Shimla, May 8
The Congress today put the issue of corruption on top of its election agenda by releasing the much-awaited charge sheet against the BJP government, specifically targeting the family trio comprising Chief Minister P.K.Dhumal, his son Anurag Thakur and Gulab Singh, father-in-law of Anurag for concentrating all power in their hands.

The voluminous document in which photo copies of various affidavits pertaining to assets filed by BJP leaders, revenue record, official correspondence, press clippings , and other supporting papers point accusing finger on almost the entire Cabinet , excluding forest minister J.P.Nadda and education minister I.D.Dhiman. In some cases personal charges had been levelled against ministers, while in others the alleged irregularities and scams pertaining to their departments had been highlighted. The acts of omission and commission of the government, the deteriorating law and order situation and mal-governance have also been included. The complaint filed by additional director general of police B.S.Thind against the Dhumal with the Lokayukta regarding disproportionate assets also forms part of the charge sheet along with various documents appended to it.

The charge sheet was prepared by a five-member committee headed by a former Speaker Gangu Ram Musafir and having Asha Kumari, Raj Krishan Gaur, Sudhir Sharma and Mukesh Agnhotri as members and submitted to the Governor Prabha Rau by PCC chief Kaul Singh and leader of Opposition Vidya Stokes. They sought a CBI probe into the charges.

Dhumal and his son have been charged with concealing wealth and furnishing wrong information regarding their assets in the affidavits filed at the time of submitting nomination papers. Dhumal had furnished wrong PAN numbers, both personal and the HUF, indicating that he had something to hide, it alleged. The government has been charged with selling the dream institution of former union minister Shanta Kumar, the Vivekananda Medical education and Research Institute to the Jaypee Group for a song. The purchase of CFL under the Atal Bijli Bachat Yojna was termed a big scam.

Transport minister Krishan Kapoor’s name figures in connection with the misuse of discretionary quota for allotting a residential plot to himself, which he was later forced to surrender. Irrigation and public health department has been put in the dock for irregularities. The PWD minister Gulab Singh has been attacked for his inappropriate behaviour in public.

Shimla, May 8
Claiming that the Congress will emerge as the single largest party, national general secretary Moshina Kidwai said today that the realignment of political forces after the declaration of election results would determine the final shape to the government.

Addressing a press conference here, she said the Congress was in the ascendant in the states like Uttar Pradesh and Bihar where it had not been in the political reckoning in over the past few years.

Its vote share and number of seats was bound to increase remarkably and it was contesting the highest number of 440 seats among political parties. All poll surveys had shown that the Congress was ahead of others and nearest to power and it would, indeed, form the next government, she maintained. Of course there would be a realignment of forces in which “like-minded” parties would join hands to help form a secular government and keep the communal forces at bay. She maintained that the country needed a strong government to meet challenges on the economic front and in dealing with terrorism, which only the Congress could provide. The BJP had been contesting the elections on communal agenda and raking up issues like Ram temple and common civil code that had a few takers. In contrast, the Congress never sought vote in the name of religion and always focused on development and building a strong nation, she claimed.

She categorically stated that the overtures of Rahul Gandhi to the Left parties and the AIADMK had not ruffled the feathers of UPA allies.

Una, May 8
Union Minister of State for External Affairs Anand Sharma while addressing an election meeting in support of Hamirpur parliamentary constituency candidate Narinder Thakur at Beaten village yesterday claimed that various central schemes were allotted to the state on the recommendation of the state Congress leader.

Sharma criticised the BJP, the Chief Minister and other central leaders for terming Manmohan Singh as a "weak" Prime Minister.

He claimed that the ability of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was proved when most of the developed countries like the USA and the UK had to face financial crises in the recent past and lakhs of people in those countries lost jobs, but India survived this financial crises.

He called upon the people to recall the Congress rule at the Centre and the stability that the Congress provided to the country. He claimed that it was only the Congress that could provide a stable and strong government. He urged people to vote for the Congress party.

Mukesh Agnihotri, an MLA from the Haroli constituency, also appealed to the people to vote in favour of Thakur.

Shimla, May 8
Indulgence in politics of opportunism, betrayal of the Leftists and parting ways with its alliance partners has landed the Congress in a panic situation ensuring that it sits in the opposition as the UPA forming the next government is highly improbable.

These were the views expressed by former Union Law Minister Arun Jaitley while speaking at a seminar organised by the Himachal Rashtriya Vichar Manch here today. “The political blunders committed by the Congress over the last two months have ensured that BJP would be the nucleus of an anti-Congress Parliament,” he remarked.

He said despite being in power, the Congress embarked on a negative campaign rather than dwelling on its achievements. “To top it all, the Prime Minister disappointed everyone when he chose to make his weakness his asset as he shied away from political debate,” opined Jaitley.

Without naming anybody he said another major flaw with the Congress campaign was that while ostensible Prime Minister was Manmohan Singh but in actuality the party had someone else in mind for the top chair. “The political scenario has drastically changed over the last two months as an over-confident and conceited Congress has pressed the panic button as they can see the game slipping out of their hands,” he observed.

“Despite the entire Congress campaign revolving around Sonia and Rahul Gandhi, the fact is that in the last four LS elections fought after Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi the Congress tally has hovered between 112 to 144,” he said. He hastened to add that BJP on the other hand had put an end to the “TINA” factor as it emerged as the single largest party in three elections.

He said contrary to the commitment made by the BJP in its election manifesto, the Congress linked the security of the nation to vote bank politics. “The thought of a nuclear state like Pakistan under Taliban rule is giving jitters to the whole world but the Congress on the other hand has failed on the security front as there have been major intelligence lapses and weak responses,” he said.

Commenting on the “Third Front” he said it lacked ideological coherence, as it was synonymous with political chaos. “Seeing the present political scenario what the country needed today is a strong government and bale leadership,” he concluded.

Hamirpur, May 8
With only three days left for campaigning in the Hamirpur constituency, BJP leaders have geared up its campaign by holding intensive public meetings in Hamirpur district.

While Chief Minister PK Dhumal addressed public meeting at Lamblu in the Bamsan area today, Anurag Thakur addressed public meetings in the Bhoranj area.

Dhumal while addressing a meeting at Lamblu made a fervent appeal to people to defeat Congress in the election by saying, “The threat of terrorism and menace of price rise will blow over after the defeat of the Congress in the election and thus people should vote for the BJP for forming NDA government at the Centre.”

He accused the Congress leaders of the state “for misleading the UPA chairperson about the ground realities of discrimination with the state government and I ask them do they honestly not think that the state has been discriminated by the Central government?”

Dhumal said, “It was also strange, though price rise is such a pinching issue for the people with prices of essential commodities touching the sky but she did not touch this issue.”

On the other hand, BJP candidate Anurag Thakur addressed election meetings at Bhareri, Tarkwari, Patta and few other places.

Addressing these meetings he said, “India today needs a strong government at the Centre which only NDA can provide and action oriented leader like LK Advani can only deliver.”

Kangra, May 8
Former Union Minister and vice-president of the national BJP Shanta Kumar lambasted the Congress for ignoring interests of the common people of the country for more than five decades after Independence. He asserted that unless the central government initiates public interest programmes with sincerity and honesty neither the states nor the country would progress.

He was addressing a public meeting at Abdullahpur on the outskirts of the town yesterday. He said controlling inflation was not within the purview of the state government but only an effective Centre could play the role in this direction. He said a strong Centre would help India in achieving progress on all fronts.

He criticised the UPA government saying that during the NDA government country produced 185 lakh tonnes of sugar and the market rate was Rs 12 per kg and during the UPA government production increased to 246 lakh quintals but the market rate touched Rs 38 per kg. He said surprisingly the country had to spent Rs 700 crore for importing sugar when sufficient amount was available in the country.

He said the IPH Department was created in the state in 1977 during his term as the Chief Minister to provide drinking water to people.

He said the nation would be strong and economically viable only when the NDA forms government headed by LK Advani. He sought support for Kangra BJP candidate Dr Rajan Shushant.

Dharamsala, May 8
Unlike other candidates the lone LJP candidate from Kangra parliamentary constituency Keshav Chauhan is seeking votes on individual basis than the parties. In his addresses in various parts of the constituency, Keshav Chauhan is claiming that he is a better choice than Congress and BJP candidates.

He has claimed Congress candidate Chander Kumar who is sitting a MP has failed to raise the issues of the area in Parliament. He has catered just to his assembly constituency Shahpur.

About BJP candidate Rajan Sushant, Keshav Chauhan alleged that despite remaining revenue minister in the state, he has failed to redress the problems of Pong Dam oustees of the area.

Chauhan who is a builder and an entrepreneur is bringing up a potato chips factory in the Palampur area. The foundation stone of the industry that is coming up in private sector was recently laid down by the union minister for steel and chemicals Ram Vilas Paswan. Chauhan said he was investing his hard earned money for setting up a potato chips unit in Palampur. He is investing Rs 15 crore in his area that would benefit about 3 lakh potato growers of the area. Besides, it would generate direct and indirect employment for about 5000 unemployed youth of the area.

He claims that in case he was elected his priority would be to develop industry in Kangra which is the least developed area of Himachal despite the fact that it has maximum population and sends maximum number of MLAs in the Himachal assembly.

Keshav Chauhan alleged that both BJP and congress had ignored the vital issue of Kangra.

Dharamsala, May 8
Kangra Additional District and Sessions Judge BL Soni has sentenced Rakesh Kumar and his mother Ram Pairi to life imprisonment for burning down Reena Devi, wife of the former.

Deputy district attorney BK Marwah said Rakesh had married Reena Devi, a girl belonging to lower caste, on March 22, 2008, against the wishes of his parents. Both stayed away from their house for some time and later returned to the paternal house of Rakesh.

On July 4, the girl came to the Palampur police station and lodged a complaint. She alleged that Rakesh and his parents kept beating her and did not accept her as she belonged to lower caste. The police called Rakesh and his parents to the police station where they refused to accept Reena Devi into their house.

On July 6, it was decided that Reena would stay with her husband in a separate quarter. But on the same evening she was doused in kerosene and burned.

In her dying declaration before the magistrate, Reena Devi stated that she was burned by her husband at the instigation of her mother-in-law and father-in-law. All three were booked under Section 302, 498-A and 109 of the IPC.

After examining 14 witnesses in the case, the judge sentenced Rakesh Kumar and his mother to life imprisonment. A fine of Rs 30,000 was also imposed. In case of non-payment of fine the accused would also serve additional rigorous imprisonment of two years. The accused have also been sentenced to three years of rigorous imprisonment and fine of Rs 5,000. In case of non-payment of fine the accused would have to serve additional imprisonment of six months. The sentences would be served concurrently.