 |
|
|
Arjun Singh gets bail in defamation case
Fall of UPA govt imminent, says Khurana
PM woos voters in simple, but effective style
Chautala failed to fulfil promises: Bhajan Lal
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hooting at PM’s rally during Bhajan Lal’s speech
Campaign Trail
Councillors, ex-MC chief support Pandit
Nitish Bhardwaj canvasses for BJP
Feb 3 declared paid
holiday for shops
SGPC nod not required for separate gurdwara panel: Jhinda
Petitioners allege intimidation by khap panchayat
Board told to issue pass certificate
2 killed in road
accident
|
|
Arjun Singh gets bail in defamation case
Jagadhri, January 31 The court also issued fresh summons to Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu and M\s Kasturi and Sons Ltd through its Managing Director, a co-accused in the case. Mr Arjun Singh, while talking to mediapersons, stuck to the remarks that he had made against the RSS in Delhi last August. However, he refused to make further comments by saying that the matter was sub-judice. On an application moved by the counsel for Mr Arjun Singh seeking exemption from personal appearance, the Judge, Mr Atul Marya, while refusing a blanket exemption allowed him exemption from personal appearance till the date of notice of accusation. Mr P. Balachandran, printer of The Hindu, was given exemption for appearance for today only. The next date of hearing has been fixed for March 10. Mr Darshan Lal Jain, in charge of the Haryana unit of the RSS, had filed a defamation suit against the minister alleging that he had associated the RSS with the killing of Mahatma Gandhi during a speech in New Delhi last August. The Hindu was made a party in the case as the newspaper had published the remarks of Mr Arjun Singh in its edition of August 9, 2004. Earlier, in the day, Mr Arjun Singh arrived in the jam-packed courtroom at around 11.30 am. The judge granted him bail after a bail bond of Rs 10,000 was furnished. The judge pronounced the order on the exemption application in the afternoon. The security personnel had a tough time in escorting Mr Arjun Singh out of the court complex. On the request of advocates, the minister spent some time at the Bar Council Room at the complex and interacted with the advocates present there. Later, while addressing a press conference at a hotel, the minister stuck to the remarks that he had made against the RSS but refused to make any further comments on the pretext that the matter was now pending before the court. To a question, the HRD Minister said he had received the summons on January 8 and he dutifully appeared before the court today and added, “I have full respect and faith in the judicial system”. Regarding a question on the changes made by the then BJP-led NDA Government in the school textbooks and subsequent ‘corrections’ by the Congress-led government, Mr Arjun Singh said the BJP had tried to saffronise the textbooks. However, he admitted that the NDA Government had corrected certain ‘mistakes’ by inserting chapters on national leaders and personalities of the country. Mr Arjun Singh said the BJP had made changes in the textbooks without following the proper procedures. “I have tried hard to find how the changes were made by the government but in vain”, said the minister. |
|
Fall of UPA govt imminent, says Khurana
Rewari, January 31 He made this observation while addressing a press conference here today. Going into the genesis of such an eventuality, Mr Khurana said there were indications that the Left parties would have to withdraw support from the Congress-led UPA Government in the next few months in view of the forthcoming Assembly elections in West Bengal and Kerala where these parties would be fighting pitched electoral battles against the Congress. Secondly, the increasing uneasiness of the Samajwadi Party chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav, over Congress stalwarts’ criticism of his government also indicated that things could take an unsavoury turn any time. Thirdly, it could now safely be predicted that a new political scenario would emerge after the Assembly elections in Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand, he added. Making a specific mention of the move initiated by the UPA government for the restoration of greater internal autonomy to Jammu and Kashmir in pursuance of a demand made by the National Conference, Mr Khurana asserted that it was a dangerous move, which had been initiated after Congress President Ms Sonia Gandhi’s approbatory nod. Recalling how the autonomy Bill passed by the J&K Government had earlier been rejected outright by the then Prime Minister, Mr Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he asserted that even now BJP would oppose it tooth and nail as such a move was bound to lead to the division of Jammu and Kashmir. Referring to the steep hike in the price of sugar Mr Khurana disclosed that as many as 250 lakh tonnes of sugar had been lying in the central stocks while the annual consumption of sugar in the country stood at about 185 lakh tonnes. He further said if the UPA Government had released five to 10 lakh tonnes of sugar in the open market, the price of sugar would not have spiralled to such an unprecedented level. He alleged that the Congress Government didn’t do so just to replenish the coffers of the 500-odd sugar magnates of the country. Later, Mr Khurana also addressed an election meeting at the Durga Chowk here today in which he appealed to the electorate of Rewari to send the party nominee Mr Randhir Singh Kapriwas to the Haryana Vidhan Sabha at Chandigarh this time. He also asserted that this time the BJP was well-poised to secure a majority and to form government in Haryana. |
|
PM woos voters in simple, but effective style
Ambala, January 31 He addressed a well-attended rally in Gandhi Maidan here. Congress candidates Mr
D.K. Bansal, Ambala cantonment, Mr Venod Sharma, Ambala City, Mr Nirmal Singh, (Naggal), Mr Phool Chand
(Mullana) and Mr Ram Kishen Naraingarh were present on the occasion. Dressed in white
kurta- payjama and Jawahar jacket, Dr Manmohan Singh arrived at the venue in a bulletproof car. He had come to Ambala by a helicopter. He was offered flowers by Congress candidates. He then strode up the stairs leading to the dais. He gently waved to the crowd that responded enthusiastically. Incidentally, after a gap of around 20 years, the Prime Minister addressed a rally in Ambala. Last time Rajiv Gandhi had addressed a rally here. The Prime Minister referred to the problem of unemployment. He observed a lot needed to be done to bring Ambala on the industrial map of the country. It may be recalled that Congress president Sonia Gandhi had addressed a rally at Gandhi Maidan during the recent Lok Sabha election. That rally was comparatively better attended than today’s rally. Ms Sonia Gandhi had got a very enthusiastic response from the people. There was heavy police arrangement at the rally venue. Police personnel frisked the people and sniffer dogs checked the rally ground. Barricades had been erected in the rally ground. Police personnel carried out extensive patrolling of the area. All the buildings in the vicinity had police presence on the rooftops. Although it was announced through loudspeakers that the rally would begin at 9 a.m., Dr Manmohan Singh arrived at the venue at 11.50 a.m. People had begun to trickling in by 10 a.m. While Dr Manmohan Singh referred to Ambala MP Kumari Selja, Congress Working Committee member and Ambala City Congress candidate Venod Sharma and Naggal candidate Nirmal Singh when he began his speech, he did not refer to Congress candidate from Ambala Cantonment Mr Devender Bansal in whose constituency the rally was being held. However, after completing his speech, Dr Manmohan Singh introduced the Congress candidates, including Mr Devender Bansal, to the peoples, and appealed them to vote for them. |
||
|
Chautala failed to fulfil promises: Bhajan Lal
* Women voters were missing at the election meeting. Though a large number of men and young boys could be seen, women supporters could be counted on the fingertips. * Supporters thronged the venue of the election meeting near the bus stand here in tractor-trailers that carried party flags. Buses reaching the bus stand would suddenly screech to a halt near the venue, and then move on taking care of the crowd. * Mr Bhajan Lal was presented with ‘pagdis’ and cash by the local residents. A silver ‘rath’ was also presented to him while a silver crown was presented to Mr Chander Mohan.
Barwala, January 31 He was addressing an election meeting in support of his son and Congress candidate Chander Mohan here this afternoon. He said the Congress would win around 80 seats. “Our political opponents are claiming that there are a number of chief ministerial candidates in the Congress. The Congress president Sonia Gandhi has given 60 seats to my supporters, and the remaining 30 have been distributed among other leaders. When I will have the maximum number of MLAs, I will be the next Chief Minister,” he said. He said it was because of the dynamic leadership of Ms Sonia Gandhi that the people of the state were with the Congress now. He said the electorate was dismayed with the “Chautala misrule”. “Before he became the Chief Minister, he had promised free power and employment opportunities. When he became the Chief Minister, he forgot about these promises. People are facing power crisis and there is unemployment everywhere. Now is the time to pay back Mr Chautala for his reign of terror by voting for us,” he exhorted the voters. He said that Mr Chautala would lose in the Rori and Narwana constituencies. “What has to be seen is where he loses by a larger margin,” he added. He said during his tenure as the Chief Minister, he ensured maximum development of Panchkula. “We had limited time then, but now we will ensure that the constituency is developed as the best in the state. We will ensure a minimum of 18-hour power supply in the rural sector, build bridges across all rivulets and construct more colleges. I will give preference to Kalka over my own constituency, Adampur. You have sent Chander Mohan to the Assembly thrice. If he wins the fourth time, he will be made a minister and would work for your welfare,” he said. Mr Chander Mohan, while addressing the election meeting, said the constituency had been ignored by previous governments. He assured the voters that there would be rapid all-round development in the constituency if he was elected. Mr Bhajan Lal later addressed election meetings at Rajiv Colony and Sector 8 in Panchkula, and at Pinjore and Kalka. |
|
Hooting at PM’s rally during Bhajan Lal’s speech
Ambala, January 31 The hooting by a section of the rallyists began as soon as Mr Bhajan Lal got up to speak and it ended only after he had completed his brief speech. The incident took place when Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was seated on the dais. The incident is suspected to have been pre-planned as there was not even a murmur when others spoke. When Mr Bhajan Lal got up to speak, the hooting started in the left and in the centre enclosures. The rallyists are suspected to be from the Naggal Assembly constituency from where former Haryana Revenue Minister Nirmal Singh is the Congress candidate. Mr Nirmal Singh’s associates, however, denied that they were involved the incident. Union Minister and Ambala MP Kumari Selja gestured to the rallyists to sit down but they turned a deaf ear to her appeal. Mr Bhajan Lal brashed it off as “koi baat
nahin” and continued. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh maintained a stoic posture throughout the incident. The first signs of trouble were evident even before the Prime Minister had arrived at the venue in Gandhi
Maidan. While one could hear slogans for different Congress leaders, no mention was made of Mr Bhajan Lal. Even after he arrived at the venue, nobody raised slogans in his favour. After the rally, Mr Bhajan Lal went to address a public meeting at
Mullana. The meeting had been organised by former minister and Congress candidate Phool Chand
Mullana. A group of Congress leaders also went to Mullana and they had a meeting with the HPCC chief. The Bhajan Lal loyalists expressed their strong displeasure over the incident. “We are shocked by the incident. This is a disgrace after Mr Bhajan Lal had been invited for the rally. Mr Nirmal Singh will definitely pay a heavy price for this incident in this election,” a Congress leader said. Mr Arjun Lal Kalra, secretary HPCC, said it was a clear act of indiscipline. “This will have a negative impact on the Congress prospects. Such an incident taking place right in front of the Prime Minister needs to be condemned,” he said. “Live coverage by the electronic media has shown the Congress in Haryana in general and Ambala in particular in poor light,” he added. Over the past few years, Mr Nirmal Singh has been trying to project himself as a chief ministerial candidate. He had organised “Hisab
Lagao” and “Hisab Chukao” rallies which were a success. His effort to flex political muscles is believed to have not been taken kindly by several senior Haryana Congress leaders, including Mr Bhajan Lal. Mr Nirmal Singh has demanded that the next Congress Chief Minister of Haryana should be from the north Haryana. He said while southern Haryana had always benefited as the Chief Minister had been from that side, north Haryana had been ignored from major development projects. |
|
|
BJP candidate plays inflation card
Ruchika M. Khanna Tribune News Service
Panchkula, January 31 “Well, and its just half way through the election schedule for the day,” he said as he went around Majri village, complete with the saffron muffler and hands folded, presenting the picture of a perfect BJP candidate. An advance party of BJP workers had arrived about 10 minutes before Mr Bansal’s cavalcade screeched to a sudden halt in the village square. The advance party announced that Mr Bansal was about to reach, while a cassette played the election songs on the themes of nationalism and rising prices of sugar. With some supporters from the village, Mr Bansal went from one house to another and asked for votes. He walked up to each person, gave hand bills of the promises, and briefly spoke about the price rise during the Congress rule and the corruption of the Chautala government. “People know all this and want a change. Last time, I had a small margin with Mr Chander Mohan. This time round, I am sure of a win, because Mr Chander Mohan has done nothing for this constituency,” he emphasised. Ask him if his campaign was lacklustre because of the absence of star campaigners as against Mr Bhajan Lal campaigning for Mr Chander Mohan and Mr Om Prakash Chautala campaigning for Mr Pradeep Chaudhary. He was quick to retort, “... Mr Venkiah Naidu could not make it because of bad weather conditions and Ms Sushma Swaraj’s visit had to be cancelled at the last minute. But Senior Himachal leaders like Mr Shanta Kumar have campaigned for me. In any case, it does not really matter. People have already made up their minds.” But what about the absence of local BJP leaders? “They are campaigning separately in the villages. The BJP has a strong organisational set up, and each one is working to strengthen the party and ensure a win,” he said. In between, his mobile rang and he got a call that the BJP leaders and television stars Nitish Bhardwaj and Gajendra Chauhan (Krishan and Yudhisthir of Mahabharta) would be late for the meeting at Sector 16. He decided that there would still be time for another round of door-to-door campaigning, and rushed off.
|
|
|
Councillors, ex-MC chief support Pandit
Yamunanagar, January 31 With the support of these persons, Ms Pandit now claims that she would win the seat by a record margin. The former chairmen of the MC who have extended their support to the party are Mr Balinder Singh, Mr Subhash Sharma and Mr Naresh Sharma. The councillors who have extended support to the party include Mr Om Parkash Taluja, Mr Satpal Sharma, Mr Gulshan Kumar, Mr Charanjeet, Mr Subhash, Mr Surjeet Mehta, vice-president, MC, Ms Vijay Babbar, Dr R.K Sharma, Ms Sangeeta Sharma, Mr Ashok Tyagi and Ms Kanta Sharma. Meanwhile, the Yamunanagar-Jagadhri branch of the Indian Medical Association (IMA) has also extended its support to Ms Krishna. Besides, several other organisations, including the Sugar Mill Mazdoor Union have also decided to support the Congress. |
|
Nitish Bhardwaj canvasses for BJP
Ambala, January 31 The road show of Mr Nitish Bhardwaj passed through different areas of Ambala Cantt, including Kabari Bazaar, Macchi Mohalla, 12 Cross Road, Pul Chameli, Sadar Bazaar, Supply Depot chowk and BC Bazaar. Earlier, the BJP candidate, Mr Ravi Sehgal, promised to bring about overall development in Ambala Cantt constituency. Mr Sehgal said Ambala Cantt had not got its due in the past few years and he would ensure that more development projects are undertaken in the city. |
|
|
Feb 3 declared paid
holiday for shops
Chandigarh, Jan 31 The poll day will be also observed as holiday in all subordinate courts in the state. High court employees staying in Panchkula will be allowed two-hour special leave on February 3 to enable them to cast their votes. The Himachal Government has also allowed special leave for February 3 to bonafide voters of Haryana, who are serving in Himachal Pradesh government offices or private agencies in the state. The instructions would also be applicable to daily paid workers of the government and private organisations. A spokesperson of the Haryana Election Department said similar requests had also been made to neighbouring states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, New Delhi and Union Territory of Chandigarh. He said under section 135
B(1) R.P. Act, 1951, a bonafide elector is entitled to special leave for casting his/her vote. |
|
Alert Shatabdi driver
averts tragedy Ambala, January 31 The Shatabadi Express was coming from New Delhi and headed for Chandigarh. The incident took place near the Kingfisher restaurant along the GT road. Although the Shatabadi driver immediately applied the brakes on spotting the car, the train hit it with so much force that the car was dragged for nearly 400 m. The incident happened at 8.10 pm. On receiving information about the accident, railway doctors and a medical van was rushed to the spot. While the car was badly damaged, the train was safe. The train left for its destination at 8.45 pm. Additional Divisional Railway Manager, Ambala division, Mr Dayal Dogra, said the Shatabadi driver had immediately applied the brakes on seeing the car. “The Shatabadi passengers are safe and the train has not been damaged in the incident,” he said. He said after assessing the situation, the Shatabadi Express was allowed to proceed. “Preliminary investigations have revealed that there were about five dozen liquor bottles in the car. However, the quantum of liquor in the bottles is not yet known. It is being assumed that the car was coming from Ambala City side and fell off the old bridge,” he said. The car apparently belongs to a resident of Panjokhra village. It is not yet known who was driving the car and what happened to the driver after the car fell on the track.
|
|
|
SGPC nod not required for separate gurdwara panel: Jhinda
Panipat, January 31 Talking to The Tribune, the President of HSGPC, Mr Jagdish Singh Jhinda, said Bibi Jagir Kaur had tried to misguide the Sikhs of Haryana by making such statements during election rallies of INLD in different parts of the state. Mr Jhinda said a Bill for creating a separate Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee was required to be passed by the Haryana Assembly as had been done in case of creating the Wakf Board in Haryana. The President of HSGPC, also criticised Bibi for campaigning in favour of the INLD in the forthcoming Assembly elections. “Being the president of the highest body of Sikhs, she should not have participated in the electioneering, he added. In reply to a question, he said the SGPC Act should be amended to stop the President of the committee from taking part in any type of electioneering in future. When asked about the demand to make an amendment in the Act, Bibi Jagir Kaur told The Tribune that she had been campaigning for the party that had spread Sikh religion. She said she could not see Sikhs voting for the Congress. She said if supporting a political party was bad then why was Jhinda supporting the Congress? However, when asked
about Mr Jhinda’s statement that there was no need to get permission from the SGPC for creating a separate committee in Haryana, the phone was disconnected. On the other hand, Mr Jhinda said SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal had forced them to support the Congress in the ensuing Assembly elections. He said he had met Mr Badal and had held a one-and-a-half-hour-long meeting with him on July 30 last year requesting him to create a separate HSGPC but he had expressed helplessness due to political compulsions. The president of HSGPC said both Mr Badal and Bibi Jagir Kaur were trying to divide Sikhs of Haryana with their decision to support the ruling INLD. In reply to a question, he said they had taken the decision to support the Congress in order to safeguard the interests of Sikhs of the state as the party had included their long pending demand of the creation of a separate HSGPC in its manifesto. Mr Jhinda said the SAD had done nothing for the Sikhs of Haryana since the creation of the state in 1966. |
|
Petitioners allege intimidation by khap panchayat
Chandigarh, January 31 One such incident came to light today after some residents of a Bhiwani village petitioned the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking directions to the Sangwan khap panchayat not to force the petitioners to end the criminal cases initiated by them against members of their gotra. The petition also lists the extent to which such khap panchayats go to intimidate common citizens. In their petition, Mr Mahinder Singh and others, all residents of village Siswala in Bhiwani district, have alleged that the Sangwan khap panchayat tried a number of times to pressurise them into withdrawing criminal cases against Rambir and some other members of the Sangwan gotra. The petitioners have three cases against Rambir and others, all pending in Bhiwani courts. The petitioners have also listed instances of efforts made to intimidate them into toeing the khap panchayat line. On July 19, 2004, the Sangwan gotra khap panchayat for five villages met at Siswala and directed the petitioners to withdraw their cases. The directive went unheeded. Again, on July 25, 2004, the Sangwan gotra khap panchayat of 13 villages assembled and issued the same directive. This also was not accepted by the petitioners. Then, on July 28, 2005, a much bigger panchayat — of 40 villages — was held to reiterate the same direction. The petitioners again refused to budge from their initial stand. Finally, on September 7, 2004, the khap panchayat of 40 villages asked the petitioner to withdraw their cases or be ready for the consequences. When they refused, the khap panchayat ordered social boycott of the families of Mr Dilip Singh and Ganpal Singh, both elders of the petitioners, and also excommunicated them from the gotra. In their plea before the High Court, the petitioners have also prayed for direction to the khap panchayat for ending their social boycott. They have also sought directions to the respondents not to force them to interfere in communal justice system. |
|
Board told to issue pass certificate
Chandigarh, January 31 Taking up the petition of Ms Anita Devi of Janauli village in Faridabad district, the Bench directed the respondent to send the certificate by registered post. In her petition, Ms Anita had stated that though she passed her higher secondary (class XII) exam in 2002, she has been denied her exam pass certificate. While the school board told her that the certificate had been sent to her school, the school authorities denied having received it. The board also told her that there was no provision to issue a new certificate and only a duplicate one could be given to her. However, the Bench of Mr Justice J.S. Khehar and Mr Justice Tapan Sen ordered that the petitioner could not be punished for the lapse of others and directed the board to issue a new certificate to her. |
|
2 killed in road
accident
Rewari, January 31 The injured have been hospitalised at the PGIMS, Rohtak. The accident took place when they were going from Hisar to Fatehabad to attend a marriage party. The cremation of Arun Rao and Vikram Saini took place here today. Earlier members of the Rewari Bar Association observed a two-minute silence and also suspended work as a mark of respect to the deceased. |
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Mailbag | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
