Pehowa (Kurukshetra), May 4
From this land of the Mahabharata, considered holy both by the Hindus and the Sikhs, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh today gave a solemn assurance to countrymen that if the Congress was returned to power, it would make the country secure “at any cost”.

Addressing an impressive election rally in support of Congress candidate from Kurukshetra Naveen Jindal, Manmohan Singh ridiculed the BJP claim that it alone could deal with terrorism in a “decisive and firm manner”. LK Advani was the Home Minister in that BJP government which released three dreaded terrorists from Indian jails in Afganistan, he said.

During the same period, the terrorists attacked Indian Parliament, the Red Fort, the Raghunath temple in Jammu, the Akshardham temple and the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly. The terrorists infiltrated into Kargil, but the BJP government continued to sleep. It was only on account of supreme sacrifices made by hundreds of officers and jawans of our brave Army that these infiltrators were thrown out, he added.

“This is the record of the BJP government. You yourself decide how decisive and firm these leaders are,” Manmohan Singh told the audience, adding that on the other hand the UPA government dealt with the Mumbai attackers sternly.

He said while continuing to fight against terrorism, the UPA government would ensure that persons belonging to a particular religion or section were not harassed.

The present instability in neighbouring countries, whether Pakistan, Nepal or Sri Lanka, could pose a threat to our security also. “I believe that only a national party like the Congress can deal with such difficult issues. We have the necessary experience and ability.”

Manmohan Singh criticised the BJP for raising the issue of black money stored in foreign countries also. Claiming that the BJP’s figures of black money were baseless, he said: “Advani has not only used the issue as an election stunt but has also been irresponsible.”

After highlighting various welfare measures taken by the UPA government, Manmohan Singh said the Congress was contesting the elections on the strength of its record (of good governance), and its policies and programmes. He said the UPA needed more time to finish its unfinished agenda.

Aware that he was speaking in a farmer-dominated area, Manmohan Singh laid a special stress on the role of Haryanvi farmers in making the country self-sufficient in foodgrain production and various steps taken by the UPA government for the welfare of the farming community.

The Congress had strategically chosen the venue of the Prime Minister’s first election meeting in the state during the 2009 elections. Pehowa is a Sikh-dominated area. The town has several gurdwaras constructed to commemorate the visits of several Sikh Gurus to the place. No wonder, the audience had a sizeable presence of the Sikhs and “jaikaras” were frequently raised.

Describing Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as his dear friend and brother (aziz dost aur bhai), Manmohan Singh said his government had taken several steps for the welfare of every section of society.

Hooda said Punjabi settlers had made the barren land of this area highly productive by their hard work. Touching a sensitive issue for the area, he said steps were on to give perpetual rights to those who were given land by the then government in joint Punjab on lease.

Kurukshetra\ Kaithal, May 4
Elections are a power(ful) time for ruralites in Haryana. Not only are there no checks on the rampant power theft, the state power utilities are also going all out to replace burnt-out transformers as fast as possible and ensure that power supply does not become an issue for the ruling Congress during elections.

Haryana has attained notoriety for having one of the highest percentages for un-metered power supply, with an average 60 per cent of supply in rural areas being un-metered. This also includes the supply to tube wells. With elections to the Lok Sabha due for May 7, power officials have allegedly stopped checking the rampant power theft by rural domestic consumers. As a result of overloading of transformers (because of rampant kundi connections), hundreds of transformers are getting burnt in villages here.

Bypassing the rules, which clearly state that burnt-out transformers are to be replaced only if everybody drawing power from the transformer has paid his dues to the power authorities, the burnt-out transformers are being replaced within no time. The rules also state that any addition in the load of the transformer has to be analysed before it is replaced.

Kurukshetra, Kaithal and Jind are notorious for its over 50 per cent un-metered supply and rampant kundi connections. Officials in the Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam said almost 20 per cent of the people were using kundi connections. With elections due, and the Power Department looking the other way, the situation has only worsened. In Jogna Kheda village, residents told TNS that in the past one month, the transformer in the village had been replaced thrice after it was burnt out. Malkit Singh, a resident, said the number of people in the village drawing power illegally from the transformer had gone up, leading to the frequent burning out of transformers. “Since it is election time, the moment we complain about the transformer being burnt, it is replaced within three to four days,” he said.

Similarly, residents in Kharad Pandov village near Narwana told TNS that for a change, there was no check on kundi connections and burnt-out transformers were being replaced at the earliest. Suresh Kumar, a resident, said traditionally people here were not used to paying bills for power or having a metered supply. “But earlier whenever a transformer got burnt, it would take weeks to get it replaced. However, with elections due now, voters are prevailing over the powers that be,” he said.

Officials in the UHBVN said they were able to replace transformers only because they were comfortably placed with new transformers.

Chandigarh, May 4
The district administration of Bhiwani today went in a tizzy when the private chopper carrying Union Minister Anand Sharma, Haryana Minister of State Kiran Choudhry and party candidate from the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat Shruti Choudhry went “missing” for over three hours. They finally landed in Chandigarh around 6.30 pm.

Sources said after addressing a rally in Dadri, the trio was to fly to Loharu for another rally. However, while their chopper took off from Dadri, it failed to arrive at Loharu, which is 15 minutes away by air, at its scheduled time of 1.30 pm.

Initially, the crowd and the organisers presumed that she had been delayed while taking off from Dadri. The mother-daughter duo could not be contacted since they were not carrying their mobiles. However, the district administration got alerted and was able to track down the chopper only after one hour of frantic following.

“We contacted Sirsa and found that the chopper landed there at 2.30 pm after which it proceeded to Chandigarh and that all occupants were safe,” Superintendent of Police Sibash Kabiraj said.

Speaking to TNS, Kiran Choudhry, on landing in Chandigarh, said she smelled a conspiracy in not being able to land in Loharu. “They gave us the wrong co-ordinates, which is very shocking. There can be no justification for this. We kept circling in Loharu but could not locate our landing place. Since we were running out of fuel, we decided to fly to Sirsa and landed in Ellenabad where the chopper got a refill,” she said.

Sharma, who was supposed to address a rally in favour of Congress candidate for Sirsa Ashok Tanwar, attended the programme after which the chopper took off once again to head to Delhi. However, due to bad weather conditions, it could not land in Delhi and hovered around Panipat.

“We got caught in a storm that was building up over Delhi. The pilot, Capt Mahal, told us that there were dangerous clouds and the only safe landing we could have would be in Chandigarh,” Sharma said.

So, virtually after two more hours of battling bad weather, the chopper finally landed in Chandigarh around 6.30 pm.

Meanwhile, the crowd gathered at Loharu was addressed by Choudhry’s son-in-law Arunab Chowdhry, who urged them to reach Dadra for the rally tomorrow.

Hisar, May 4
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi said here today that the Bharatiya Janata Party was serious about unearthing the black money stashed by Indians in foreign banks.

Addressing an election meeting here in support of NDA candidate for the Hisar Lok Sabha seat Sampat Singh of the INLD, he said although the BJP plans in this regard had ruffled the feathers of many a Congress leader, his party was determined to bring back the money parked abroad in tax havens and Swiss banks.

He said the late Rajiv Gandhi had once remarked that he wondered where 85 per cent of the money meant for development projects vanished? Modi said the answer was simple - it was stowed in foreign banks by unscrupulous persons. He said the BJP would probe every penny taken out of the country.

Modi said parties and politicians who indulged in politics of vote bank could never bring about development and progress as their priorities were misguided. He said this explained why India, despite being ruled by one particular party and one particular family for decades, could not give houses to the poor, healthcare to its citizens and remunerative prices to the farmers.

The Gujarat Chief Minister arrived more than two hours behind schedule. But immediately on arrival he proceeded to the rostrum and began his speech straightway after apologising for the delay.

He said had the BJP been in power at the Centre, the project for linking all major rivers would have been completed by now, ensuring proper availability of irrigation and drinking water throughout the country. In Gujarat his government had done the same, benefiting all areas, he added.

He appealed to the voters to help the NDA form a government at the Centre in national interests.

Karnal, May 4
With just 24 hours left for electioneering to come to a close in Haryana and parts of Punjab, Adhi Dharam Samaj claiming to represent 10-crore Valmikis accross the country, today announced its support to the SAD (Badal) in Punjab and the HJC (BL) in Haryana, leaving the Congress high and dry in twin states.

The decision to announce support was taken on merit weighing all aspects and keeping in view the tickets given to Valmiki candidates by respective parties, All India president of Dharam Samaj Shukracharya Darshan Rattan Ravan said.

“We approached all parties and even met Rahul Gandhi and pleaded for accommodating the Valmikis in their lists of candidates but all national parties could not shouldered us,” he said, adding that the SAD (Badal) had given tickets to three Valmikis in four reserved constituencies while the HJC list included two Valmikis for both the reserved seats of Sirsa and Ambala.

He said the Valmikis, who were placed in “A” block in list of scheduled castes, had been consistently supporting the Congress in the past but the party ignored their interests.

There was no option than to sever ties with the Congress and support the parties, which cared for Valmikis and supported their cause, he said.

Shukracharya Darshan said there were 24 lakh Valmikis in Haryana with strong presence in all assembly segments and its support would be crucial for any party in both the states. The Congress candidates from Ambala and Sirsa have a cause to worry, as shift in support of Valmikis away from the party would mar their prospects.

However, the HJC candidates, especially Romesh Chhabra from Karnal would get a boost, cutting into Valmiki vote bank of the Congress.

Sirsa, May 4
Shruti Choudhry, the Congress nominee from Bhiwani and her mother Kiran Choudhry, who have been fighting a fierce electoral battle against INLD’s Ajay Singh Chautala and HJC’s Rao Narender Singh in Bhiwani, today took time off to campaign for Ashok Tanwar in Ellenabad town of the Sirsa seat.

The mother daughter duo accompanied Union Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anand Sharma to Ellenabad in a chopper.

Addressing an election meeting in support of Tanwar, the Union Minister said a strong and stable government was the need of the hour and only Congress could provide that government.

He said the Congress was the only party that had provided a number of benefits to the farming community.

Enumerating schemes like loan waiver, high MSPs of farmers’ produce and employment guarantee scheme, Sharma said all sections of the society had been benefited during the UPA government.

Accusing the opposition parties, particularly the BJP of trying to mislead people, he alleged these parties lacked vision as well as leadership.

Terming Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as the best choice before voters, Sharma said it was due to his efforts that India had not been affected by the global slowdown.

Tourism and Forest Minister Kiran Choudhry alleged that the INLD had always believed in the politics of falsehood and said the people of the state would force INLD’s Bhiwani nominee Ajay Singh Chautala to sit back at home after the elections.

Sources said both Kiran and Shruti were not scheduled to visit Ellenabad and were with Anand Sharma, who was to address election meetings at Charkhi Dadri and Loharu in Bhiwani for Shruti today.

However, after addressing a rally at Charkhi Dadri, Sharma decided to visit Ellenabad first, where he had given a programme to the local Congress leaders.

Sirsa, May 4
Electioneering has reached a feverish pitch in the Sirsa (reserved) parliamentary seat with all candidates and their respective parties intensifying the campaign.

Though there was no big rally of any party in Sirsa today, candidates and other senior leaders of various parties escalated their poll campaign and fanned out in the areas allotted to them.

Congress candidate Ashok Tanwar’s campaign got a shot in the arm when another Independent, Des Raj Vartia, announced his decision to support the Congress candidate.

Earlier, an Independent, Jaibir Singh Bharpoor, had announced his decision to support Tanwar.

Tanwar, meanwhile, campaigned in the Ratia assembly segment of Sirsa today and exhorted party workers to be ready to “reap the harvest” as the polling day is nearing.

The INLD, which organised a rally of senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj in Sirsa yesterday, is now mobilising support for tomorrow’s two rallies of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Chouhan at Rania and Fatehabad.

While inviting people for tomorrow’s rally, Abhey Singh Chautala also urged party workers in villages to ensure distribution of voter number slips to all voters of the constituency and see to it that maximum votes were polled on May 7.

Abhey Singh also visited Sirsa Club, a social club of elite people of the town, last night and sought their support for the INLD.

Talking to newsmen, Abhey Singh said, “The incident of parading two women naked in a Jhajjar village, where the Chief Minister’s son is contesting, is a matter of shame for Haryana and such incidents were heard of in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh earlier.”

Meanwhile, Rajinder Dhanak, candidate of the Haryana Janhit Congress, was accorded a warm reception by his community in a rally held in the local grain market today.

Dhanak and district HJC president Veer Bhan Mehta were brought to the dais in a procession of motorcycles and was heavily garlanded.

Dhanak was also weighed against “ladoos” during the rally.

Chandigarh, May 4
Micro-observers will be deputed at all sensitive and hypersensitive booths as also booths made for weaker sections in the state to keep a watch on the goings-on during voting on May 7.

Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Sajjan Singh said as many as 4,032 micro-observers would be appointed at 1,146 polling stations specially set up to enable weaker sections of the society to fearlessly exercise their vote and at the 1,925 and 1,283 polling stations identified as sensitive and hypersensitive, respectively.

He added that these would be the government employees and would directly report to the observers of their respective areas. The CEO said these micro-observers would be in addition to government officers and officials, including presiding officers, polling officers, supervisors and 30 central observers. Also, 1,072 officers had been given the powers of executive-magistrate.

Further, to maintain law and order and infuse a sense of security amongst the voters, as many as 62,000 police personnel, including 43 companies of the Indian Reserve Battalion (IRB) and the Central Security Forces are being deputed for election duty.

Chief secretary Dharam Vir said all arrangements had been made for smooth conduct of Lok Sabha elections in Haryana and the polling for the 10 Lok Sabha constituencies would take place on May 7 from 7 am to 5 pm.

He said the state had 1.19 crore general voters of which 65 lakh are men and 54 lakh are women. In addition, there are 89,082 service voters, taking the total voters to 1.20 crore.

Vir added that with a view to facilitate the voters in exercising their rights to vote, 12,894 polling stations had been set up and polling would be done through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs).

He said all polling stations had been equipped with ramps to facilitate the physically challenged. For the benefit of blind voters, EVMs have serial numbers in Braille and sample ballot papers, too, have been got prepared in Braille.

Jhajjar, May 4
“Development for me is not an empty promise to be doled out to befool the electorate, but it is at the core of my political belief. I will not stop till I ensure rapid development in all spheres in the Rohtak parliamentary constituency,” said Congress candidate from the seat Deepender Hooda while addressing several poll meetings in villages of the Jhajjar, Badli and Kosli Assembly segments.

Lambasting the opposition parties for discriminating against this region, Deepender said the state government had addressed the needs and aspirations of the people of this region.

The Congress candidate lashed out at the opposition parties for their “opportunistic and unprincipled alliance”. He said these parties tried to befool the people of the state with one false promise or the other in the past, and were now trying to mislead the people with baseless issues.

Deepender today toured about three dozen villages, including Khungai, Kablana, Kaimalgarh, Badhana, Bhadani, Kheri Asra, Chamanpura, Dawla and Raiyya.