Dehradun, May 7
Expressing concern over the increasing incidents of forest fire in the state as well as the scarcity of water in villages, Dhirendra Pratap, member, All-India Congress Committee (AICC), staged a day-long dharna against the state BJP government for showing apathetic attitude in providing any sort of relief to the victims.

Dhirendra said forests were burning and innocent people are dying without any sort of help from the state government. But our rulers are least bothered and are only interested in campaigning in helicopters, forgetting their moral responsibilities, he said.

The Gangwara forest area of Pauri District, located in the Garhwal region, lately caught fire and seven persons lost their lives while trying to put off fires. None from the government bothered to visit the injured in hospitals. The BJP government had gone insensitive towards the needs of the common man, he charged.

Dhirendra also demanded that the government should give these victims martyr’s status and immediately intervene in the matter, he added.

Dehradun, May 7
Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (UKD), an ally of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), got another jolt when Diwakar Bhatt, a senior leader and minister in the Khanduri government, was admitted to the Doon hospital, here today.

Bhatt told mediapersons that he fell in his house and injured his hand. According to doctors, his uric acid levels have also shot up.

Interestingly, there was a divide in the UKD on the issue of fighting the Lok Sabha elections after quitting the BJP-UKD alliance or support the BJP.

While, Diwakar Bhatt, who holds charge of the Urban Development and Food and Supplies Department in the Khanduri Cabinet, was for support to BJP, party rank and file demanded at least one seat, out of the total five, as a precondition for support.

After the BJP announced all five candidates, UKD leaders demanded that the party should come out of the alliance and fight the general election. Under pressure from party rank and file, Bhatt submitted his resignation from the state Cabinet to Chief Minister Khanduri, which has not yet been accepted.

Now, UKD is fighting elections against its ally BJP on all five seats and finds itself in a bind. While party rank and file were for withdrawal of support from the BJP government, Bhatt opposed the move and managed to influence the party against withdrawal of support.

But he was in a fix on campaigning for his party candidates against BJP in the elections. According to party sources, there was pressure from the BJP to make it a friendly fight, as in a close contest every vote counted.

But with Bhatt in hospital now, UKD, at least in Garhwal region, would be at a loss during the crucial campaigning period till May 11.

Dehradun, May 7
Albeit a major section of Sikhs, patronised by Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee chief Parmajit Singh Sarna, had earlier extended support to Congress candidates, the Sikh Forum today announced support to the BJP.

Both sections claim to enjoy the support of a majority of Sikhs, who comprise about two per cent of the total population of the hill state. In concrete terms, BJP can boast of having an edge over Congress because Harbhajan Singh Cheema, the lone Akali leader, got elected on BJP symbol from Kashipur constituency in the last Assembly election. But the Congress has no achievement of this sort.

Sarna had earlier exhorted the Sikhs to back the Congress candidates during an impressive function organised to launch the Uttarakhand unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Delhi) last month.

On the other hand, the Sikh Forum's general secretary Amarjit Singh Anand, who has been appointed as member of the State Minorities Commission by the BJP government, based their decision to support BJP on the anti-Sikh policies of the Congress.

He harped on the emotive issue of 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. The Forum also accused the Congress- led UPA government for being a mute spectator to the recent issue of oppression let loose by the Taliban on the Sikhs in Swat Valley and forcible realisation of Jajiya from them.

Dehradun, May 7
With the final phase of electioneering in full swing, major political parties, apart from bringing in their star campaigners, are also working hard at the micro-level by influencing major castes and communities in their respective constituencies.

Both the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Congress leaders are campaigning aggressively to win over major caste combinations in their favour. In the pursuit, senior national leaders of various castes and communities are being invited for campaigning.

In Haridwar, since nearly half of the population comprises Dalits and Muslims, leaders of these communities are being involved into electioneering.

Union Power Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde, a Dalit leader, was in the constituency seeking votes for Congress candidate Harish Rawat on Wednesday. Notably, since the constituency has nearly 25 per cent Dalit voters, state Congress chief Yashpal Arya, a Dalit leader, would also be joining the campaign soon.

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati would be addressing a rally in Haridwar on May 11, the last day of electioneering. Nasimuddin Siddiqui, a minister from Uttar Pradesh, would also be visiting the Muslim- dominated areas in the constituency.

Congress has invited former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad to influence Muslim voters in the area. To win over Saini voters, who are also a sizeable chunk in Haridwar, Congress has invited Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot. Gujarat Chief Minister and BJP star campaigner Narendra Modi has already addressed an election rally in Haridwar while other senior leaders, including Sushma Swaraj, would soon do so.

For Rajput voters, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shiv Raj Singh Chauhan would be visiting Bahadarabad area and to garner Gujjar votes, Uttar Pradesh Gujjar BJP leader Hukum Singh would be brought in.

Samajwadi Party would be bringing in their star campaigners - Amar Singh and Manoj Tiwari - to influence voters who originally hail from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar, but are residing in Haridwar.

In a bid to woo Muslim community, Congress candidate Harish Rawat has been trying to elicit support from the leaders of Teli, Gadha, Jojha and Ansari communities of Muslims.

In the bargain, even small-time leaders of various castes and communities are basking in the glory of attention showered on them by various political parties. 

Dehradun, May 7
The Bharatiya Janata Party has said the formation of “Greater NDA” is on the cards. Making an announcement in this regard here today, party national general secretary Anant Kumar said once the election results are declared, several more parties will join the NDA.

“Parties like the AGP, the INLD and the RLD have already joined the NDA. Since the BJP is set to emerge as the single largest party in Parliament, there will be fresh alignments after the elections. With more parties joining us, the NDA will transform into a greater NDA,” claimed the former union minister.

Claiming that during the past one month, the UPA had “disintegrated”, Anant said the recent statements of senior Congress leaders indicated that the Congress had conceded defeat, even before the last phase of the polls. “Trinmool Congress chief Mamta Banerjee has ruled out support for the Congress in case the party turns to the Left.

“Similarly, Congress alliances with other parties are also uncertain,” claimed the BJP leader.

Anant said the BJP was already leading in as many as 12 states. “Several allies of the Congress have deserted them. Senior Congress leader Digvijay Singh has also made a statement that if the Congress loses, the heavens will not fall and they will sit in the Opposition.

“Likewise, AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s remarks indicate that the Congress is preparing itself for a major defeat,” he said. 

Dehradun, May 7
Gujarat Chief Minister and star campaigner of the BJP Narendra Modi today went to the Hindu religious shrine of Badrinath in Chamoli district. After paying obeisance at the revered shrine, Modi, who was in the state to campaign for his party, expressed satisfaction on the performance of the party.

He claimed that due to the excellent work done by Chief Minister BC Khanduri, the BJP would win all five Lok Sabha seats in the state and make LK Advani, the Prime Minister of the country.

He also recalled his earlier days as the in charge of the party affairs of Uttarakhand and his visit to the last Indian village on the Indo-China border in Chamoli district, where he held a meeting of the party workers at Mana village.

Dehradun, May 7
Uncertainty still prevails on the counselling session of self-financed BEd colleges that has already been delayed by eight months. The self-financed colleges seems to be in a confused state, not knowing what is to be done in the matter.

The Association of Self-Financed BEd Colleges, Uttarakhand, which has 29 colleges as its members, is now deciding on whether or not they should make an appeal in the court over the issue, asking for direction in this matter.

The association had already written two letters to HNB Garhwal University in the regard. In the first letter they had requested the university to conduct the counselling as soon as possible, as it has been delayed.

In the second letter, they asked the university to register their objection if any, over the association’s decision to conduct its counselling session itself.

The second letter too failed to generate any response from the university.

The university itself found itself in a fix because it has been made into a central university. After the university was made into a central university there is uncertainty over the affiliation of hundreds of colleges in the entire Garhwal region.

Secretary of the association, Sunil Agrawal, said, we had earlier decided to conduct counselling on our own. But since the university did not give its affirmation nor did it register any objection to our second letter, so we decided not to go ahead with the process.

The association will soon call a meeting of all its member colleges over the matter and try to come to a conclusion over the whole issue, disclosed Agrawal. One of the college has already put an application in the court.Nalanda College of Education has already made an appeal in the court in the matter.

This has given the association a hope to make an appeal in the court. He further said, “if we appeal in the court we will ask the court to either authorise us for the counselling or to direct the university to hold the counselling as soon as possible”.

Thousands of meritorious BEd students who had cleared their BEd entrance tests are awaiting counselling for the past eight months, said Agrawal. 

Dehradun, May 7
Welham’s Girls School’s-A team cruised into the finals of the DDCSA Senior Girls Hockey Tournament underway at Welham Girls School, Dehradun, here today.

It was a fast pace hockey played by Welham’s that outclassed their opponent Moravian School in the first semifinal match. Welham’s was on the offensive right from the beginning as they penetrated the Moravian defence on a number of occasions in the initial minutes of the match.

Their first success came in the 15th minute of the match through a goal scored by Nidhtha off the right cross to make the score 1-0. The second goal came just five minute afterwards.

This time it was Alisa who skillfully placed the balls in the Moravian goal post to make the score 2-0. Frequents attacks by the Welham’s forward line kept Moravian defence on the their toes.

Though Moravian made repeated attempts in the first half to open their account yet poor ball control and bad passing denied them any chance to take score.

It was the same story in the second half as well as Welham’s made a strong start to the second half scoring a goal in the 33 minute of the match. Radhika scored for the team.

In the dying minutes of the match Shriya Gupta of Welham’s scored another goal to take an invincible lead in the match making the score 4-0. 

Dehradun, May 7
Teams from Mussoorie and Dehradun won their matches in the boys and girls category, respectively, at the ongoing 9th Aspen Crew Uttarakhand State Junior (u-18) Basketball Championship at Welham’s Boys School, Dehradun, here today.

In the first match of the boys’ category played between Haridwar and Mussoorie, the latter won with a score of 44-34. Dasakhiat was the top scorer for Mussoorie with 15 points.

In the second match, Dehradun team outclassed Almora by a huge margin of 50 points. Dehradun team scored 64 points against Almora’s 14. Uday was the top scorer for the team with 17 points.

In the third match, Haldwani team emerged victorious after defeating Rishikesh team by 24-13. H. Pandey was the top scorer with 8 points. In the first match of the girls category, Mussoorie team defeated Haldwani by 30-10. Surbhi was the top scorer for Mussoorie team with 12 points.

In the second match, Dehradun team beat Tehri by 35-6. Garima was the top scorer for Dehradun with 10 points