Chandigarh, February 28
The Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in April-May are the next stop on the roadmap of disgruntled Congress politicians of Haryana.

While the Congress party’s defeat in Punjab and Uttarakhand has prompted Kuldeep Bishnoi, Congress MP from Bhiwani and son of disgruntled Congress leader Bhajan Lal, fire a fresh salvo against the party’s top leadership, Bhajan Lal himself has not spoken out against the party leadership as yet. 
“ I will talk when the time is ripe”, Bhajan Lal said today when asked to comment on the affairs on the party front in the wake of the election results announced yesterday.

Mangeram Gupta, Bhajan Lal loyalist MLA from Jind, responded similarly and said he would not like to articulate his ideas in the press about the party’s defeat in Punjab and Uttarakhand. Dharampal Singh Malik, another Bhajan Lal loyalist MLA, was a little more forthright, but he also confined his analyses of the Punjab setback to the mistakes allegedly committed by the state government. The free run given to ruffians, according to Malik, was one of the reasons for the party’s exit from power in Punjab. He would not say anything about his group’s future plans in Haryana.

It is, however, understood that the Bhajan Lal camp is counting on a Congress debacle in the Uttar Pradesh elections to bare their claws. For the past two years, that is, ever since Congress chief Sonia Gandhi, ignoring the claim of Bhajan Lal to the post, chose Bhupinder Singh Hooda as Chief Minister of Haryana, the disgruntled Congress leader has been talking about holding a rally in Hooda’s home district Rohtak.

Periodically announcements had also been made about the timing of the rally though the programme did not materialise.

The last announcement from the Bhajan camp in this regard was that the rally would be held in June. It is believed that in case the UP election results, slated to be declared on May 11, go the way expected by the Bhajan camp, the rally may indeed be organised in June and set the stage for fresh political developments in the state.

The problem with the plan is that it will have to be shelved if the UP elections results turn out favourably for the Congress. Then the Bhajan camp will have to wait for the next available opportunity. The opportunity could be provided by the Himachal Pradesh Assembly elections to be held in the first quarter of 2008 or some other fresh development in the political arena.

It will be problematic for Bhajan Lal, and irritating for his supporters, to postpone the challenge for too long. But timing is what the success of a political strategy hinges on and the Bhajan camp simply cannot help but wait for the golden moment to launch its offensive.

Asked whether they were contemplating launching a political party, Malik avoided giving a straightforward answer. He, however, dropped hints that it was certainly a possibility. “We are being systematically sidelined in the party and in the government in Haryana”, he said.

Bhiwani, February 28
The opposition deserves no attention, reaction and “moreover, I have no time for such expressions”, this was stated by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at a press conference after attending a function held at the Jain temple in Ranila village here today.

The Chief Minister said the tremendous success of the “Navyug rally” had proved that the people of the state had approved the policies of the Congress. “People are satisfied with the policies which have shown positive results during the two-year rule of the state government,” observed Hooda. He said the per capita income of Haryana was the highest as compared to other big states.

Answering a question, Hooda said in Punjab, the Congress vote had not been reduced. He ignored to comment on a question about Bhajan Lal. Hooda said that Ranila village had been declared as model village.

While addressing lawyers at a function organised by the bar association after inaugurating the renovated auditorium of the district bar association here, the Chief Minister called upon the lawyers to charge minimum fee from the poor people so that they could get justice.

While referring to a demand, put forwarded by bar president Rishipal Parmar, the Chief Minister directed the Deputy Commissioner to examine the feasibility about the allotment of the malkhana land to the bar association.

Karnal, February 28
Union Minister Selja has justified the role played by the deras in supporting any party or candidate during the elections. She said there was nothing objectionable if the Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda had extended its full support to the Congress candidates during the recent Punjab assembly poll.

Talking to reporters here this evening, the minister of state for poverty alleviation said that the “dera” in question was not mere a religious body but had earned a name as a social organisation.

She said that support by any dera or individual during the elections should not be seen as an objectionable step.

On the recent assembly poll debacles of the Congress in Punjab and Uttarakhand, she ruled out that anti-incumbency factor had played any major role. She said that the Congress governments in the two states had done excellent work. She, however, added that factionalism in the Congress in Uttarakhand had surely caused damage to the party scenario.

The minister categorically advocated that working Congress president Ram Prakash should be elevated to the post of state chief of the party.

She said that Ram Prakash was efficiently working and surely deserved a promotion. She said that the massive turnout at the recent rally held at Sirsa had proved that there was no factionalism in the Haryana Congress.

She said that her ministry had set a target of providing Rs 50,000 crore in the next seven years under the integrated housing and slum development scheme.

Yamunanagar, February 28
Just 36-hour before the first vote for the elections to the Municipal Committee of Sadhaura here could be cast the government abolished the MC this evening and decided to revert it to the old system of village panchayat. Notification for the panchayat will be issued later. Four persons have already been elected and elections to the remaining nine wards were to be held on March 8.

The government took the decision this evening and it was communicated to the state election commission, informed a highly placed source in the urban local body department. In the late hours Election Commissioner Chander Singh announced the cancellation of the elections of the MC under Section 3 (A) of Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 and Rule 19 (2) of the Haryana Municipal Election Rules, 1978.

Most of the residents had opposed the setting up of the MC in the area notification for which was issued last April. The government had also announced the setting up of MC in the Radaur area of the district. But the government bowed after the agitation launched against the decision and it had cancelled its notification and set up a panchayat on September 22, 2005.

There were Municipal Committees in Sadhaura, Radaur and Chhachhrouli areas of the district before 1999. The then Chautala government had revoked the system and set up panchayat system as the MCs had failed to generate enough funds to run businesses. Elections to the Panchayat were held in 2001.

But again on April 1, 2006 the Hooda government issued notification for the setting up of MCs in the all three areas.

The decision of the government has come as shot in the arm for the Panchayat Sangharsh Samiti, which had been fighting against the setting up of the MC in the area.

The locals had met senior officials of the government last week against the MC elections. Union Minister Kumari Shelja had also taken up the matter with the Chief Minister.

But at the same time it has caused resentment among 26 candidates who were in fray. They had spent lot of money on campaigning and newspaper advertisements. The government too had spent several lakhs for the election process.

During the first two days of the filing of nominations for the elections no candidate had come forward to contest the elections. During the election campaign in the area it was observed that even the candidates were heard talking about panchayat.

Yamunanagar, February 28
The state unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party has decided to launch a “jail bharo andolan” to highlight the rising prices in Haryana. The party took the decision on the second and concluding day of its state executive meeting here today.

The “jail bharo andolan” would be held at the district level, said BJP state president Atam Parkash Manchanda while addressing a press conference here. He said the BJP was emerging as a strong force in the state and would form its own government after the next assembly elections.

Manchanda and 119 other office-bearers of the party had gathered to deliberate on the various steps to be taken by the party to broaden and strengthen its base in the state.

The state president of the party said the BJP would launch its stir against the rising prices from 28 centres in the state and its cadre would court arrests. According to him the Bhoopinder Singh Hooda government had turned into a government of property dealers. He accused the government of spending Rs 50 crore on the Navyug rally at Sirsa.

Party spokesman Ram Bilas Sharma accused the Congress government of befooling the people on the issue of the SYL. He said that during NDA rule a way was paved for bringing water to the state through the SYL. However, the Hooda government had not done anything for bringing the water in the state. He alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi was anti-Haryana and that was why she did not utter a word on the SYL issue.

In the political resolution adopted today, the BJP accused the Congress government of failing on all fronts as the crime graph was shooting up and the government was engaged in an appeasement policy.

The party had yesterday demanded a White Paper on the claims made by the government at the recent rally.

The party also decided to take to the streets these issues and tell the people about the anti-people policies of the government. BJP leaders said the election results in Punjab and Uttarakhand had given a boost to the party in the state.

The issues on which the party had decided to launch a stir were terrorism, poverty, unemployment, SYL, SEZ and losses to crops due to natural calamities.

Panipat, February 28
The Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam (UHBVN) restored power supply to 15 tubewells of the Public Health Department late last night after the intervention of the Deputy Commissioner. The nigam authorities had stopped power to these tubewells after the Public Health Department failed to deposit electricity bill of Rs 2.66 crore, yesterday morning.

However, the Public Health authorities has deposited Rs 67 lakh against the electricity bill today. Executive Engineer Ashish Khanna said that they had paid the entire amount against the bill to the nigam.

Superintending Engineer of the UHBVN D.S. Dahiya said after the intervention of the Deputy Commissioner and assurance by the Public Health authorities that entire Rs 2.66 crore would be paid by tomorrow morning, they decided to restore electric supply due to difficulty faced by public. Still, we have received the cheque of Rs 40 lakh only, said Mr Dahiya. “We would wait for next two days for the remaining amount and if they failed to deposit the arrears they would not hesitate in taking similar action again”, added the SE.

After the nigam action, residents in Panipat were without water yesterday and political leaders also raised the issue with the district authorities. Local BJP leaders led by Niti Sen Bhatia and councillor Harish Sharma held a meeting last evening and threatened to gharao the DC’s office if water supply was not restored by today morning.

In the evening, residents of the town gathered at Tehsil complex to protest against non-supply of water. “We pay the bills at time and thus why should we suffer for the of officials”, said Mr Sita Ram Sethi, a resident of the locality. Anther resident, Krishan Lal Kalra said they had stored water for today but if the water supply was restored by tomorrow morning, most of the families would not have water for cooking.

On the other hand, Mr Ashish Khanna, Executive Engineer Public Health alleged the nigam authorities disconnected the power connection to the tubewells without giving a warning. Denying that the Public Health owed Rs 2.66 crore to the nigam, Mr Khanna said they had deposited Rs 20 lakh against the power supply bills yesterday and all outstanding amount of Rs 67 lakh had been cleared today.

Kurukshetra, February 28
four senior scientists and three young scientists were given Goyal prizes 2005 for outstanding work in research in the university Senate Hall here yesterday.

The Governor of Haryana and Chancellor, Kurukshetra University, Dr A.R. Kidwai, was the chief guest on the occasion and Mr Ram S. Goyal, founder of Goyal Prize was the guest of honour.

Those selected for the prize of Rs 1 lakh, a medal and a citation included Prof L.M. Patnaik, Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore, for Applied Sciences, Prof G.R. Desiraju, University of Hyderabad for Chemistry; Prof M. Vijayan, Indian Institute of Science, Banglaore for Life Sciences, Prof M. Lakshmanan, Bharathidasan University, Tiruchirapalli for Physics. Rajiv Goyal Prizes for Young Scientists were given to three scientists — Dr S. Chandrasekhar, Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Hyderabad for Chemistry, Dr Soniya Nityanand, SGPGI, Lucknow for Life Sciences and Dr V.P.S. Awana, National Physical Laboratory, New Delhi for physics. Rajiv Goyal prize carries an award of Rs 50,000, a medal and a citation.

Dr Kidwai, earlier unveiled a life-size statute of Rashtrapita Mahatma Gandhi at the university auditorium.

Dr Kidwai highlighted progress made by India in the fields of science, technology, engineering, information technology and computers.

Mr Ram S. Goyal, an NRI in the USA, who had instituted the Goyal Prizes in 1992, said his dream of promoting science and scientific temper in the country had become a reality and in this Kurukshetra University’s role was highly commendable. He assured the university that he would do all he could for the welfare of scientists.

Vice-Chancellor of the university, Prof R.P. Hooda, announced to institute two golden jubilee scientists award of Rs 20,000 each to be given to scientists from amongst the universities and science institutes of Haryana in physical and life sciences.