Pataudi, October 5
Two babus (retired bureaucrats) are pitted against each other in the Pataudi assembly constituency (reserved), which is the lone reserved seat in Gurgaon district.

Resham Singh, who is a retired Indian Police Services (IPS) officer, and Kripa Ram Punia, a retired Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officer, are contesting the elections from this reserved seat. They are among 17 candidates, who are contesting from here.

Resham Singh is trying his fate on the BJP ticket while Kripa Ram Punia is a candidate of the Rashtriya Janhit Party, of which he is the national president.

Resham Singh was an IPS officer of the 1977 batch while Punia is from the 1963 IAS batch.

Resham had worked as the SP in Ambala, Sirsa, Kurukshetra, Sonepat, Rohtak, Gurgaon and many other places. He had remained on the post of the ADC to the Haryana Governor.

He was also awarded the police medal in 1995 and President’s Medal in 2003. He retired from the post of the Additional Director General of Police (ADGP), Haryana. After retirement, he chose to try his hand in politics and is now contesting the elections for the first time.

The other incumbent - Kripa Ram Punia - had been in this field since long. He was selected as the IPS officer in 1962 before becoming an IAS officer. On being selected as an IAS officer in 1963, Punia left the training for the IPS midway.

Punia has worked as the SDM in Mahendragarh and Ferozpur Jhirka during joint Punjab days and also remained as the DC.

He opted for voluntary retirement from service (VRS) from the post of commissioner on January 23, 1987, to enter into politics. He worked as minister during the time of Devi Lal. He says that he had been in touch with the people of Pataudi even when out of power.

Babus adopting politics is not new in Haryana as former Union Minister of state for Home ID Swamy, a retired IAS officer, have been contesting on the BJP ticket and Bahadur Singh, retired HCS officer, had remained education minister in the regime of Om Prakash Chautala. However, now he is with the Congress.

Chandigarh, October 5
Senior Congress leader Birender Singh is facing one of the toughest electoral challenges of his life. From his traditional seat of Uchana Kalan in Jind district, he faces none other than former Chief Minister and president of the INLD Om Prakash Chautala, who has been accusing the government, in which Birender Singh is the Finance Minister, of “regional imbalances in development”.

Birender Singh, who does not hide his ambition to become CM, does not agree.

In an interview with The Tribune, he said it was the first responsibility of any elected representative to work for the development of his area. This is what he had to say.

Q: Are you a claimant for the Chief Minister’s post?

A: Once Rajiv Gandhi himself wanted to make me the Chief Minister. Unfortunately, he was assassinated before his wish could be fulfilled. Today my first priority is to ensure a big victory for my party. After the elections, whatever our leader Soniaji will decide, will be acceptable to all of us. I can only assure my constituents at this stage that whichever responsibility will be given to me, I will continue to serve them.

Q: What development works were initiated in Uchana during the past five years?

A: Several important development works were undertaken here in the past five years, including 121 drinking water and sewerage schemes, seven new electrical substations, irrigation schemes worth about Rs 900 lakh, 25 health schemes, Rs 2000 lakh for five model villages and paving of village streets and Rs 120 crore for roads.

This is just a small percentage of what I want to do for the people of my constituency.

Q: Why did Chautala decide to contest from Uchana? Was he encouraged to do so by the poor performance of the Congress during the Lok Sabha elections from this assembly segment?

A: Chautala wants to destroy the grassroots leadership of the Bangar belt of the state. First he tried to do so in Narwana. Now he has come to Uchana for this purpose.

The people of my constituency, who have tested me for years, understand his designs very well and they have not liked it. This is the reason that the grassroots leadership of every community in Uchana has joined hands with me to ensure that in the future Chautala does not dare to undertake any misdemeanour in Uchana.

As far as the Lok Sabha elections are concerned, I tried my best to help my party. But sometimes people get annoyed with particular individuals. After all this is democracy and I cannot force my will even on my die-hard supporters.

Q: How do you rate your performance as the Finance Minister?

A: It is for the people to rate my performance. I can only say that today Haryana is one of the best financially managed states in the country. As Finance Minister, we cut unnecessary expenditure and raised more revenue.

The extra money earned was used in strengthening infrastructure and to increase employment opportunities.

The revenue deficit which was Rs 1,540 crore in 1998-99, was converted in a surplus of Rs 2,023 crore in 2008. Haryana is the first state which does not take overdraft from the RBI.

During my time as Excise and Taxation Minister, several concessions were given to various sections of society without putting extra burden on the poor and the middle class.

Karnal, October 5
Parting of ways with the BJP notwithstanding, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala has said he is not averse to alliance with any non-Congress party to keep the party out of power.

“We are confident to win a majority in the assembly elections, but even if improbable happens and we fall short of majority, the INLD will not be averse to alliance with any non-Congress party,” said Chautala, who was here today to campaign for party candidate Ashok Manik.

He said the INLD did not believe in politics of cast and religion and added that in case it failed to form the government it would safeguard the interests of people, especially the poor sections .

Claiming that the political environment in the state had changed after the Lok Sabha elections, he said the rural vote bank of the INLD was intact while the urban voters, who had drifted away from the party, due to imposition of VAT had realised the folly of aligning with the Congress. He said the popularity of the ruling party was on the decline and infighting had further eroded its support base.

Referring to the issue of separate gurdwara prabandhak committee for Haryana, he said it was purely a religious affair of the Sikhs and accused the Congress of politicising the issue by including it in its poll manifesto.

He said to give relief to traders, the INLD, if returned to power, would do away with multiple forms and even scrap Form 38.

Yamunanagar, October 5
Accusing the State Election Commission for ignoring their complaints against the Congress, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala today said they had lost faith in the independent functioning of the State Election Commission. Therefore, as a protest, the INLD would not to send any complaint to it.

At a press conference here, he said they had made a complaint against the Congress candidate from Sirsa district who had not filled his nomination form properly. Later, all formalities were completed at the candidate’s residence with the help of the Sirsa administration. However, the EC did nothing on the complaint.

Besides, Chautala claimed the state police was deliberately not making adequate security arrangements at INLD’s public meetings.

Earlier, addressing a gathering to seek votes for Dilbag Singh, Chautala promised jobs for youths, better facility and round-the-clock power.

Ellenabad (Sirsa), October 5
Congress has intensified its campaign in Ellenabad assembly seat, where Bharat Singh Beniwal, party’s MLA from Darba in the dissolved assembly is facing Indian National Lok Dal Supremo Om Parkash Chautala among others.

Kunal Bhadoo, son-in-law of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda campaigned for him today, as well as on Sunday.

Bhadoo, a native of Abohar in Punjab, has many relatives in this constituency.

“Our predecessors came from Rajasthan and several Bhadoo families are settled in Ellenabad area, while others had settled in Abohar area,” Kunal said, and maintained that Beniwal would win this seat comfortably.

“INLD could have managed a lead of 1,279 votes in the parliamentary elections but that time the BJP was supporting them. Now, the saffron party has fielded its own candidate in Amir Chand,” Bhadoo said. He added that the election scenario is different this time after Congress bagged 9 out of 10 seats in parliamentary elections.

Meanwhile, Malkiat Singh Khosa and Anil Khod, both aspirants for Congress ticket, have also joined election campaign of Bharat Singh Beniwal, giving it a new boost.

Campaigning in various villages of Ellenabad, Bhadoo stated that the people of Haryana had discarded Om Parkash Chautala and he had no future now. He said the fact that Chautala was contesting from Uchana proved that he had not faith in the electorate of Ellenabad. Meanwhile, Abhey Singh Chautala, today campaigned for his father in Ellenabad.

“Chautala’s victory from here is a foregone conclusion. The only thing that remains to be seen is the victory margin,” Abhey Singh claimed in his meetings. He asked villagers to vote for him and to elect him by a record margin.

Haryana Janhit Congress candidate Devi Lal Beniwal and BSP's PS Khosa have also intensified their campaign.

Panipat, October 5
Rohtak MP Deepinder Hooda today held a road show in a number of villages of the Panipat rural constituency to seek votes for sitting MLA Parsani Devi.

Accompanied by local leaders, the Chief Minister’s son visited Ganjbar, Badoli, Budsham and Brahman Majra.

Throwing his weight behind Parsani Devi, Hooda claimed that she was in a strong position as were other party candidates and the Congress was set to return to power.

Interacting with the voters, he highlighted the development works carried out by the Congress government.

He spoke of various projects undertaken by the government and the loan waiver to farmers.

Deepinder said he was hopeful that people of the constituency would support the Congress, as they had done in the Lok Sabha elections when his party had bagged nine out of 10 seats.

He said the fact that several leaders of rival parties had either deserted their parties or joined the Congress indicated that the Congress was on firm ground.

Ambala, October 5
“We believe in a secular state,” said BJP leader LK Advani while addressing a gathering late this evening at Ambala Cantt in favour of BJP candidate Anil Vij.

Exhorting the people to vote for the BJP, he said many years ago they had elected Sushma Swaraj, who was now a senior leader. Today, they had an opportunity to catapult Vij into a similar position.

“Fourteen years ago, I had come to support Vij and even today I am with him. He is a deserving candidate who has proven his mettle,” he stated.

Advani challenged the Congress candidate to an open debate with Vij.

Advani, who spent an hour here, made no reference to his party’s failed alliance with the INLD or the SAD. He neither had a dig at the INLD nor the SAD in his speech.

On price rise, he suggested, much to the delight of the crowd, that they should hand over sugar and dal to Congressmen when the latter extend their hands for vote. Advani said they did not believe in caste or family politics unlike other parties.

His party had always followed democratic tradition.

Anil Vij, a former legislator, who earlier addressed the gathering, highlighted the work done by him as an Independent MLA. He vowed to do much more.

Fatehabad, October 5
In a significant development, the local unit of the Bahujan Samaj Party today decided to support Pahlad Singh Gillankhera, a Congress rebel contesting the Fatehabad assembly seat as an Independent. Ram Singh Fauzi, zonal convener of the BSP, today confirmed that the local unit of the party had decided to support Gillankhera.

The BSP had nominated its district president Anil Kakkar as its candidate from Fatehabad, but he put the party in an embarrassing situation by withdrawing from the field on the last date for the withdrawal of papers.

Kakkar later extended support to Dura Ram and cited the non-seriousness of the state leadership as the reason for his withdrawal.

Sanjay Sharma, state secretary of the BSP, had, however, alleged that Kakkar had been won over by Dura Ram.

Fauji maintained that state-level leaders of the party had authorised the local unit of the party to support any Independent. He said the decision had been taken at the local level and the state leadership of the party had been informed.

He said party workers in the area would work wholeheartedly for Gillankhera now.

Sources said the decision of extending support to Gillankhera had been taken on the initiative of BSP state general secretary Sanjay Sharma, who is contesting from Tohana.

In exchange for the BSP’s support, Gillankhera wpi;d campaign for Sharma in Jat-dominated villages like Jandli and Nadori, which were earlier parts of Fatehabad and have now gone to Tohana after delimitation.

The decision of the local unit of the BSP is being considered significant in Fatehabad, where Congress nominee Dura Ram is facing stiff challenge from INLD’s Swatantar Bala Chowdhary, HJC’s Ran Singh Beniwal and Congress rebel Gillankhera, besides candidates of the BJP, the CPM and other Independents. Gillankhera, a Kiran Choudhry supporter, was an aspirant for the Congress ticket, but it went in favour of Dura Ram.

Chandigarh, October 5
Congress leader and Talwandi Sabo legislator Jeet Mohinder Sidhu today questioned the “double standards” adopted by the SAD and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal by aligning with the INLD in Haryana despite the latter’s known stand on the SYL Canal.

In a statement issued here, Sidhu said Badal owed an explanation to the people of Punjab as to what were his compulsions to support the INLD, which had been aggressively pursuing the SYL that would take away a major portion of the Punjab water. “This is nothing but double standards of Badal, who opposes the SYL in Punjab and supports it in Haryana by way of supporting the INLD”, Sidhu pointed out.

Referring to Badal’s claims that the SAD had supported the INLD minus the SYL, Sidhu asked, “Has Badal sought a guarantee from the INLD and the Chautalas that they will support his (Badal’s) viewpoint on various pending issues between the two states?”

Sirsa: Film actors, including Rati Agnihotri, on Monday campaigned for Gopal Goyal, alias Gopal Kanda, MDLR Airlines chairman and Independent candidate from Sirsa. Actors Chitrashi and Vidya of “Chak De India” fame, Bharti, alias Lalli, and Saloni of ‘Laughter Challenge’ sought vote for Kanda at a meeting at Shaheed Bhagat Singh Chowk here. Kanda said several prominent actors from popular soap “Balika Vadhu” would also come to Sirsa on October 9. — TNS