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Wednesday,
February 26, 2003, Chandigarh, India  
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Gift disputed land, Naidu to Muslims Criticism
of PM not justified: Mahajan VHP-Centre rift ‘stage-managed’
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Modi’s campaign slanderous: Sahay Dhumal should come clean, says Sukh Ram
Candidates play wooing game Last-ditch bid to woo voters Voter keeps parties on tenterhooks BJP candidate alleges bid
on life Dress-conscious
Rani
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Gift disputed land, Naidu to Muslims
Shimla, February 25 BJP President M. Venkaiah Naidu, at the same time, has strong objection to the VHP’s attack on Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee and Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani over the temple issue, maintaining that they are doing everything under the Constitution for expeditious resolution of the matter while being committed to the NDA agenda. The BJP believes in no discrimination against any community, Mr Naidu told PTI in an interview in the midst of electioneering in Himachal Pradesh. He attacked the Congress and the communist parties, accusing them of taking Muslims “for a ride” on the Ayodhya issue. “Lord Ram is an embodiment of India’s culture. As a party, the BJP is committed to the construction of a Ram temple at the same place where he was born at Ayodhya,” the party chief emphasised. Asking detractors whether anybody had any doubt where Lord Ram was born, he said, “It is clear that the temple was destroyed and it has to be rebuilt. There is enough historical evidence available.” The BJP President charged the Congress and communist parties with “using” the issue for “political purposes”. “They are taking Muslims for a ride. We hope that these parties will take a realistic stand to help in seeking a solution to the problem”, he said. Mr Naidu asked the Muslim community to “come forward and gift the piece of land for the construction of a temple to end hostilities and create goodwill for national integration and brotherhood.” “The Muslim community should think. For them, the place has no importance. But for Hindus, it is important because it is the birthplace of Lord Ram,” he said. Charging the Congress with being “defensive” and adopting “double standards” on the Ayodhya issue because of “some vested interests”, he asserted that the BJP would “compel” the main opposition party to take a stand on the matter. He also ridiculed VHP leaders for attacking Mr Vajpayee and Mr Advani over the temple issue. “There is no merit in their criticism of the Prime Minister and the Deputy Prime Minister as they, being in the government, are bound by the Constitution and coalition dharma,” he said. But the government wanted an early resolution of the issue because of which it had taken initiatives for expeditious hearing of the matter in the Allahabad High Court and the Supreme Court, he said. On the Hindutva issue, Mr Naidu said the BJP was “not apologetic” on it, but the party was not using it for political purposes. He, however, asserted that the Gujarat elections had sent out a “clear message — that Hindu bashing could not go on.” PTI
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Criticism
of PM not justified: Mahajan Shimla, February 25 Talking to newspersons, he said he was quite anguished by the criticism of Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, for which there was no justification. He said the BJP was for the construction of the temple. However, in the given situation the procedure had to be followed to achieve this end and it was doing it. The issue involved a land dispute between two parties, which was pending with the court. It could be settled if the two parties arrived at a compromise, of which there was no possibility. The other alternative was that to await the court verdict. Since it was not merely a land dispute but a sensitive, emotional issue involving the sentiments of crores of Hindus, the government wanted the court to decide it on priority. As such there was nothing wrong in requesting the court for an early hearing in the case. Replying to a question, Mr Mahajan said it was the constitutional responsibility of the Centre to give the states their due but added that there was a definite advantage if the same party was in power at the centre and in the state. He agreed that the Centre could not discriminate against states in matter of granting funds on political consideration. Mr Mahajan claimed that the BJP would get a clear mandate and it could win 38 to 40 seats. There was a close fight on many seats, where the outcome would depend on the floating votes. The BJP had a set vote bank of 32 per cent and the Congress of about 36 per cent. He claimed that the party had improved its position in the final phase when its national leaders visited the state to address several meetings in selected constituencies where the party was locked in close fights. Besides, it had also deputed 25 poll managers on such seats to organise the elections till the polling day. |
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VHP-Centre rift ‘stage-managed’ Shimla, February 25 Addressing a press conference here, he said the BJP and various Sangh Parivar outfits were two sides of the same coin. They had been creating an atmosphere of confrontation to inject the venom of religion in electoral politics. A similar drama was enacted during the Uttar Pradesh poll, but to no avail. The people had seen through their game and raking up of this issue in such a manner time and again would not help in saving the sinking ship of the BJP, he asserted. He said the saddest part was that Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee had behaved in an irresponsible manner by stating during election meetings what the likely outcome of the temple case would be. This was highly objectionable and amounted to influencing the court verdict, he added. Mr Sharma claimed that the Congress would win a clear majority in the elections. Its campaign had been successful in effectively putting across to the people its main issues, he said. The BJP had been put on the defensive on the issue of corruption, he stated. Instead of coming clean, it had resorted to mudslinging and character assassination, he rued. |
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Modi’s
campaign slanderous: Sahay Solan, February 25 Talking to mediapersons here today he said such cheap gimmicks adopted by the BJP leaders only indicated their sense of insecurity. While flaying the gherao of the Parliament by the VHP activists on the Ram mandir issue, he said they were only furthering the agenda of the BJP in a veiled manner. The propaganda was aimed at generating heat with an eye on elections, he added. |
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Dhumal should come clean, says Sukh Ram Bilaspur, February 25 According a rally in support of HVC candidate Gian Chand Rattan at Ghumarwin, near here, yesterday Mr Sukh Ram said Mr Amarinder Singh’s charges could not be dismissed as a “mere election stunt” or a “vote bank politics” since he had also come out with a list of properties and concerns owned by Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal through family personally or through partnership. He criticised Mr Dhumal for his “betrayal of the HVC by totally ignoring the HVC manifesto and adopting “anti-people policies”, Mr Sukh Ram claimed that the BJP could not win more than 20 seats in Himachal. Lashing out at Congress leader Virbhadra Singh, Mr Sukh Ram said he would not allow Mr Virbhadra Singh to occupy the chair of the Chief Minister . Neither the BJP nor the Congress had any concrete programme for generating employment in the state but the HVC would ensure that all unemployed youths of the state were given gainful employment. Both BJP and the Congress were responsible for destroying the economy of state. |
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Candidates
play wooing game DHARAMSALA: It is certainly not a marketing campaign by a company to increase the sales of its products by distributing freebies like cricket kits for youths, pressure cookers for women and a special discount on liquor for men. It is election time and to woo the voters, candidates have come up with novel ideas. Free-flowing liquor and money to woo the voters during elections is now a thing of the past. This time, the candidates are being innovative in selection of “gifts”, keeping in mind the product which will catch the fancy of each section of society, be it men, women or the youth. It is the electorate of the Nagrota constituency who are the most pampered ones. Congress candidate, Mr G.S. Bali, has distributed cricket kits among various youth clubs in his area. For the women voters, it is pressure cookers from his factory. In the Banikhet constituency, the BJP candidate, Ms Renu Chaddha, has reportedly tried to win over the electorate by distributing blankets and pressure cookers. Banikhet is witnessing a fierce battle between her and senior Congress leader and former Primary Education Minister, Ms Asha Kumari. It has been party time for all those quintessential boozers in the Jwalamukhi constituency. They have been getting a heavy discount on different brands of liquor since the filing of papers by the Himachal Vikas Congress candidate, Mr Gulzar. Being a liquor baron, who owns a number of vends in the area, his supporters feel that this is a gesture towards his electorate, which should not be viewed as an attempt to buy voters. Apart from these well-to-do candidates who are spending huge amounts to woo the voters, there are others who are making tall claims about their achievements. “I have openly said in my election meetings that if anybody can prove that I have not undertaken development works worth Rs 100 crore in my constituency of Nagrota, I will give a cash prize of Rs one lakh,” says Mr G.S. Bali, contesting on the Congress ticket from Nagrota. Along similar lines is the election gimmick of the Transport Minister, Mr Kishan Kapoor. He does not forget to mention at every meeting of his that whosoever can prove that his opponent, Ms Chandresh Kumari, has raised the problems of the Dharamsala or Kangra region in the Parliament as a Rajya Sabha member will be awarded a prize of Rs one lakh. He has been trying to hit out at his rival by accusing her of being inaccessible and unconcerned about the people of the area. With Himachal Pradesh being the sole state in the region going to the polls, there has been hectic political activity. National level leaders and Chief Ministers of almost all political parties have visited the tiny hill state, which has been hogging all limelight. |
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Last-ditch bid to woo voters
Shimla, February 25 Newspapers prominently carried the last-minute appeal by Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee to the electorate to re-elect the BJP government, promising to extend all assistance from the Centre for the all-round development of the state. Along with his name, the appeal also carried the Prime Minister’s address-7, Race Course Road, Delhi-110001. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, in a similar appeal, criticised the BJP government for its “bad governance, policy of discrimination and corruption” and promised the electorate to put the state back on track of progress and prosperity if her party came to power. A headline of a four-column news item in a paper spoke of the BJP’s “Hindutva mascot” Narendra Modi turning the political balance in the party’s favour in the key constituency of Jogindernagar where Speaker of the dissolved Assembly Gulab Singh Thakur is the BJP nominee. But the catch lies in an almost microscopically printed “Vigyapan” at the bottom, only if one did not miss it. The Congress went a step further in this direction. A headline read: “the Congress will form the government in Himachal Pradesh-astrologers have forecast in Kangra.” The news story said an all-India conference of astrologers held at Kangra last week had predicted that the Congress would win more than 40 seats in the state. The word “vigyapan” again is almost undecipherable. Interestingly, there is a flood of such news-like ads in the provincial papers of various candidates. Another advertisement by the Congress, featuring sketches of late Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi carried a caption: “Hum laaye hain toofan se kashti nikaal ke, es praant ko rakhna ab tumhi sambhaal ke (We have saved the boat from the cyclone, its for you to protect the state). Another BJP ad said: “Aandhi aye ya toofan, ho zuroor pura matdan (Be it a sandstorm or a blizzard, let it be a total turnout in the polls). The party, it seems, is apprehensive that a low turnout will mar its prospects to come back to power. UNI
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Voter keeps parties on tenterhooks Shimla, February 25 Besides intense factionalism in the two parties, the presence of potential rebels in over 36 constituencies have made the election scene hazy. Some of the rebels are among the front-runners. In such a situation it is hardly surprising that poll managers of the two parties are not sure of the outcome. Even the pollsters are keeping their fingers crossed as in absence of any discernible wave in favour or against any party, the situation varies from one constituency to another. In Shimla district, considered to be a strong-hold of the Congress, the BJP is making a determined bid to improve its tally. The Congress has a clean upper hand in
Rohru, Rampur and Kumarsain, while Mr Rakesh Verma, an Independent, is locked in a close fight with Mr Rajinder Verma of the Congress. The BJP is likely to end up among the also ran in Theog. The absence of the Congress heavyweight like Mr Ram Lal and Mr
J.B.L. Khachi, had indeed created a void. However, Mr Rohit Thakur, a grandson of Mr Ram Lal, is trying to cash in on his legacy to enter the Vidhan Sabha from
Jubbal-Kotkhai. He is in a close fight with Mr Narinder Bragta, who took a calculated risk by shifting from Shimla to
Jubbal-Kotkhai, in a bid to establish himself as the tallest BJP leader of the Shimla region. The presence of Congress rebels and Independents have obscured the poll scene in Kasumpti and Chopal while Mr Sanjay Chauhan, the CPM candidate is giving anxious moments to the BJP and Congress. Interestingly, the two parties are banking on undercutting in the rival camp for victory in all three seats. The Congress also has the advantage that both its chief ministerial candidates, Mr Virbhadra Singh and Mrs Vidya Stokes, are from the district. SOLAN: With less than 24 hours left for the poll no discernible trend was noticed in the electorate which could describe the sway of voters in favour of any particular party. While the rural voters seemed concerned about the local issues like price rise, increasing unemployment and stressed on voting for a particular party, the urban voters were more vocal about individual candidates whom they judged according to their performance in the last five years. A round of various constituencies of Solan district revealed that people had started forming their opinion about the candidates in the fray. With campaigning coming to an end on Monday evening the people were now ardently discussing the prospects of each candidate. A section of the employees were vociferous in their resentment against the present government and opined that the hike in the prices of basic commodities like power, water, LPG had earned the wrath of this section. Not only this, the fact that long-pending demands of other sections like contract teachers,
IPH, forest, private transporters and other employees had not been met by the P.K. Dhumal Government. Resentment was visible among these sections. Despite all odds each party has managed to maintain its influence in areas were the people where openly making their preferences clear about their party rather than individual candidates. BILASPUR: A total of 2,39,651 voters in the four Assembly segments in the district will decide the fate of 21 candidates tomorrow. The Kotkehloor constituency has six candidates and the other three segments namely Bilaspur Sadar, Ghumarwin and Gehadwin (reserved) having five candidates each. All four segments have the Congress and the BJP candidates as major contenders with the HVC candidates challenging them in
Kotkehloor, Ghumarwin and Bilaspur Sadar. There is no HVC candidate in Gehadwin (reserved) constituency. There is a triangular contest in Kotkehloor among Mr Ramlal Thakur (Congress), Mr Randhir Sharma (BJP) and Mr Krishan Kumar Kaushal (HVC) and similar is the case in the Ghumarwin segment where Mr Kashmir Singh Thakur (Congress), Mr Karamdev Dharmani (BJP) and Mr Gian Chand Rattan (HVC) are neck and neck. While in Bilaspur Sadar, Mr Jagat Prakash Nadda (BJP) and Mr Tilak Raj Sharma (Congress) are the main contenders with HVC candidate Baldev Singh Thakur challenging them. In the Gehadwin reserved constituency a Congress rebel and former MLA Biru Ram Kishore is giving tough fight to Congress candidate Roop Rani. |
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BJP candidate alleges bid on life Dharamsala, February 25 Speaking at a hospital here, she alleged that when she was canvassing in Bharwana village along with her women supporters, a vehicle (HP-36-6300), belonging to a retired SP, hit her. According to her, the vehicle was following her for some time and she recognised former BJP block president Hans Raj sitting in it. She said she was hit on the leg and fell down and her foot came under the vehicle. She complained of pain in her back. After being hit by the vehicle, she was taken to a hospital at Dehra, from where she was referred here. After seeing the X-ray report, doctors said there was no fracture. When contacted, the Kangra SP denied that there was an attempt to murder or grievously hurt Ms Sandal. She had received minor injuries and a case under Section 337 of the Indian Penal Code had been registered against the driver of the vehicle, he added. Mr Dhiman, son of former BJP MLA from Pragpur Nirmala Devi, refuted the charge. Talking to mediapersons at Dehra, he claimed that Ms Sandal was sure to be defeated and she had tried to make a mountain of a molehill for sympathy and mileage. According to him, she was accompanied by her supporters, yet no one else was injured.
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Dress-conscious
Rani MANDI: What is in a
colour? Ask Rani Kiran Kumari, the BJP candidate for the Mandi Sadar
constituency of Himachal Pradesh. “It is for good luck”, said the Rani, who belongs to the erstwhile princely family of Mandi, in an interview with TNS here on Thursday evening. She is the sister of Mr Maheshwar Singh, a BJP MP and erstwhile Raja of Kulu. For her, saffron is the colour for Thursdays. As luck would have it, this is also the colour of the BJP which has fielded her to face old warhorses like Mr Sukh Ram, the HVC supremo, and Mr Durga Dutt Thakur of the Congress. She attended the Prime Minister’s poll rally held on Paddal ground on Thursday wearing a saffron sari and blouse and a shawl and a scarf of the matching colour. Since the whole ground was decorated with green and saffron party buntings and flags, she did not look out of place at all. “As a matter of fact, I have been following this dress code ever since I got married some 35 years ago,” discloses the Rani. This dress code, she says, has been drawn up in accordance with the navagraha which is as follows: Monday — off-white or cream Tuesday — red Wednesday — green Thursday — saffron Friday — pink Saturday — blue Sunday — red “I don’t know if they have brought good luck to me or not,” says the Rani, “but I feel totally at home with them.” Any guesses?
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In video: Women electorate and women political activists demand for more participation in
the Himachal Assembly. (
