Chandigarh, December 10
Star campaigns in the state are now at the mercy of weather Gods. With the upper reaches of the state already wearing a blanket of snow, poll managers for both the Congress and the BJP are keeping their fingers crossed in the wake of their biggest election rallies tomorrow.

While the BJP is hoping to charm the voters in Sirmaur, where national president Rajnath Singh is scheduled to address a rally at Shillai tomorrow, the Congress has got AICC president Sonia Gandhi to meet the voters at Kangra and Mandi.

But the biggest shows of arch political rivals may well be clouded by weather, considering the forecast of moderate to heavy rain and snow at many places. Heavy rains are likely to affect landing prospects of VVIPs, who will travel by air from Delhi.

BJP’s Rajnath Singh is expected to arrive by air from Delhi to Shimla, from where he will move to Shillai via Chaupal in a chopper. At Chaupal, weather may remain inclement if it continues to snow in the upper reaches. Sonia Gandhi is likely to change her chopper at Chandigarh from where she will move to Kangra to address the rally at Raja ke Tal. Her second rally is scheduled at Mandi.

But VVIP flights may face disruption due to forecast of rain and thunder squall with wind speed exceeding 45 kmph at isolated places across the state. Visibility at airports in Delhi and other places in the northwestern zone is not good either. Even today, dense fog enveloped Halwara, Ambala, Sarsawa, Suratgarh and Bhatinda, reducing visibility considerably. At Chandigarh, however, flights landed and departed with minor delays.

MANDI: The stage has been set for the two big election rallies in Mandi and Sundernagar.

UPA chairperson and Congress president Sonia Gandhi will address her first public meeting at Rahan in Nurpur and then second public meeting tomorrow here. BSP chief and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati, who has already addressed rallies in Baddi and Shimla will also address her first election meeting in Sundernagar in the district tomorrow.

The Congress is working hard to undo the impact of the BJP’s yuva Garjna rally held here on November 18, while Mayawati’s public meeting has been targeted to woo the Dalits and other voters in Sundernagar, Nachen, Balh and Karsog as Sundernagar is the meeting point of these three segments, the parties inputs revealed.

But the overcast sky and snowfall in the higher reaches today have upset the schedule of many political parties, giving speculations here that bad weather may upset their schedule tomorrow, said the Congress leaders. 

Shimla, December 10
Terming the Congress and the BJP as the two sides of the same coin CPM general secretary Prakash Karat said today that his party had been forced to play the role of an opposition party despite being an ally of the ruling set-up to safeguard the vital interests of the country and the people at large.

Addressing an election meeting in support of CPM candidate from Shimla Sanjay Chauhan he said his party had taken an independent stand on several issues to stop the UPA regime from taking decisions that would not only hurt the vital economic interests of the country but also compromise its sovereignty by making it toe the American line. The BJP was also a votary of the American policies and its opposition to certain issues like the nuclear deal was facile.

The country was already facing a plethora of problems due to unbridled privatisation, economic liberalisation and other capitalist policies as evident from the increasing suicides of farmers, resentment among small retailers and growing unemployment. The lot of the people would have been worse if the CPM had not stopped the UPA from allowing foreign equity in banks and other financial institutions, retail sector and opening floodgates for foreign universities. It also did not allow the government to increase foreign equity in the insurance sector. As long as the party was supporting the UPA government it would not allow the opening up of these sectors at any cost.

The party would not allow the Bill to regulate private universities and allow the entry of foreign institutions to be cleared as it would increase the cost of higher education manifold. The private institutions were already charging hefty amounts as the fees and other charges had gone up significantly over the past few years.

Shimla, December 10
Asserting that re-integration with the global nuclear mainstream was essential if India had to emerge as a political and economic power in the 21st century, minister of state for external affairs Anand Sharma today called upon various parties not to make it a partisan political agenda and help evolve a consensus on the issue on which the future of the country was hinged.

Sharma, who is in the state to campaign for the Congress in the assembly poll said the country’s supreme interest would be served by “operationalising” the 123 agreement with the US and if the opportunity was missed it would lag behind in the race of development and economic prosperity.

He said one must not forget that the use of nuclear technology was not just confined to making weapons. There was a whole lot of commercial applications from which India only stood to gain. Nuclear technology was being increasingly used in he field of medicine, agriculture and other areas and the country could ill-afford to be left behind. But to access the technology, the country would have to end the “nuclear apartheid” to which it had been subjected after the Pokaran explosion.

The country’s energy needs were set to increase five times over the next decade at the current growth rate and it could be met only by going for nuclear power in a big way. Further, the dependence on fossil fuels had to be reduced as it was having a debilitating effect on the environment and the prices of crude oil were skyrocketing, he said.

He said in countries like France 78 per cent of energy needs were met from nuclear power and in other advanced countries too its share was on the higher side. India could easily generate about 50,000 MW from this sector. India had done remarkably well in developing the indigenous nuclear technology during restrictive regime when technology was being denied to the country.

He further added, to reach the third stage of advancement where it could utilise the vast reserves of thorium for power generation it had no option but to become a part of the global nuclear community.

He said talks were on within the UPA and allies to thrash out the issues. Most of the concerns of the left parties had been addressed and he was hopeful that the government would be able to move ahead towards the operationalisation of
the accord.

Shimla, December 10
Scoffing at the BJP’s promise to provide a clean and corruption-free government minister of state for foreign affairs Anand Sharma said today that it did not behove a party whose senior leaders had been caught on camera taking bribes to wear the honesty cap on the eve of elections.

Addressing a press conference here today he said people of the hill state could not be misled by such promises as they had seen the most tainted government during five-years of Dhumal rule which was dubbed as corrupt even by BJP ministers. Not only that even seniormost BJP leader Shanta Kumar had also conceded that the image of the BJP government was not good. One of the MPs involved in the “cash-for-questions” scam belonged to Himachal Pradesh.

The BJP was also taking about the “trend of change” conveniently forgetting that people would certainly not like to bring back a corrupt and inefficient regime which failed to deliver while in power. The BJP was now making all sorts of promises but what stopped the party from implementing these schemes from 1998 to 2003 when it was in office both at the Centre and in the state.

The Centre sanctioned a central university and an IIT to the state, which would make top quality education accessible to the hill students. The most important project was the Bhanupali-Bilaspur rail track for which the Centre had made a commitment of Rs 2,200 crore.

Hamirpur, December 10
Union minister for steel, chemical and fertilizers and president of LJP Ram Vilas Paswan today castigated both the BJP and the Congress for their economic policies.

Addressing an election meeting here he said “The rich have become rich and poor are getting poorer during the regimes of the Congress and the BJP governments in the country.”

Attacking the BJP he said “ though the BJP had raked up thee Ayodhya temple issue to flare up communal feelings in the country but their government did not do anything about the temple despite Vajpayee being in the government for six years and said “ Jo party Ram ko dhoka de sakati hai woh insan ko kya chhodegi”.

He said “we have come to Himachal to take up the development issue since we sincerely believe in the development and we have planned to open a steel project in Sirmaur which was to begin in November but now would be opened after the election due to the election code of conduct.”

He said “Himachal has got huge deposits of minerals but the state government has failed to tap these but his party would take steps to make their proper use by opening new industries in the state.”

Talking about new drug policy he said “he is trying to provide cheap medicines to poor sections of the society and soon a health insurance providing free medical facilities would be introduced.”

Chamba, December 10
Hitting back at BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Prem Kumar Dhumal for his false propaganda about corruption against the Congress, Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh alleged that Dhumal had accepted pay-offs while allotting about 100 hydroelectric projects during his stint as the Chief Minister.

Addressing an election rally at Sinhuta in support of Kuldip Singh Pathania, Congress candidate from the Bhattiyat assembly constituency today, Virbhadra Singh said three of the BJP MLAs had levelled serious allegations of corruption against Dhumal during the previous BJP regime. The charges of these BJP MLAs were really a testimony of Dhumal’s involvement in corruption, Virbhadra said.

Virbhadra further alleged that S.M. Katwal, former chairman of the Himachal Pradesh Subordinate Selection Services Board (HPSSSB), Hamirpur, had already been named in the job scam.

Highlighting the development milestones set by the Congress government, Virbhadra Singh reiterated that the party had always been ‘optimistic’ about the progress and prosperity of the state. He also detailed the achievements attained in various fields like education, health and poverty alleviation sectors.

Virbhadra had to cancel the election rallies at Banikhet, Salooni and Tissa in Chamba district due to bad weather conditions.

Kotkhai, December 10
Having drawn a blank in the apple belt in the last assembly elections, the BJP is making a determined bit to make inroads into the traditional Congress stronghold of Shimla.

It was the worst-ever performance as the party not only failed to win any seat but its candidates were relegated to the third position in four of the total eight constituencies. In fact, the party managed to secure more than 30 per cent votes only in the Jubbal-Kotkhai and Rohru constituencies. The Congress secured five seats, while the Chopal, Theog and Kusumpti seats were won by Independents, a clear indication of the strong anti-incumbency factor against the BJP which completed five years in office in the state for the first time.

The scenario has undergone a significant change and it is the Congress which now has to contend with the anti-incumbency sentiment. It is not a one-sided affair like the last elections as most of the constituencies are witnessing keen contests. While the Congress is sitting pretty in Rohru and Rampur, the pocket borough of Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, the BJP has its eyes set on Shimla, Jubbal Kotkhai and Chopal. The Congress has granted the ticket to two of the three rebels who won as Independents. Subhash Manglate (Chopal) and Sohan Lal( Kusumpti) are in the fray as official Congress candidates this time.

All seats are witnessing multicornered contests and Rampur (reserved) and Jubbal-Kotkhai are the only seats with a minimum number of three candidates. A new face Nand Lal (Cong) is facing Brij Lal (BJP) and Kewal Ram (BSP) in Rampur. The Congress has denied the ticket to civil supplies minister Singhi Ram which could affect its Dalit vote-bank. However, Rampur has been a part of the erstwhile princely Bushair state where the clout of Virbhadra Singh matters more that anything else.

Jubbal Kotkhai: It is virtually a straight contest between Narinder Bragta, a former BJP minister and Rohit Thakur, a grandson of former Chief Minister Ram Lal , in Jubbal Kotkhai, though Bobby Sawant (BSP) is also in the arena. In the last encounter Rohit humbled Bragta by 6,844 votes. While Bragta is banking on his performance as the horticulture minister when he did a lot for fruit growers, his opponent is banking on the legacy of Ram Lal and the influence of Virbhadra Singh.

Shimla: In Shimla there is a triangular fight involving Congress legislator Harbhajan Singh, former state BJP chief Suresh Bhardwaj and Sanjay Chauhan of the CPM. The five other candidates in the fray, including Ved Prakash (BSP) and Rajesh Sharma (LJP) are not likely to cut much ice with the electorate. In the last poll Harbhajan Singh defeated Sanjay by 2,111 votes while the BJP ended up at the third place.

In the adjoining Kusumpti too there are eight candidates in the field but the main contest is between sitting legislator Sohan Lal (Cong), Tarsem Bharati (BJP) and former minister R.D. Kashyap, who is contesting as an Independent after being denied the BJP ticket.

Kumarsain: Congress heavyweight Vidya Stokes is facing Bhagat Ram Chauhan of the BJP in Kumarsain where a strong Independent candidate, Pramod Sharma, is likely to corner a substantial number of votes. In the last poll Stokes defeated Pramod Sharma by over 4,000 votes while the BJP came a poor third. This time the situation has changed as Bhagat Ram, who belongs to the Sunni area, was likely to secure a major chunk of votes from his area which went to Pramod last time and as such the main fight will be between the BJP and the Congress.

Chopal: In Chopal the presence of a rebel Dhanvir Chauhan is causing worry to Congress candidate Subhash Manglate. To add to his woes Yogendra Chand, who has been denied the ticket, has thrown his weight with BJP candidate Radha Raman Shastri.

Theog: In Theog sitting legislator Rakesh Verma, again contesting as Independent, is locked in a traingualr contest involving Rajinder Singh(Cong) and Daulat Ram Verma (BJP), though the BSP and the LJP are also in the fray. In the last encounter Verma humbled Rajinder Singh by over 3,000 votes while the BJP ended up at the third place.

A positive feature for the Congress is that unlike the last poll Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and his arch rival and power minister Vidya Stokes have mended fences and the party is fighting the elections unitedly. It remains to be seen how far it helps in combating the anti-incumbency factor.

Apart from the electorate the weather god is also keeping the candidates on tenterhooks. The region had early snow which brought cheers to the apple growers but dismay to the political parties and workers who are finding it difficult to carry out campaigning in the extreme cold conditions.

Palampur, December 10
The abundance of flags and posters of the Congress and the BJP seen in the bazaar here leaves no one in any doubt that the election fever has gripped the city. The main contenders for the big fight are the Congress and the BJP.

A diversion, though, came today in the form of India’s spectacular batting exhibition in the Bangalore Test match. In the election office of the Congress, the match took the centre stage.

Rajinder Singh, office in charge, frequently broke his speech midway to watch the re-plays of the riveting cricketing action. Ajay Dogra, party spokesman, was rattling about “achievements” of Brij Behari Lal, sitting MLA, who is seeking re-election from Palampur. A superb shot by Ganguly, and the cricket fan inside Dogra, burst forth, too. “What will Greg Chappell say now? Let’s look him up at Jaipur,” the spokesman said.

While office staff has the opportunity of watching the telecast, the candidates have no such scope. They hit the streets early in the morning and return to their homes late after a hard day’s canvassing.

The BJP is also desperately trying to get Navjot Singh Sidhu, former Indian cricket star and now a party MP from Amritsar, to campaign for their candidate at Palampur and nearby constituencies. This is not the end of the cricket story. Lal reportedly has given cricket kits to some voters.

In neighbouring Baijnath, Sudhir Sharma, 35-year-old Congress MLA seeking re-election from the seat, was campaigning at Phatar when this reporter met him. Sharma enquired about the “score” and gave a big smile on coming to know that India had made 626 runs.

Mandi, December 10
The Mandi police busted an active inter-state gang of vehicle lifters today and arrested three thieves involved in the crime after the police recovered a stolen Sumo vehicle kept at the PGI parking in Chandigarh.

Though the police has yet to recover three vehicles still missing from Ner Chowk Mandi, but the police interrogation of the vehicle thieves revealed that these stolen vehicles had been sold in some city in Rajasthan.

The vehicle lifters have been arrested under Section 379 of the IPC, from Chandigarh and have been identified as Babu Ram and Ram Lal, both from Nalagarh and one Jatinder Kumar from Karnal, Haryana.

The Sumo was stolen from Drang on November 19 and was kept at the PGI parking after that. The gang members confessed that they had also stolen three vehicles - Santro, WagonR, Scorpio - from Ner Chok last month and allegedly sold them in Rajasthan, the police said.

Mandi Sadar SHO Rajesh Sharma said the policemen on patrol suspected a person in Khalliar a couple of days ago and questioned him and he led to tipoff in the case.

Jatinder arrested earlier was remanded in police custody today by the district judge. The two others arrested today will be produced before the judge tomorrow, he added.

Mandi SP M Chandersekhar said three members of the gang were also involved in similar thefts in Bilaspur, Solan and Shimla. We expect to recover three more vehicles from them.

We have informed the state police in Punjab, Chandigarh and Haryana as they are a part of a larger gang operating in the north region, he added.