Jind, September 20
Finance Minister of Haryana Birender Singh filed his nomination papers from the Uchana Kalan Assembly segment, his “home seat”, in the district yesterday without even waiting for his party, the Congress, to declare its list of nominees.

Birender Singh exhibited his strength by walking several kilometres along with hundreds of supporters from Alewa Mandi to reach the district headquarters here to file his papers.

His wife, Prem Lata, also led a large number of supporters from Uchana town to Jind city in his support. Sensing a tough fight between him and INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala on this seat, Birender Singh exhorted his supporters at Alewa Mandi to work hard and unitedly to ensure his victory.

Addressing his supporters after inaugurating his election office at Alewa during a brief halt, he praised Congress president Sonia Gandhi for her “guidance to the party and the nation”.

Interestingly, he did not mention the name of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.Banners carried by his supporters had his photographs as well as those of Sonia Gandhi, indicating a “rift” between him and the Chief Minister.

Moreover, the filing of the nomination papers by Birender Singh even before the formal declaration of nominees by the party has come as a surprise and is an indication of differences among the party leadership, claimed a party activist on condition of anonymity.

Birender Singh submitted his papers to DRO Satish Chandan. Satwinder Singh Rana, the party legislator from Rajound, was among those present on the occasion.

Manesar, September 20
At least five research scholars of the city-based National Brain Research Centre (NBRC) have been detected with swine flu. Blood samples of many others have been sent for testing.

This was confirmed by SK Chaudhary, Chief Executive Officer of SLR Lab, one of the private labs conducting tests for swine flu. According to sources, the spread of H1N1 has left hostel inmates panicky.

Although the authorities have denied the spread of H1N1, the first positive case of swine flu was reported on Thursday.

Thereafter, the authorities decided to close the institute to check the spread of the disease, said a scholar.

He also confirmed that five persons on the campus had tested positive for swine flu.

Around 80 scholars are putting up in the hostel on the NBRC campus.

The authorities have so far sent 21 samples to private laboratories for testing. The reports are expected soon.

It is being alleged that the authorities are trying to suppress information about the “outbreak of swine flu” on the campus as a number of scientists from the institute are scheduled to go abroad next month.

The news of the H1N1 spread could jeopardise these foreign jaunts, an insider said on condition of anonymity.

Meanwhile, the NBRC authorities have denied that there is an outbreak of swine flu on the campus.

They, however, agreed that some samples had been sent for testing.

A spokesperson for the institute said there were no confirmed cases.

Panipat, September 20
Unlike previous assembly polls when Sikh voters in the state had collectively decided to support the Congress, the community this time is a confused lot as to which party they should support in the upcoming elections.

It is the non-fulfilment of promises made by the Congress in its 2005 election manifesto that has been irking the Sikhs of the state.

Even as the senior leaders of the HSGPC, who have been at the forefront of the Sikhs affairs, are believed to be inclined towards the Congress, but a united resolution to vote for the Congress is unlikely to be passed by the Sikh community of Haryana. As a result, the Sikhs votes will be influenced by personal preferences during these elections.

One of the senior members of the HSGPC on condition of anonymity stated that during the last elections, the Congress had promised that the demands of the Sikhs including a separate SGPC, due status for Punjabi language in Haryana and setting up of a state minority commission would be fulfilled as soon as the party would come to power. “It was because of this that the Sikhs had decided to vote for the Congress. But even though five years have passed since then, not even a single demand has been accepted”, he lamented.

Those at the centre of Sikh affairs had been repeatedly raising these issues. Even prior to the Lok Sabha elections in May this year, the Sikh leaders had warned the Congress to deliver or face opposition.

The Centre and the state government adopted a cautious stance to prevent the issues of a separate SGPC from snowballing into a major controversy. However, the demands of due status for Punjabi language and a state minority commission were what the government could have implemented without any hassles, feel most of the Sikhs, a senior functionary of the HSGPC said. He said this had sent wrong singles amongst the community members, who felt that they were still being subjected to the same treatment that had been meted out to them by the previous governments.

While speaking to The Tribune, president of the HSGPC Jagdish Singh Jhinda confirmed that so far no decision had been taken as to which party the community should support nor any meeting had been scheduled to ponder over the matter.

Didar Singh Nalvi, general secretary of the HSGPC, also said that a general consensus over the issue of supporting a political party in the elections had not been reached so far. He said that there was a wide spread disappointment amongst the community over the non-fulfilment of the demands and this could affect Sikh voting patterns in the ensuing elections. 

Jind, September 20
Youths who couldn’t marry because of being jobless have formed a union to highlight their grievances and put forward their cases to the government.

The association known as Bachelors’ Union staged a demonstration here today demanding justice.

Over 30 youths, who have got together under this banner, first held a meeting and later staged a demonstration in protest against the “failure” of the state government to provide them jobs.

President of the union Pawan Kumar said it was the lopsided and wrong policies of the government that had forced them to waste their valuable time in doing nothing but making rounds of employment offices and private agencies to seek employment suiting to their qualifications.

The protestors, who reached the DRDA office here in a procession, claimed that their marriage had either been delayed or had lost chance of finding a good life partner due to the fact that they had been jobless.

Kumar announced that they would now act unitedly and would vote for that party or leader who would promise them to get a girl in marriage.

He said though many of the members had now bee employed in various organisations, they were unmarried due to overage.

They said they would vote for a person who would get them a wife.

Seeking a proper change in the employment policy, the union asked the government to ensure effective measures to counter the problem of unemployment both in urban and rural areas, as the number of educated unemployed youths had been increasing.

He said the government should be more liberal in providing financial aid to the educated unemployed or this would turn into a menace that could go out of control after a few years. 

Rohtak, September 20
The number of ticket seekers seems to have gone up for the Assembly elections.The Haryana Pradesh Auto Rickshaw Kalyan Sangh, a welfare body of autorickshaw drivers, has joined the league of those demanding a ticket for their representative.

The autorickshaw sangh in a press note, written to the Chief Minister, has sought a ticket for one of its members in the elections.

A spokesperson for the sangh, which operates several autorickshaws in the district and the state, claimed that the association deserved a ticket for its representative, as there were about 1.50 lakh autorickshaws in the state.

The autorickshaw drivers and their owners were capable of affecting the results in about 24 state Assembly segments as its association had about 15,000 votes in each of the segment, claimed the association.

The sangh wants the Congress to nominate its representative Tasvir Singh from the Kalanaur Assembly seat falling in Rohtak district, which was represented by former state Health Minister late Kartar Devi.

Meanwhile, advertisements by prospective candidates of various parties, including the ruling party, have dominated available space in various newspapers, especially Hindi dailies and their local editions, which it is claimed is the latest tactic to attract the attention of senior leaders and the public.

Some of the candidates have even put hoardings and banners on various issues in some of the cities and towns with a view to projecting them as leaders, said an activist of a party 

Sirsa, September 20
Justice Harbans Lal of the Punjab and Haryana High Court yesterday met members of the District Bar Association to ascertain their views on their agitation against the working and conduct of District and Sessions Judge HP Singh.

Local lawyers have been boycotting the court of HP Singh for the past over a month.

In a general meeting held on August 12, the District Bar Association had unanimously resolved that “no member of the Bar Association and their clerks would appear in the court of District and Sessions Judge, Sirsa, HP Singh henceforth.”

The Bar Association through a resolution had requested the Punjab and Haryana High Court to withdraw work from his court and order a thorough inquiry regarding his working and conduct.

Members of the Bar led by its president Suresh Mehta met Justice Harbans Lal yesterday and reiterated their earlier stand and also handed him a copy of the memorandum already given to the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

Meanwhile, a group of lawyers have come openly in support of the District and Sessions Judge and alleged that HP Singh had been targeted by a section of the Bar members due to a personal grudge against an individual.

“Meetings of selected lawyers are being called on the issue without informing all lawyers and there is a clandestine move to denigrate HP Singh to settle some personal score,” alleged Anil Bishnoi, a local advocate, who is leading a group of lawyers supporting Singh.

Interestingly, both factions of the District Bar Association have been claiming support of a majority of members.

Meanwhile, Mehta said they had been assured that a thorough inquiry would be held on the basis of their memorandum and the Judge would be transferred elsewhere within the next few days.

He claimed that the Bar had been suggested to cooperate in the “limited functioning” of the court till then, whereby no material work like bail and stay matters would be disposed of.

Rewari, September 20
The police has booked Inder Singh, a liquor contractor and proprietor of a liquor vend in Kanuka village, near here, on charges of cheating and forgery for allegedly submitting a manipulated bank challan of inflated amount to the excise and taxation authorities here.

A case under Sections 420, 467, 468, 471 and 120-B of the IPC has been registered against him on a complaint filed by Excise and Taxation Inspector Ranjit Singh.

Sources said while a cess amount of Rs 90,000 was deposited by the proprietor of the liquor vend in a bank here on August 18, the actual amount in the bank challan was fraudulently hiked to Rs 1,90,000 after which it was handed over to the authorities here.

Subsequently, following detection of the fraud, the inspector lodged a complaint.

Meanwhile, in another incident the police arrested Anil Kumar and his two accomplices - Tinku and Praveen - for the murder of farmer Lila Ram (45), who was done to death in Radha Ki Dhani village, 26 km from here, on September 11.

The accused, Anil, is a nephew of the deceased. They were yesterday produced in the court of JMIC Vivek Goyal, who remanded them in police custody for three days.

A senior police official said during interrogation Anil revealed that he along with his two accomplices had committed the crime owing to a land dispute.

Sonepat, September 20
Maharaja Agarsen was a true social reformer and provided equal opportunities to everyone in society. This was stated by Rakesh Aggarwal, chairman of Sunstar, while participating in Maharaja Agarsen Jayanti celebrations organised jointly by the Maharaja Agarsen Samaj Kalyan Samiti and all other Aggarwal institutions here today.

Rajiv Jain said the Aggarwal Samaj had not only contributed a lot in the progress and development of the country but had also played an important role in the freedom struggle of the country. On the occasion, in the memory of Dr Vijender Jain, students, who had obtained more than 85 per cent marks in matriculation and senior secondary examinations, were honoured and given scholarships by the Aggarwal samaj

Despite the pandemonium at the rally, there was a roar of applause whenever Mayawati made a point.

Jumbo chaos at BSP rally
Bhanu P. Lohumi
Tribune News Service

A BSP worker raises anti-Manhera slogans at the party rally in Jind on Sunday:Tribune photos: Ravi Kumar

Jind, September 20
Keeping rumours at bay, BSP supremo Mayawati today made clear that the party would go it all alone in all 90 assembly constituencies and if voted to power in Haryana, Man Singh Manhera would not be the Chief Minister.

On a scuffle between party workers and her private BSP security personnel, she remarked: “These men with banners sent by the Congress in an attempt to defame Manhera will make no difference.”

Addressing the first election rally, she said her rivals felt threatened by the increasing mass following of the BSP and warned the workers to remain vigilant against their nefarious designs to split votes. “Guard your vote as you would guard your womenfolk,” she said.

She lashed out at the Congress and the BJP for poverty and unemployment in the state. She said the problem of naxalism in India had arisen purely because of the discriminatory policies pursued by the Congress in states it had ruled for years.

She said the Congress had reduced the prices of petrol and diesel before the Lok Saba elections to get votes and had hiked the prices of essential commodities thereafter. The welfare of the common man was not on Congress agenda, the higher classes, especially industrialists, definitely were.

“The Congress has been using the poor man’s money in running advertisements projecting the state as Number 1 in the country,” she alleged.

Mayawati announced that persons of all religions and castes would be given the party ticket. “Our sole motive is to build a nation on the ideology of Ambedkar,” she declared, stressing that the BSP was above casteism and believed in equality.

“If voted to power, the BSP will develop backward areas in the state by making special policies and there will be no discrimination against any area in terms of jobs or welfare schemes,” she told 
the rally.

Chandigarh, September 20
With 90 assembly seats in Haryana, the Congress can accommodate only as many nominees on its party ticket. Despite this, there is hope for those turned away from the Congress doors. For, the Congress rejects could well be spoilt for choice this election.

In what promises to be an interesting five-cornered contest this election season, the doors of all four parties in the Opposition are still open. And, they are waiting.

So far, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced 55 nominees while the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) has come out with a list of 58 nominees. The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has announced its nominees for 74 seats while the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) is yet to come out with its “chosen pack of 90”.

Sources in various parties said none of the parties was willing to announce nominees for all 90 seats in the hope of netting prominent Congressmen who fail to find a place in the latter’s list.

“Nominees are aplenty. It almost seems that there are more nominees than the number of voters. However, we can’t be giving the ticket to all and sundry. We are awaiting the Congress list in the hope that some good nominees will come our way,” a BSP leader said. The party is likely to come out with its first list by tomorrow evening.

In the week gone by, opposition parties were hoping that the Congress would announce its list by mid-week, thereby facilitating the rejects, keen on contesting, to choose an alternative party. However, with the Navratras beginning and the Congress list nowhere in sight, most of the parties have announced their second list as well, still leaving scope for disgruntled Congressmen.

With the two alliances, between the INLD and the BJP and the one between the HJC and the BSP failing, each of the four opposition parties is in search of 90 “winnable” nominees, widening the scope for keen contestants.

The Congress, realising that an early announcement of chosen nominees could fuel trouble, seems to be in no hurry. Sources in the party said the party was likely to finalise its list shortly. “We realise that lots of Congressmen have pinned their hopes on the party. However, we have our limitations and can allot the ticket to only 90, most of them being sitting MLAs. Obviously, it will upset the hopefuls. We don’t want to take a chance,” a Congress leader stated.

Karnal, September 20
The Nationalist Congress Party which has announced it will contest 50 seats has released its list of 18 candidates. Choudhry Ved Pal, state president, said today that party president Sharad Pawar had approved the names of 18 candidates.

The party has nominated Narender Bazzad from Gannaur, Ajay Malik from Gohana, Jagdish Kharkhoda (reserved), Dalbir Singh Sheoran from Badhra, Sewa Nand Sharma Charkhi Dadri, Sanjay Kumar Pataudi (reserved), Maman Yadav Badhshahpur, Suresh Khola Kosli, Sudesh Rani Sharma Jagadhri, Ramesh Bhola Panipat city and Satwanti Israna (Reserved), Veer Bhan Gujjar from Kaithal, Roshan Lal from Gulha, Suresh Kumar Nalwa from Nalwa, Jagbir Singh Punia Barwala, Satya Wan Hansi, Gulzar Ambala cantonment and Dharma Singh Kamboj Yamuna Nagar.

Gurgaon, September 20
Ten office-bearers of the BJP, including district president Arun Maheshwari and district vice-president Kulbhushan Bhardwaj, today held a protest in front of the party office and submitted their resignations.

The party has announced Umesh Aggarwal as its nominee, which, they said, was not acceptable to them.They burnt an effigy of state observer Vijay Goyal.

State president of the women cell Anuradha Sharma said Aggarwal’s candidature should be reconsidered as he did not deserve the ticket.