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Shanta Kumar files nomination
Ram Lal Thakur files papers Unemployed to oppose Congress in LS poll Stokes: LPG, kerosene will be dearer Virbhadra govt accused of making false promises |
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Katwal evading arrest for BJP’s sake, says Cong 601 polling stations
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Shanta Kumar files nomination Dharamsala, April
20 Addressing a public meeting after filing his nomination from the Kangra Lok Sabha seat, the BJP leader said the Congress in Himachal Pradesh was a divided house. “The very fact that the Chief Minister is virtually threatening his ministers and party legislators that in case they do not get a lead from their Assembly segment, they will be punished, is a clear indication of Mr Virbhadra Singh’s frustration,” he remarked. He urged Congressmen in the state to side with the BJP as the Congress was a dying party, heading for a split. He said the five years of the BJP rule was a golden period of India and appealed to people to vote for the party, which had provided a stable government and led the country on a path of unprecedented development. “The NDA is all set to return to power as people have already chosen Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee as their Prime Minister,” he said. He said under the leadership of Mr Vajpayee, India had emerged as a superpower. He said people had been provided with subsidised ration, road network had been strengthened and every village provided with potable water. Earlier, Mr Shanta Kumar, filed his nomination papers before the Returning Officer. He was accompanied by state BJP president and Rajya Sabha member, Suresh Bhardwaj, BJP MLAs, Ramesh Dhawala, Ravinder Ravi and Capt Atma Ram and a host of party leaders and workers, including those from the Dhumal camp. Mr Shanta Kumar, filed four sets of nomination papers. It was for the first time that he was accompanied by his wife, son and other family members. |
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Ram Lal Thakur files papers Hamirpur, April 20 Earlier, Mr Thakur reached the office of the returning officer along with hundreds of senior party leaders and workers drawn from 17 Assembly segments of the Hamirpur Lok Sabha constituency. Prominent among others were Mr Kuldip Kumar, HP Cooperation Minister, Mr Mukesh Agnihotri, HP Chief Parliamentary Secretary and other local MLAs. A rally was also organised in this regard. While addressing the rally Congress leaders came down heavily on the BJP. Mrs Vidya Stokes claimed unity in the party and said she was hopeful that the party would win all four seats from the state this time. Former HVC chief Sukh Ram appealed to the old party cadre to unite under the banner of the Congress and work for the success of Mr Ram Lal Thakur. In his address Mr Thakur said that he would ensure the development of the areas if he won. Mr Thakur stated that he had Rs 3.68 lakh in his bank account and Rs 27,000 in the account of his wife Kamlesh Kumari. He said he had keeps Rs 20,000 and his wife and children keep Rs 15,000. In an affidavit submitted in the court of Mr Devesh Kumar, Deputy Commissioner, Hamirpur, he said he had a Honda City car while his children had a truck, tempo and motor cycle. The family of Mr Thakur has 24.27 bighas worth Rs 9 lakh at their ancestral village and at Barmana and Baknaghat. Mr Thakur and his family also own two residential and one commercial building at Shimla and Ghial village in Bilaspur district and one commercial building at the Industrial Area, Bilaspur. This property is worth Rs 47 lakh. Moreover, he has liabilities of Rs 4.50 lakh. |
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Unemployed to oppose Congress in LS poll Shimla, April 20 Addressing a press conference here, he said the Virbhadra Singh government had ordered 65,000 transfers of employees and targeted those who were sympathetic to the Opposition. Some of them were suspended for participating in political activities. The instalment of additional dearness allowance, which became due from January 2004, had not been released. The arrears of pension and medical reimbursement bills had not been paid, he added. He said the government, instead of providing jobs, had quashed the list of candidates selected by the State Subordinate Services Selection Board for 546 posts of trained graduate teacher and cancelled the entrance test for the JBT course. He said the test had been held last week but over 14,000 candidates had been denied the opportunity of appearing in it on flimsy grounds. He demanded the resignation of Mr B.R. Rahi, Chairman of the state Board of School Education, which conducted the test, and said a fresh test should be held for the sake of those who were not allowed to appear earlier. Mr Verma alleged that Mr Virbhadra Singh had joined hands with Mr Sukh Ram, a former minister, to improve the electoral prospects of his wife, Rani Pratibha Singh, who was contesting from Mandi. |
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Stokes: LPG, kerosene will be dearer after poll Una, April 20 Later on addressing journalist the H.P.S.E.B. Rest House at Rakkar 3 Km from Una she said that the BJP government had spent Rs 1000 crore on for advertisements of Feel Good and India Shining Campaign which was sheer waste of government money. Ms Strokes said that even Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee is not feeling sure of his victory in Lucknow Lok Sabha constituency and appealing to Ram Jeth Malani independent candidate to withdraw in his favour. His supporters are distributing saries to poor women at public functions which led to the death of 22 women in a stampede. She said that the Prime Minister and the NDA were working under pressure from the USA which has been dictating terms on Indo/Pakistan relations. Ms Stokes said India’s foreign policy should not be under pressure from any country. She charged the BJP and the NDA government with corruption. She said the inclusion of Mr Sukh Ram in the Congress was without conditions and said that it was a political necessity all like minded parties and political persons will be welcome in the Congress. Mr O.P. Rattan Congress spokesperson Mr Varinder Dharmani DCC president, Una and Avinash Kapila were present on the occasion. Later on Ms Vidya Stokes and Congress leaders of Una District proceeded to Hamirpur for the filing of nomination of Thakur Ram Lal’s Congress candidate for Hamirpur Lok Sabha seat. |
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Virbhadra govt accused of making false promises Nahan, April 20 Mr Bhardwaj was talking to mediapersons here yesterday. Mr Bhardwaj said that for running its day-to-day expenses, the state government had used Rs 10 crore of the State Education Board, which was earlier kept in fixed deposit. It had taked a loan of Rs 100 crore from the State Cooperative Bank and funds from boards and corporations had been taken by the government for its own use. He said that contractors having connections with the Congress party were getting payments, while others were being made to wait for long periods of time. Payments of TA and medical bills to employees were not made due to financial constraints, he alleged. |
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Katwal evading arrest for BJP’s sake, says Cong Shimla, April 20 He alleged that he connivance of BJP leaders who defended Mr Katwal openly had been evident all through. He said these leaders could be helping him in evading arrest . |
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601 polling stations hyper-sensitive Shimla, April 20 Reviewing the poll arrangements at a high-level meeting here today, Mr Shamsher Singh, Chief Secretary, said 50,000 personnel including securitymen, would be deployed. He asked the officers to ensure that poll officials discharged their duties in an impartial manner. They should avoid using discretionary powers, except in exceptional circumstances like natural disasters. Mrs Manisha Nanda, chief electoral officer, said four returning officers, 78 assistant returning officers and 660 sectoral officers had been appointed to conduct the election. Besides, 13 observers had also been appointed. |
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He said the confusion created over the Congress nominee from the Mandi seat was a clear indication that the high command was not in favour of Mr Virbhadra Singh, who would be removed after the elections. He reminded people that while the wife of the Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh, kept claiming to be the official candidate from Mandi, central Congress leaders were on record stating that the ticket had not been finalised.