed its perspective about politicians. Rather than basing their judgement on the potential of an individual they continue to dwell on old party values which no longer hold relevance. He is in favour of voting for a young dynamic person who can be a source of some hope for the younger generation. Mukesh Kumar, a plus two student of a remote village, feels the clean image of an
individual is the most important virtue of a candidate. Referring to the construction of roads and boring of tubewells, he says, the funds for these works were provided by NABARD and the Central Government and the contribution of the MLAs was little in the area. He also accords importance to a genuine bent of social service in the candidate as an essential quality of a candidate. A cross-section of women voters echoed similar sentiments and they too showed concern about the decreasing jobs in the market both in the private as well as the government. They, however, asserted that right to vote was a special privilege which should be exercised with care. |
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12 hurt as BJP, Cong
workers clash Chamba, February 23 The BJP candidate from Chamba, Mr Balkrishan Chauhan, while talking to media persons today, accused the local administration of being in favour of the Congress workers. On the other hand, Mrs Bimla Mahajan, mother of Mr Harsh Mahajan, the Congress candidate from Chamba, alleged that the BJP activists came near their premises and attacked them. |
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Babbar promises clean govt Order on dry days |
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