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Stalwarts escort Anurag to
file nomination papers
Kaul’s statement creates fissures in Kangra Cong
Sushant files nomination from Kangra
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Sukh Ram to stay away from poll campaign
Shandil raps Dhumal
Currency notes’ case takes new turn
United show by Left as Shad files papers
BJP banks on MLAs to dent Cong vote bank
Cong gave bold leadership: MLA
EC issues directive on exit poll
Bridge View to launch digital TV service
Anganwari workers, helpers without salaries
Only 1,321 pensioners identified
Man murdered over illicit relations
1 dead, 2 hurt in mishap
Weather remains warm
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Stalwarts escort Anurag to
file nomination papers
Hamirpur, April 20 While BJP vice-president Shanta Kumar also made sure to reach here despite his hectic schedule. In charge of party affairs for Himachal Satya Pal Jain, Chief Minister PK Dhumal and a number of other leaders were also present on the occasion. Anurag Thakur filed four sets of nomination papers for the Hamirpur constituency before returning officer Abhishek Jain at 11.34 am. Addressing a public meeting, Shanta Kumar spoke on various national issues and made a fervent appeal to the people to vote for the BJP for bringing back the NDA government to power at the Centre. He said, “Bringing back the money deposited in Swiss banks (around Rs 64 lakh crores) by a few Indians will be the first task of the NDA government after coming to power since this huge money can be spent on the development of the poor.” He said, “India is facing a dangerous situation these days. It is surrounded by Pakistan, which is facing the threat of falling into the hands of the Taliban, unfriendly China, Bangladesh, which is a constant threat, and Nepal, which is going through a turbulent phase. Dealing with over 3 crore refugees is another big problem. In such circumstances, only a strong and action-oriented government can save the country.” He also accused the UPA government of failing to check price rise. Chief Minister PK Dhumal criticised the UPA government “for failing to extend industrial package to Himachal, not giving a single penny to the state despite losses of about Rs 2,000 crores due to heavy rain and flash floods, not providing any special package to the state having difficult conditions and for allegedly reducing the rice quota from 1,800 tonnes to 8,000 tonnes”. Meanwhile, Anuarg Thakur said he had raised important issues in Parliament, including the issue of “one rank, one pension” for the Army personnel. He also talked about his other achievements. Satya Pal Jain and BJP president Jai Ram Thakur and other leaders also addressed the rally, which was attended by many ministers and MLAs. Una MLA Sat Pal Satti filed nomination papers as a covering candidate for Anurag Thakur here today. BJP candidate Anurag Thakur held a road show in Hamirpur town to seek votes today. Accompanied by hundreds of party activists, he visited the main market, district courts and other places and urged the people to vote for him.
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Kaul’s statement creates fissures in Kangra Cong
Dharamsala, April 20 Kaul Singh had referred to certain “black sheep” in the Kangra Congress. In a written statement signed by 78 Congress leaders and sarpanches of Nagrota Bagwan area, supporters of Bali said the statement of the HPCC president was ill-timed. The party workers had been demoralised. “GS Bali has a strong support base in the OBC community in the district. He won the last assembly election despite anti- establishment wave against the Congress. By doubting his credentials, the HPCC president has created a wedge among party workers of the district,” they said. Bali said the HPCC president had said that there were some black sheep in Kangra Congress. “I just ask to be specific on the issue. Kaul Singh should name the black sheep and issue notices as the party president. His statement at such a point is likely to harm the party interests. I have already complained to the Congress high command in this regard,” he said on phone. Meanwhile, the BJP was quick to cash in on the issue. Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and BJP national vice-president and Rajya Sabha member Shanta Kumar referred to the “black sheep statement” of Kaul Singh while addressing an election rally at Dharamsala today. They said the statement clearly indicated that the Congress was a divided house in the district.
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Sushant files nomination from Kangra
Dharamsala, April 20 The sources available here said that Sushant filed his nomination papers as per the ‘mahurat’ at 11 am. He did not wait for the BJP leaders, including CM Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar, to accompany him for filing the papers as they could make it within ‘mahurat’ time. As pre the affidavit filed along with the nomination papers Sushant has Rs 50000 in cash and his wife has Rs 40000. He has Rs 80,183 in fixed deposits, a 1999 TATA Sumo vehicle, agriculture land worth Rs 2.84000, non-agriculture land worth Rs 16 lakh, A Shiva Pharmaceutical Sabha worth Rs 10 lakh, a residential complex in Shimla worth Rs 50-60 lakh and a plot on lease from the government in the Hira Nagar area of Shimla. His wife has Rs 5,04,682 in fixed deposits and Rs 6,97,711 in GPF and a Maruti 800 and Maruti Baleno car in her name. The dependents have fixed deposits worth Rs 3,19,193 in their names. Sushant has loans worth Rs 24,88,285 against his name. The BJP workers who had come here today to participate in election rally after the filing of nomination papers by Sushant had a tough time today. They had to wait for about four hours for the senior leaders of the party to arrive. The senior leaders of the BJP, including Dhumal, Shanta Kumar and Jai Ram Thakur, the state president of the party arrived 3.30 pm. While addressing the Dhumal said that the UPA government has accorded step-motherly treatment to Himachal. The industrial package given to the state has been cut short due to which investment has come to a standstill in the state. While the north-eastern states and J&K are being given the industrial package, it has been withdrawn from Himachal. The rice quota for the people of state has also been reduced. Shanta Kumar said Congress leaders had now themselves started labelling their leaders as ‘black sheep’. He said that the Himachal benefitted the most during the NDA.
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Sukh Ram to stay away from poll campaign
Shimla, April 20 “I am preoccupied with my case (disproportionate assets) so I would stay away from the Lok Sabha elections,” Sukh Ram said. “I have no time to campaign even in my constituency (Mandi). I am busy in consulting lawyers to file appeal against the conviction. My priorities are fighting legal case (not elections),” he said. Sukh Ram had to resign as the central telecommunications minister in the wake of a financial scandal involving purchase of equipment from a Hyderabad-based private firm. Special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) Judge VK Maheshwari found Sukh Ram guilty in February this year of having amassed Rs 42.5 million of disproportionate assets that included Rs 24.5 million seized from his residence in New Delhi. The 82-year-old former minister belongs to Mandi town and commands influence in the area. Political analysts feel that the Congress is likely to face a tough challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) if Sukh Ram does not come out openly in its support. “The conviction of Sukh Ram will matter. We (the BJP) will ask ‘Panditji’ (as Sukh Ram is popularly known) to name the Congress leaders who he often says had conspired to frame him,” Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal said. State Congress chief Kaul Singh Thakur said: “I have no information (regarding the decision of Sukh Ram not to campaign during the polls). He (Sukh Ram) is our party man, he will join campaigning when we will request him.” Five-term Congress chief minister Virbhadra Singh is pitted against the BJP’s three-time MP Maheshwar Singh in Mandi. — IANS
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Shandil raps Dhumal
Shimla, April 20 Addressing a series of election meetings in Shimla and Solan districts today, he said the UPA regime had done more for the hill state than any other government. It was for the first time that a number of mega projects like a central university, an IIT, a national institute of fashion designing and an ESIC medical college were being set up in the state. All previous governments together had not sanctioned so many projects. The people of the state were not so naďve as to be misled by such a propaganda. In fact, the falsehood being indulged in by Dhumal was only undermining his credibility as a leader. Innovative schemes like the national rural employment guarantee programme and the stress on providing basic amenities like water, electricity and road connectivity under the Bharat Nirman Yojna was introduced by the UPA government. The main development in the state was taking place only under these schemes. In contrast, the BJP government had done little during the past 15 months and people were getting disillusioned due its failure to deliver. |
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Currency notes’ case takes new turn
Solan, April 20 According to the SP, Tirath Ram Thakur, who resided at Chewa village, near Kumarhatti, had claimed the amount of Rs 25,000 that was deposited with the police by Virender Kashyap, BJP’s official nominee for the Shimla parliamentary seat. Until yesterday, police officials were refusing to come on record to say anything on the issue and had made themselves out of reach for the media. In fact, Tirath Ram was the key figure leading the poll campaign of Kashyap, who also used the former’s newly bought Scorpio for commuting. Interestingly, while Kashyap and Tirath Ram were together coordinating the poll campaign, Kashyap never asked Tirath Ram about the amount and he simply handed it over to the police. The Congress was, however, quick to react. It has demanded suspension of the Solan SHO within three days as he had failed to inform them about the report entered in the daily dairy on April 17. Congress workers held a dharna outside the SP office to press for their demands today. Congress spokesman Kuldeep Rathode said the manner in which the police was changing its stance proved that they were acting under pressure of the ruling BJP. He said the police was trying to hush up the matter and hence facts had been distorted. Local MLA and Health Minister Rajiv Bindal, who convened a press conference, said the Congress was unduly trying to play up the issue. Defending Thakur, he said a complaint about the missing currency was lodged with the police by him on April 18.
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United show by Left as Shad files papers
Mandi, April 20 These leaders urged the people to vote for Shad saying that a Third Front-supported government was set to come to power at the Centre this time. Addressing a public meeting after taking out a rally in support of Shad, CPM general secretary Rakesh Singha, state CPI secretary Des Raj, CPM MP from Kerala Vijay Raghvan, CPM central committee leader Tapan Sen and Shad attacked the BJP and the Congress saying both parties represented the pro-USA capitalist mindset. These parties were not bothered about farmers, labourers, women, SCs, STs and weaker sections of society, they alleged. Shad cited examples of allotting land to big companies at subsidized rates. Jaypee group got land for Re 1 on lease, he added. He also spoke about condition of health facilities in the state besides raising the issue of PTA-run schools. Singha said Manmohan Singh had “no feeling for the common man as his UPA government pursued the pro-USA policies. LK Advani represented the “communal pro-capitalist mindset”, he alleged. He said Dhumal government’s CFL initiative was a big scam as these lamps did not carry ISI mark and lasted for a short span of time. CPI leader Des Raj said the Dhumal government had discriminated against Mandi by cancelling the notification for the government medical college. “Cement plants and many big projects are being set up in the state at the cost of ecology, but the two “Rajas” have no concrete agenda for the common man,” he said. Raghvan and Sen said the Left governments in West Bengal and Kerala were the role models of development. The Third Front would form a government at the Centre this time, he reiterated.
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BJP banks on MLAs to dent Cong vote bank
Shimla, April 20 It is for the first time that the party has its elected representatives in a majority of the assembly segments under the two seats. The party controls 20 out of total 34 segments and two Independents are also supporting it. The Congress, on the other hand, has legislators in just 12 segments out of which eight were in the Shimla constituency and four in Mandi from where former Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh was facing Maheshwar Singh of the BJP. In 2004 elections, the BJP had only six assembly segments under the two seats, three each in Mandi and Shimla. The BJP has not won the Shimla seat even once, though it managed to win the Mandi seat in 1989, 1998 and 1999. The winner was Maheshwar Singh on all three occasions. Unlike the BJP, the Congress is solely banking on the personal popularity of Virbhadra Singh, who has remained Chief Minister for five terms. The fact that PCC chief Kaul Singh also hails from Mandi will also help the party. The two parties have eight MLAs each under the Shimla seat. One Independent is also supporting the BJP. For the first time, the Congress has no legislator in Solan district. It has only four legislators in its bastion, Shimla district. It will be an interesting battle as both main contenders, Virender Kashyap (BJP) and sitting MP Dhani Ram Shandil (Congress ), do not have any mass following of their own and are entirely dependent on the party for winning the contest. The BJP has elected representatives in 21 assembly segments under the Hamirpur and Kangra constituencies, which are its strongholds. The party holds 11 out of total 17 assembly segments in the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency from where Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s son and sitting MP Anurag Thakur is pitted against Narinder Thakur, son of late BJP stalwart Jagdev Chand. The Congress is trying to dent the BJP citadel by fielding the son of the tallest BJP leader from the region. How far this strategy succeeds will be known only after the result of the election is declared. The BJP has 10 legislators under the Kangra constituency and support from one Independent. The lone BSP legislator is also supporting it. The party has fielded former minister Rajan Sushant against sitting Congress MP Chander Kumar.
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Cong gave bold leadership: MLA
Bilaspur, April 20 This was stated by district Congress president and the lone party MLA from the district Rajesh Dharmani while addressing mediapersons here on Friday. He said the guidance of party president Sonia Gandhi had been proving a further blessing and that was why there was a tremendous response among the masses when it was announced by the party that Manmohan Singh would once again lead the country as Prime Minister in the next term also. Dharmani claimed that people of the state knew that it was only the Congress government at the Centre that could provide a government devoted to the cause and concerns of the common man. |
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EC issues directive on exit poll
Shimla, April 20 He said according to the instructions issued by the Election Commission of India the electronic media included both government owned and private radio and television and covered satellite
DTH, terrestrial and cable channels. Further, dissemination included publication in any newspaper, magazine or periodical or display on electronic media or circulation by means of any pamphlet, poster, placard, handbill or any other document. |
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Bridge View to launch digital TV service
Bilaspur, April 20 This was stated by Bridge View’s MD Mukesh Malhotra while releasing a CD of folk singer Suresh Varma of the Panjgaain area, near here, recently. Malhotra said set top boxes would be given free of cost in cities and towns of the state like Bilaspur, while a security of Rs 300 would be charged in the rural areas for it. He said the facility would give them additional viewership of 200 more TV channels. He assured all Himachali singers and CD producers that if they strive hard to compete with other agencies in the field by producing quality products his cable network would encourage then to come up and show their worth by providing them the widest coverage on his cable network. Coordinator Tejaswi Sharma said the CD had been prepared with team efforts of budding artistes. It contains eight Pahari bhajans and devotional songs of Maa Bhagwati.
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Anganwari workers, helpers without salaries
Kangra, April 20 There are more than 18,000 anganwari workers and helpers working in different anganwari centres in the state. The workers get Rs 1,800 and helpers Rs 950 as their monthly salary. Under the central plan the Government of India contributes Rs 1,500 to their salary and the state government contributes Rs 300 for the same. It is learnt that the enhancement in the salary in the mid financial year 2008-2009 was made by the Government of India from Rs 1,000 to Rs 1,500 and was made effective from April 1, 2008. The shortfall due to enhancement led to delay in disbursement of their salaries. The anganwari workers were seen outside some CDPO offices in the district waiting for their salaries, which they had not received for the past two months. They said they were put to inconvenience without salaries and hoped to get it soon. According to sources, the stumbling block in distribution of regular salaries was shortfall in the budget for the financial year 2008-09. Kangra CDPO SK Choudary confirmed that the salary for March and April had not been disbursed and added that as soon as the budgetary provisions were made the payment would be made to both workers and helpers. Out of 361 workers and helpers in the Kangra block alone 300 were left in a lurch without salaries. Director Social Justice and Empowerment Subhasish Panda confirmed that the delay in the salaries said that funds were being awaited from the Government of India, but now the issue had been sorted out and the salaries were in the process of disbursement. He said the salaries would reach the workers in some days.
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Only 1,321 pensioners identified
Chamba, April 20 The district had been given the target of identifying 2,954 persons to be listed as beneficiaries under the welfare schemes for deriving benefits from old-age pensions, but surprisingly, only 1,321 cases have so far been identified. Confirming these figures with regard to old-age pension cases, official sources revealed that despite best efforts by various government agencies, including Panchayati Raj Institutions in the district, the target of 1,633 left-out cases was yet to be covered under the welfare schemes for pensions in the district. |
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Man murdered over illicit relations
Kangra, April 20 Dehra SDPO Kulwant Singh said Rai Singh, a resident of Dohag village falling under the Haripur police station, had gone to answer the natures’ call at Dohag Nallah between 5 am to 6 am where Payar Chand, a resident of the same village, attacked him with a sharp-edged weapon leaving him dead in a pool of blood. DSP Kulwant Singh said the villagers informed the Ranital police post. A police party was rushed to the spot, which arrested Payar Singh. He said during interrogation Payar Singh confessed the crime and alleged that the deceased had developed illicit relations with his wife that he
could not tolerate and he murdered Rai Singh. The DSP said the police had recovered the weapon used
in the crime. A case under Section 302 of the IPC was registered against the accused and
the body of the deceased was sent for a post-mortem. The accused would be produced before the court tomorrow.
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1 dead, 2 hurt in mishap
Chamba, April 20 The deceased had been identified as Ravinder, the driver of the vehicle. The injured included Gopal and Chaman and were rushed to the regional hospital Chamba. A case had been registered to ascertain the cause of accident, the report said; adding that an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 had been provided to the next of kin and Rs 2,000 each to the injured by officials of the district administration.
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Weather remains warm
Shimla, April 20 Capital Shimla recorded a minimum temperature of 16.7°C, up from 14.5°C yesterday, Met office sources said here. Elsewhere also the mercury shot up. Higher reaches of the state, experiencing sub-zero temperatures till last week, also witnessed a rise in temperature.
— PTI
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Hamirpur, April 20
The BJP candidate from Kangra parliamentary constituency Rajan Sushant today filed his nomination papers before the returning officer KK Pant today at 11 am.
The CPM-CPI joint front leaders put up a united show in support of their candidate Onkar Shad, who filed his nomination papers for the Lok Sabha elections from the Mandi seat, today.
The anganwari workers and helpers have not been disbursed their regular salaries for the last two months by the Department of Social Justice and Empowerment because of the non-budgetary provisions.
