Chandigarh, March 11
The Opposition today forced the treasury benches to amend a resolution on the BML-Hansi-Butana link canal. The resolution was brought in the Vidhan Sabha by the government in response to a unanimous decision by the House on the matter on March 5.

The INLD, expressing serious reservations on the canal, had agreed to support the resolution if the government also brought another resolution condemning the Punjab Termination of Agreement, 2004, which abrogated all inter-state river water agreements.

Interestingly, the resolution on the Hansi-Butana canal was amended after it was declared passed unanimously by Speaker Kuldeep Sharma! Sharma yielded to the Opposition demand for a discussion on the resolution after he had declared that the resolution had been passed.

The Opposition expressed opposition to the word “manifesto” in the resolution, moved by Irrigation Minister Ajay Singh Yadav. The INLD and the BJP said their support was to the resolution, not the Congress manifesto.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Randeep Singh Surjewala threatened that if the Opposition had any objection to the resolution, the government would withdraw it. Surjewala said the INLD wanted to back out of the resolution on flimsy grounds because it did not want the canal.Chautala said he was not opposed to the canal but had certain reservations such as whether it was technically feasible and from whom the money would be recovered if the project failed.

Surjewala said if Chautala withdrew his objections to the canal, the treasury benches would agree to delete the word “manifesto” from the resolution. Chautala said his reservations had been removed by the government’s assertion that the canal was technically viable. The contentious word was removed from the resolution.

The Opposition then demanded that it be mentioned that it was an all-party resolution. Hooda pointed out that this was implicit from the fact that the resolution was passed by the “House” that consisted of members from various parties.

It may be mentioned that Sirsa, the home district of the Chautalas, Fatehabad and Hisar get more water than the other districts.

The resolution on the Punjab Termination of Agreement Act, 2004, said it was unconstitutional and urged the Union Government to pursue the matter in the Supreme Court. The resolution was passed without any debate.

Later at a press meet, the Chief Minister thanked the Opposition for agreeing to pass a unanimous resolution on the Hansi-Butana link canal and the Sutlej-Yamuna link canal. He said now all apprehensions about the Hansi-Butana link canal had been put to rest.

“The picture is clear now and nobody will be able to mislead the public about its importance,” he added. He said the resolution would strengthen the state’s case. Hooda said that he hoped that the Opposition would rise above the party politics and support the government in the interest of the state while maintaining that the INLD had been opposing the Hansi-Butana Link canal all along.

Hisar, March 11
Even as the Jats demanding reservation continued to block rail tracks at three places in the district for the sixth day today, the administrative, social and political ramifications of the agitation are becoming evident.

That the agitation is being spearheaded in Haryana by the greenhorn in Jat politics and in Uttar Pradesh by second-rung leaders is not without reason.

The mainstream political parties are wary of openly supporting the stir for fear of antagonising the non-Jat voter.

Although Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda says he has written to the Centre suggesting that Jats be included in the OBC category in Haryana, the Congress party has refrained from openly supporting the agitation. No non-Jat Congress leader has spoken in favour of the stir.

The INLD has also not lent open support to the agitation though considered a predominantly Jat party. Former Chief Minister Om Parkash Chautala had spoken in favour of reservation on an economic basis when the first phase of the stir was launched at Mayyar village in September last year.

There is no denying the fact that there is no justification in keeping the Jats outside the ambit of the OBC category when their counterparts in the neighbouring Rajasthan have been given the benefit of reservation in government jobs.The same goes for the Jats in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

Economically, the Jats in Haryana are only marginally better off than the Jats in Rajasthan. Predominantly an agrarian community, they have been at the receiving end for decades with their land-holdings shrinking and income from agriculture sliding. But the comparison ends there.

Unlike the Jats in Rajasthan, the community is socially and politically dominant in Haryana and accounts for 28 per cent of the state’s population. Though officially no statistics are available, it is generally believed that over the years, the Jats have cornered a majority of government jobs in the general quota.

That the state has been ruled for long periods by Jat chief ministers has certainly helped.

A veteran political leader from a non-Jat community said: “We fear that if they (Jats) get reservation, they will be doubly benefited.

They will continue to corner jobs both in the general quota and the reserved quota. This will spell doom for the other communities.” This sentiment is shared by all the non-Jat communities.

The agitation is likely to have a serious political fallout with the non-Jats steering clear of the Congress if the party is perceived as backing the stir.

New Delhi, March 11
Even as the Jat community continues to agitate demanding reservation in the OBC category, two Jat MPs put their weight behind the agitation by supporting it in Parliament here today. The Congress MP from Rohtak and son of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Deepender Hooda, and RLD MP Jayant Chaudhry, the son of its president Ajit Singh, joined hands in a rare show of solidarity across party lines to forcefully demand inclusion of Jats in the reserved OBC category.

Jayant Chaudhry complained during Zero Hour of discrepancy against Jats in some states and at the Centre. He pointed out that while in Uttar Pradesh Jats get the benefit due to the Backward Classes in the Centre, they are denied the privilege of OBC reservations. He mentioned how the Jats had been out on the streets in Haryana for over a week now, seeking inclusion in the OBC category at the Centre and stressed that the government should immediately concede their demands to end the agitation peacefully.

Promptly Deepender Hooda rose to support Jayant Chaudhry’s demand, saying that this would be the best way to bring the current agitation of Jats to an end.

The Jat Arakshan Samiti and All India Jat Mahasabha are currently leading agitations in Haryana and parts of UP adjoining Haryana.

Their grouse is that while the Jats of Rajasthan, Himachal, UP and even Delhi enjoy the benefits of reservation, Jats in Haryana are denied this facility.

Panipat, March 11
The kin of Aarti and Gaurav, who had attempted suicide by consuming some poisonous substance, today blocked the NH-1 demanding registration of a case against Priyanka, who had implicated them in a dowry case recently.

While Aarti died today, Gaurav continues to struggle for life at a hospital. Gaurav and Aarti were recently booked in a dowry case filed by the former’s wife Priyanka.

The family members alleged that they had been falsely implicated in the case. They contended that Priyanka should be booked for forcing the two to attempt suicide.

Meanwhile, senior police officials reached the spot and persuaded the protesters to lift the blockade after assuring them that appropriate action would be taken against the accused.

In another incident, four armed robbers reportedly looted Rs 15 lakh from the owner of a textile mill late last night.

The incident took place on the premises of GG Spun Textile Mill when four armed miscreants wearing masks broke into the office and looted Rs 15 lakh. The robbers even fired six bullets into the air before they fled from the spot.

At the time of the crime, owner of the mill Satish Gupta, his younger son Mohit and his nephew Sushil were counting the cash, which was to be given as salaries to the factory workers. According to the police, one of the factory workers tried to get hold of one of the robbers, but he managed to run away.

It is being suspected to be a handiwork of someone who has worked in the factory. The eyewitnesses told the police that the robbers spoke Bihari and knew the factory premises quite well.

Panipat, March 11
The district court has issued arrest warrants against four police personnel accused of committing atrocities on two Dalit women while interrogating them in a theft case.

The in charge of the Bohali police post, Balbir Singh, constable Hakam Singh, constable Reena and EHC Rajbir had absconded after they were asked to report at the Police Lines following the registration of a case against them on March 3.

The two Dalit women, Neelam and Jaiwanti, had alleged that they were subjected to torture by the police personnel while they were being quizzed regarding a theft in the house of an official of the local refinery.

Vibha Sood, Director of the National Commission for Scheduled Castes, who was in town today, met the aggrieved women.

She sought a report from the district police chief on the progress made in the case. Expressing her displeasure, she asked the district police chief to ensure that such an incident did not recur.

Hisar, March 11
Three brothers were shot dead in broad daylight in the Barah Quarter area of the town today. Mohan (30), Pardeep (20) and Joginder (18) lived together in one house following the death of their father a few years ago. Mohan was married.

According to initial investigations, Mohan had gone to get his mobile phone recharged from a nearby shop three days ago.

There he had an argument with two shop owners, Pawan and Ketan.

Mohan returned home and told his family that Pawan and Ketan had threatened to kill him. On the advice of his brothers, he reported the matter to the police the following day. According to witnesses, the three brothers were standing outside their house in the afternoon when they were shot at by Pawan and Ketan from close range.

They were rushed to the local General Hospital where they were declared dead on arrival. Some witnesses said Pawan and Ketan were accompanied by four young men. All of them came on three motor cycles.

Neighbours claimed that the three brothers and the assassins had a long-standing family dispute. However, the police is not convinced. It feels Mohan would not have gone to the shop of his enemies for recharging his mobile account.

Faridabad, March 11
Three children of a family were allegedly kidnapped while they were returning home from school here today.

The three boys - Yogender (3), Rohit (6) and Udai (11) - students of Green Field School in Old Faridabad area, were returning home along with their sister (12). They are residents of a nearby village, Fatehpur Chandela.

According to the police, a stranger, wearing dark glasses and a hat, told the children that their parents had asked them to accompany him to purchase clothes for them. The sister refused to go with him, but the boys left her and accompanied him. The stranger took the boys towards the nearby railway line.

A case has been registered. The incident has created a stir in the town as the school is located near a police chowki.