Hisar, April 19
Dissidence in the Haryana Congress is fast becoming a serious concern for the party in the ensuing Lok Sabha polls. It has already hit campaigns of party nominees in several constituencies much to the delight of the non-Congress parties’ candidates.

For instance, in Hisar, Finance Minister Birender Singh was conspicuous by his absence from the rally addressed by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda on the day party nominee and sitting MP Jai Parkash filed his nomination papers. Congress MLA from the Ghirai assembly segment of this district Chhattarpal Singh was also absent. None of the two leaders have been campaigning for the party in the constituency.

Birender Singh’s assembly constituency, Uchana, which falls in Jind district is part of the Hisar Lok Sabha seat. Birender Singh has also represented Hisar Lok Sabha seat in the past. Thus his influence is crucial for the party especially as Hisar is one of the most hotly contested seats in Haryana.

The Congress candidate faces former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal contesting under the Haryana Janhit Congress banner and former Finance Minister Sampat Singh of the Indian National Lok Dal and who is the NDA nominee.

Birender Singh was denied party nomination from the Sonepat Lok Sabha seat. Since then he has been miffed and has refrained from campaigning so far in Hisar. However, he was present at the rally organised by party nominee from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha constituency Shruti Chaudhary at Bhiwani before she filed her nomination. Even there Birender Singh had several digs at Hooda indirectly. Incidentally, Hooda was reportedly not in favour of the party putting up Chaudhary.

Chhattarpal Singh and Jai Parkash though being in the same party have never been known to see eye to eye on any issue. Both have never lost an opportunity to politically damage each other.

In another queer development, close associates of two influential Congress leaders related by blood were seen canvassing for HJC nominee Bhajan Lal in the presence of Kuldeep Bishnoi during his tours in the area. Needless to say, this does not augur well for the party’s poll prospects.

The indifference of another minister, A. C. Chaudhary, who reportedly sent in his resignation to Congress president Sonia Gandhi recently over party’s failure to field a Punjabi from any Lok Sabha seat is also a cause of worry for party nominee for the Faridabad seat where he commands great influence in his community.

While on the one hand, the Chief Minister has been welcoming important leaders of other parties to the Congress fold to strengthen the party position, on the other hand the dissidence in Congress ranks continues unabated. 

Gurgaon, April 19
On the recommendation of District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Deepti Umashankar, the district police has lodged an FIR for the violation of the model code of conduct.

According to official sources, FIR No. 115 has been lodged under Section 125 of the Representatives of Public Act No. 43, 1951, for the violation of the model code of conduct and under Section 153A of the IPC for writing provocative slogans.

Asserting that zero tolerance would be observed for hate speeches and provocative slogans, the DC warned that anybody found involved in these acts would not be spared.

The matter about hatred-generating and provocative slogans written along the Sohna-Gurgaon road and dividing road of Sectors 4 and 7 was brought to the notice of Umashankar by Gurgaon (North) SDM Shakti Singh and Gurgaon (South) SDM K.K. Gupta.

After receiving the report from these officers, the Deputy Commissioner wrote to Gurgaon Police Commissioner S.S. Deswal for initiating action against the violators. She pointed out that slogans found painted on walls at various places within Gurgaon parliamentary constituency could stir up communal feelings.

“Such slogans were likely to adversely effect the prevailing social and communal harmony in the district and amounted to violation of the model code of conduct as well,” Umashankar maintained.

Meanwhile, the police has registered the FIR and was investigating the possible role of house owners on whose walls these slogans were painted.

Gurgaon, April 19
The without permit-vehicles being used in election campaigning will be impounded till the completion of the election process and a criminal case will registered against the owner of the vehicles.

These orders have been issued by District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner Deepti Umashankar. She said as per the guidelines of the Election Commission (EC), a permit from the assistant returning officer (ARO) concerned is needed to be taken before deploying the vehicle for the election campaigning.

The original permit should be pasted on the inner side of wind screen of the vehicle. A separate permission is required to be taken from the SDM concerned if a loudspeaker is mounted on the vehicle.

Umashankar said the contesting candidates should give details of all vehicles that they were using in the election campaigning to the District Election Office and ARO concerned.

While giving details, it should be clearly mentioned that in which areas and tehsils the vehicles would operate. Due permission should be obtained from the ARO concerned before the deployment of vehicles.

The DC warned that any vehicle that has not been registered for the campaigning with the district administration was found engaged in the poll campaign would attract penal provisions of chapter-9A of the IPC.

Such vehicles would be immediately impounded and criminal action against the owner of vehicle, the occupants and the candidate could also be taken as per law. The vehicles bearing banners, flags, loudspeakers and other such publicity material would be considered engaged in the campaign.

She said the district police had been asked to launch a drive for checking of vehicles used in the campaigning.

Sonepat, April 19
Keeping in view the general election, the Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti of the state unit of the All-India Jat Mahasabha has taken a decision to postpone its agitation regarding demand for reservation for Jats in state and Central government services for the time being.

In a press statement issued here today, national spokesman for the sabha and state convener of the Jat Arakshan Sangharsh Samiti Tara Chand Mor said the Jats would participate in the Lok Sabha elections vigorously because they were the strong supporters of the democracy.

He said only those candidates, who supported the demand of the reservation for the Jats, would be considered for support and for this a meeting of the Central Executive Committee of the mahasabha would take place soon.

Bhiwani, April 19
As many as 21 persons, including political parties, have been served with notices for violation of the Defacement of Property Act 1989.

These notices have been issued on finding political messages, hoardings, posters and wall paintings on public properties on the basis of a survey and inspection conducted by tehsildar and executive officer, municipal council in the city.

The persons concerned and political parties have been asked to submit their replies within a week from the date of issue of the notices.

District Election Officer and Deputy Commissioner Vikas Gupta said legal action would be taken as per law if notices were not replied in time. It is mentionable that a fine of Rs 10 thousand or six months imprisonment or both could be awarded on violation of this Act.

Gupta has urged all political parties, office-bearers and workers, candidates and public at large to ensure compliance of the model code of conduct and Defacement of Property Act 1989.

Chandigarh, April 19
The Haryana Congress today lashed at INLD president and former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala for accusing the party’s Sirsa candidate, Ashok Tanwar, who is also the national president of the Indian Youth Congress, of having a criminal past.

In a statement issued here today, general secretary of the media cell of the Haryana Congress Lakhwinder Singh Lakha said it was strange that Chautala was accusing someone of having a criminal past. He said it was no secret that the cases against Tanwar were of political nature and were registered when he was leading Youth Congress workers to highlight people’s problems.

Lakha said before accusing Tanwar of having a criminal past, Chautala should have told the people that he and his elder son, Ajay Singh, who was contesting the Bhiwani Lok Sabha seat, had been charge-sheeted by the premier investigating agency of the country, the CBI, in a case in which the Supreme Court had asked the agency to investigate. He said the father and the son were being tried in a Delhi court and were currently on bail.

The Congress leader said the entire Haryana was aware which politician and political family had a criminal past or had links with known criminals of not only the state but also of the other states. He said the people had not yet forgotten the infamous “mayhem in Meham” when democracy was virtually raped for fulfilling personal ambitions of certain leaders of the then Janata Dal, which had now been converted into the Indian National Lok Dal.

Karnal, April 19
Kalpana Singh Suryavanshi, a Maharashtrian who had alleged that her family had received a threat to leave Karnal or face elimination in the wake of attacks on non-Maharashtrians in Maharashtra in November last year, has entered the fray from the Karnal Lok Sabha seat.

She filed her nomination papers as candidate of the Republican Party of India, while her husband Vijay Singh Suryavanshi filed his papers as her covering candidate.

Kalpana, whose family migrated from Jalgaon in Maharashtra to Karnal about two decades ago, claimed that she would get support of all communities as people were unhappy with the government and other major political parties.

She said minorities, especially the 500 Maharashtrian families living in Karnal, would feel more secure if she won the election.

Kalpana, who was also state general secretary of the women’s wing of Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC), quit the party when she did not get the desired support from party leaders when her family received threats.

She was little known till her husband raised the issue of threat to the family. Later, he had informed the police in writing that he was satisfied with the security provided by it and his family was feeling safe and secure. 

Chandigarh, April 19
One of the most keenly-watched contest in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections will be in the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh constituency. For, legacies of two famous “Lals” of Haryana’s famous trio of the “Lals” are in the fray and one of them, if not both, is bound to suffer a setback. The legacy of the third Lal has opted out of Bhiwani.

In a way, 2009 will be a repeat of 2004, when the legacies of all three “Lals” - Devi Lal, Bansi Lal and Bhajan Lal, faced each other. Kuldeep Bishnoi, “lal” of Bhajan Lal, trounced upon the rivals of his father when he defeated Surender Singh, son of Bansi Lal, and Ajay Singh Chautala, grandson of Devi Lal, at that time. This time, Bishnoi has opted out of the election because the stronghold of his father, Adampur, has been included in the Hisar constituency after the delimitation.

However, Shruti, daughter of the late Surender Singh, is striving to keep the legacy of Bansi Lal, whose name is synonymous with Bhiwani, alive. She is facing Ajay Chautala of the INLD and Rao Narender of the HJC, among others.

The delay in her nomination because of the reported stand-off between her mother, Kiran Choudhry, minister of state for tourism, and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has helped the cause of Shruti. People of Bhiwani now see a hope in Kiran to bring back the old glory, the district enjoyed when her father-in-law’s wish used to be the command in the state. They feel if she can bring the Congress ticket in the face of the stiff opposition, she can certainly stand for them. In a way, for the people of Bhiwani it has become an issue of their “asmita (prestige)”. Though certain other members of the Bansi Lal are also in politics, somehow Kiran and her daughter have emerged as the real inheritor of Bansi Lal’s political legacy.

In no way it can be suggested that Shruti can have a cakewalk over Ajay Chautala, who served the constituency for five years from 1999. Though Bhiwani is not his home district, yet he ensured that a large number of the youth of the district got government jobs when his father was the Chief Minister of the state.

During this period, he dug his roots in the constituency and continued to nurse it even after his defeat in 2004. He is also perceived as a gentleman, who would not easily annoy anyone, a quality which he has perhaps inherited from his grandfather.

One common problem both Shruti and Ajay would face is the inclusion of a large area of what is known as the Ahir belt of the state. The HJC has very shrewdly put up Rao Narender, an Ahir, to bank upon this belt.

New Delhi, April 19
After bagging a role in a Bollywood flick, Fiza, the estranged wife of former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan alias Chand Mohammad, is all set to write a book on her tumultuous relationship, and says she may join politics having been approached by some parties.

“I have decided to write a book on the way my life has moved so far,” said the 37-year-old former assistant advocate general of Haryana, who shot into spotlight in November after secretly tying the knot with Chand, former Haryana chief minister Bhajan Lal’s son who had three kids from his first marriage.

But Chand walked out on her in January and later declared that he had divorced her.

Fiza, whose name was Anuradha Bali before she converted to Islam to marry Chand, said she would highlight the “suffering and exploitation” that she had undergone after her marriage to him in the book. “I would like to ensure that nobody in future is exploited at the hands of powerful and corrupt politicians, who have no respect for personal relationships,” she said.

Fiza has accepted a lawyer’s role in director Kamal Khan’s new film “Deshdrohi II” based on the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. — PTI

Rohtak, April 19
The police seems to be in no mood to ignore any incident of crime involving a cop after the infamous “Sarita suicide” case. It registered a case against a constable of the Haryana Police after a complaint has been lodged in the office of the DGP at Chandigarh by a young woman. While both complainant and accused have been untraceable so far, it is alleged that the rape took place about two weeks back in Rohtak district.

The case was registered after a communication from the office of the DGP regarding the complaint lodged by a woman claiming to be a student of the Law Department of the Maharshi Dayanand University here, but hailing from Faridabad town.

The accused has been identified as Sunil Kumar posted in Gurgaon district at present. It is alleged in the complaint, which, was faxed to the office of the DGP, that the cop was travelling with her in a bus while she had been on her way to Rohtak on April 3 in a bus. After she got alighted at the bus stand at Rohtak, the cop forced her to accompany in a vehicle and raped her at an unidentified place before she was let to go.

It is charged that she was threatened with dire consequences if the matter was reported to the police. The cell phone number provided by the victim to the police is reported to the correct but had been switched off since then, said the police sources.

A team of police has been sent to trace the accused and nab him. However, it is reported that the residential address provided by the victim has been wrong and the police was still trying to trace her and record her statement regarding the allegations. It is also claimed that the police has failed to find any student in the Law Department of the MD University under whose name the complaint has been lodged.

Though no arrest has been made so far and the complainant still out of touch with the district police, a case was booked by the police after a communication was received from the office of the DGP. The matter was being looked into at priority basis to ascertain the truth, said a police official.

Kaithal, April 19
A woman in Pai village of this district has alleged that she has been sold by a couple of the village four times. The relatives allegedly took money from four different persons and handed her over to them.

The victim is now worried about the fate of her two daughters Suman and Pinky aged 11 and 8 years, respectively. The matter had been brought to the notice of the police by the woman and village sarpanch, and the SP, Sultan Singh, had constituted a team to inquire into the mater.

According to information, the victim Sunita who hails from Chandoli in Garhwal region received no support from relatives after the death of her husband. Fed up with her life, she decided to commit suicide but she changed her mind when she came in contact with a truck driver, Mannu, who promised to get her remarried and brought her to Pai about a year ago.

Mannu left her with his relatives Sumitra and Bharthu in the village. After a few days, Sunita was allegedly sold to Rajesh of Kheri for Rs 40,000 and he was told that the woman was a virgin. However, when Rajesh came to know that the woman was already married and had two daughters, he deserted her. Following this, she returned to Pai village.

After a few days, she was allegedly again sold to one Zile Singh of Chausala for Rs 60,000 but when he too came to know of her married life he did not accept her. Sumitra and Bharthu, the couple which “extended support to her” again handed her over to a man belonging to Bithmara village for Rs 50,000 who also deserted her after 40 days.

This was not the end of Sunita’s ordeal and she again had to bow before the wishes of Sumitra and Bharthu when she was handed over to Subhash of Badi-Sudkain village. Subhash promised to pay Rs 40,000 to the couple and gave an advance of Rs 9,000. But Sunita told her past life to Subhash and asked him not to pay any more money to the couple.

Narrating her story to mediapersons yesterday, she said was seven months pregnant and Sumitra and Bhartu had deprived her of the few gold articles that had been given to her by Subhash’s mother. She wanted to live with Subhash but apprehending that the “greedy couple” would again play some game and disturb her life, she contacted village sarpanch Krishan who reported the matter to the Pundri police station. The victim alleged that the couple were not telling her about her elder daughter. At the same time she was worried about the future of her younger daughter who lived with couple .

According to latest reports, the Pundri police reached Pai but the couple after locking their house had left the village. When the SP was contacted today, he said the matter was under investigation.

Kaithal, April 19
The prosecution had decided to file an appeal in the Punjab and Haryana High court against the acquittal of 32 members of a gang by the court of ADJ, Kaithal, AK Shori here last month in Narinder Arora, a ply wood dealer, murder case.

The court had sentenced Vicky of Narwana to life imprisonment and fined him Rs 10,000 after holding him guilty, while the remaining accused were acquitted.

SP Sultan Singh said here today the District Magistrate had written to the Haryana Advocate General for filing an appeal in the high court and a team headed by legal adviser had been specially constituted for this purpose.

Narinder Arora was shot dead outside his shop on March March 17, 2006 for his failure to pay protection money of Rs 50 lakh to the gangsters. Some members of this gang, who had fled to south Africa, were brought to India through extradition by the Haryana Police.