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EC deprives Chautala of chance for recruitment
Chautala’s statements self-contradictory: Surjewala
Sonia declines to meet seven party MPs
Liquor shops to remain closed
Poor response to stir
against VAT
Four of family, 4 others killed in accidents |
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‘Social boycott’ of family ends
Alarming fall in sex ratio causes concern
Embezzlement of union funds alleged
BJP will assume power in 2010,
says Sangwan
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EC deprives Chautala of chance for recruitment
Chandigarh, February 21 Mr Chautala has been all along criticising the EC for keeping an unprecedented 24 days’ gap between polling and the counting of votes in Haryana. When the EC advanced the date of counting to February 23 from February 27, the general impression was that the EC had conceded Mr Chautala’s demand. However, it now appears that rather than paying heed to Mr Chautala’s concerns, the EC advanced the date of counting to deprive Mr Chautala of the chance of recruiting people of government posts during the period between repolling on February 23 and the counting of votes on February 27. Earlier the court had ordered that the government could carry out recruitment during the gap between polling and the counting of votes in the state. The EC then pointed out to the court that repolling in six booths in Haryana was slated to take place on February 23. This prompted the Punjab and Haryana High Court to stay its previous order. The EC’s decision to start the counting of votes from 4 pm on February 23, an hour before repolling was to come to a close in six booths on the same day, is believed to be aimed at denying Mr Chautala the opportunity to recruit people during the four days gap till February 27. The strategy may succeed in achieving its objective, but the advancement of the date of counting has enabled Mr Chautala to open another front for attacking the EC. The fact that some of the postal ballots will be received in the state after February 23 has serious ramifications. The EC’s decision to withhold till February 27 announcement of the results of those constituencies where the margin between the first two candidates is less than the number of postal ballots issued for the constituency is hardly a solution to the problem. In constituencies where the results will be held up on February 23, postal ballots (which are yet to arrive) will assume immense value which will be against the principle of secrecy of elections. Besides, by allowing postal ballots to arrive till February 27, the EC, it is being alleged, will be violating Section 54 (A) (sub-section 1) and Section 60 of the Conduct of Election Rules, 1966. The first section says that postal ballots will have to be counted first before the counting of general votes begins. The second section says that the counting of votes will have to be continuous. A source pointed out that the announcement of results was always followed by litigation involving defeated candidates. “ The number of such cases is likely to proliferate in the wake of the EC’s decision to advance the date of counting”, the source said. |
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Chautala’s statements self-contradictory: Surjewala
Kaithal, February 21 This was stated by Mr Shamsher Singh Surjewala, former HPCC President and Congress candidate from Kaithal, while addressing a press conference here today. Mr Surjewala said it seemed that Mr Chautala had lost mental balance after foreseeing his defeat, so he was making self-contradicting statements and saying that his party would win the Assembly elections and he would take the oath as Chief Minister, but, at the same time, Mr Chautala was saying that he would reign in the Congress while acting as Leader of Opposition. He said that now the Chief Minister had started saying that the defence personnel would caste their votes in favour of his party candidates. Mr Surjewala said that if the people of the state wanted to overthrow the Chautala regime in the elections, how Mr Chautala claimed to win confidence of the defence forces personnel as the personnel too were kin of those very voters who wanted to get rid of Mr Chautala. Mr Surjewala ridiculed the statement of Mr Chautala that the defence personnel votes would affect the elections results. Mr Surjewala said it seemed that Mr Chautala was spitting venom against the Election Commission because it restrained the state government from making appointments for jobs as the election code of conduct was in force . He said that it was not for the first time that the Election Commission had issued such directions. Even during earlier Assembly and Lok Sabha polls the Election Commission had issued similar directions to the various state governments. Mr Surjewala demanded that the government should forfeit the passports of Mr Om Prakash Chautala, his two sons and Mr K.C. Bangar, a former Chairman, Haryana Public Service Commission, as they could flee the country to save themselves from legal action which they were likely to face for their various acts of omission and commission. |
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Sonia declines to meet seven party MPs
Chandigarh, February 21 It is learnt that the Congress MPs from Haryana, barring Mr Kuldeep Bishnoi and Mr Arbind Sharma, wanted to meet Ms Gandhi to urge her not to appoint Mr Bhajan Lal the Chief Minister in the case of a Congress victory in the Assembly elections. Those who wanted to meet Ms Gandhi were Mr Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Ms Selja, Rao Inderjit Singh, Mr Avtar Singh Bhadana and others. They were reportedly given an appointment tentatively at 6 p.m. and told that they should check with Ms Gandhi’s office before coming to meet her. When they got in touch with Ms Gandhi’s office at the slated time, they were told that
the Congress President would not be able to meet them. This has boosted the morale of the Bhajan Lal camp which is boasting that Ms Gandhi had met Mr Bhajan Lal on his return from campaigning in Bihar. However, Hooda supporters are playing the down the incident and saying that seven out of nine Congress MPs from Haryana joining hands against Mr Bhajan Lal was itself an indication about Mr Bhajan Lal’s unpopularity among the state’s legislators. |
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Liquor shops to remain closed Chandigarh, February 21 Deputy Commissioner-cum-Excise and Taxation Commissioner of Chandigarh, Arun Kumar, said that the liquor vends in Mauli Jagran-1, Mauli Jagran-2, Panchkula Road, Mani Majra-II (opposite Bhainsa
Tibba), Mani Majra-Kalka Road-2, Raipur Kalan (opposite Industrial Area Phase-II) and Indira Colony, sub vend will remain closed on that day. |
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Poor
response to stir
against VAT
Rohtak, February 21 Shops in Palika Bazar, Furniture Market, Quila Road, Jhajjar Road, Shourie Cloth Market, Bhiwani Stand and Bara Bazar remained closed till noon. These markets re-opened later. The remaining markets remained open throughout the day. The protesters sent a memorandum to the Prime Minister through the local authorities, seeking withdrawal of VAT and service tax. JHAJJAR: The bandh against the implementation of VAT evoked mixed response in the district. While a complete bandh was observed in the small township of Beri, which has significant number of small traders, the industrial township of Bahadurgarh and Jhajjar had no impact of
the call. According to reports, even though no demonstration was held anywhere in the district, the entire market areas in Beri wore a deserted look. However, bazars in Jhajjar and Bahadurgarh remained open as usual. The bandh call was supported by the Haryana Pradesh Vyapar Mandal. SONEPAT:
The call for bandh, given by the Haryana Beopar Mandal, against VAT by the Central Government from April 1 next, fizzled out completely in this city and elsewhere in the district. According to a report, all the shops and commercial establishments remained open as usual and not a single shop was found closed in any part of the city. The vegetable and fruit market and the foodgrains market were open. However, a meeting of the district unit of the Haryana Beopar Mandal adopted a resolution condemning the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and said that the implementation of VAT was unjust and unwarranted as it would cause harassment to the traders and the shopkeepers. The meeting also lashed out at the Indian National Lok Dal government, headed by Mr Om Prakash Chautala, which had imposed the VAT last year. |
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Four of family, 4 others killed in accidents
Jagadhri, February 21 The driver of the truck, which hit the car, also died in the accident. As per information available, a local trader, Sudhir Garg, along with five members of his family, had gone to Hardwar to immerse the ashes of his father in the Ganga. The accident took place while they were returning home in a Tata Indica car. Those killed in the accident are wife of Sudhir, Dinesh Garg, his mother Saroj Devi, uncle Brajesh Kumar and aunt Vijay Gupta. Mr Garg sustained serious injuries. The drivers of the car and truck, Ravinder Singh and Mahinder also died. In the first accident, constables Narinder and Suresh, both posted at Ladwa police station, were going on a motor cycle when the accident took place. Both the cops reportedly died on the spot. Narinder was a resident of Jaghuri village, while Suresh was a resident of Lohana village. |
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‘Social boycott’ of family ends
Bhiwani, February 21 The Chaugama panchayat had given its verdict of ‘social boycott’ of the family of Mr Chander Bhan after a meeting on February 6, which had to be continued till the eviction of Veerpal, who was married to a girl of the Sheoran gautra on December 14. The panchayat, which ended social boycott, was attended by the members of Nangla, Jeetpura, Umarawas and Hadodi. The Hadodi panchayat had warned Mr Chander Bhan not to solemnise the marriage. Later, the panchayat ordered the social boycott of the family for violating its verdict and asked the family to leave the village. However, the Bhan family’s decision to continue with the new relationship did not materialise and the panchayat ordered Veerpal and his wife to leave the village within a month. It also ordered them to be disinherited. Mr Chander Bhan produced relevant legal papers as the proof of eviction of his son before the panchayat on Sunday. It was finally decided that a panchayat would be held if Veerpal did not leave the village within two months. Hundreds of villagers attended yesterday’s panchayat.
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Alarming fall in sex ratio causes concern
Rewari, February 21 As regards female literacy, he said that it was below 70 per cent in 387 out of 397 villages in sharp contrast to male literacy, which existed at this level in 11 out of 397 villages. He opined that specific measures were required to be initiated urgently to raise the level of female literacy, which could be instrumental in holistic uplift of population in the district. Simultaneously, sounding a word of caution regarding the frightful level of population density in the district, Mr Gulati made it known that it was 4,322 per sq km in urban areas and 423 per sq km in rural areas of the district. Describing it as something horrible in sharp contrast to international norms, he reiterated his suggestion of generating public awareness in this regard. Mentioning the national campaign for registration of births and deaths, Mr Gulati said that as many as 213,858 birth certificates had been distributed free of cost to children below 10 years in Rewari district during 2004. He said that the registration of births as well as the procurement and safe custody of birth certificates by the family was of great importance as it was an essential requirement for admission of children to schools; making a ration card, a passport, immigration, property inheritance and service particulars verification etc. The level of birth registration, which was presently low, should be improved with activated public participation. |
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Embezzlement of union funds alleged
Ambala, February 21 The NRMU office-bearers demanded that the union election should be held through secret ballot. “Also, sufficient time should be given for the poll schedule,” they said. Mr Nawazish Raza said we suspect that a second-hand luxury car has been brought through union funds. “The luxury car has been brought through cash payment. We fail to understand why Mr Bajwa is not willing to show the union accounts,” he asked. He alleged that Mr Bajwa had worked for an Independent candidate of Ambala Cantonment during the Assembly election. He said that a complaint in this regard has already been forwarded to the Election Commission. However, Mr CS Bajwa, divisional secretary NRMU, termed the allegations as baseless. “The balance sheets of the union are regularly passed through the Divisional Council meetings. The House comprise bonafide members of the Union. As a matter of fact, one of the persons who is demanding auditing of accounts had himself appended his signatures to balance sheets during his term as cashier,” he said. Mr Bajwa said that with regard to the luxury car, a decision to buy the vehicle was taken at a AGM Northern meeting. “The money was collected and proper balance sheet was maintained. The car is not in my name. The car is registered in the name of Northern Railway Men’s Union,” he said. He stated that secret ballot is required if more than 75 per cent of the members demand for it. “As the elections have been held show of hand,” he said. |
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BJP
will assume power in 2010, says Sangwan
Panipat, February 21 Speaking on the occasion, former Union Minister I.D. Swami criticised the Manmohan Singh-led UPA government for including “tainted” leaders in the Union Cabinet. |
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