Hisar, October 7
As the sun begins to rise, a steady stream of assorted vehicles start arriving at a large mansion in Sector 15 here where the INLD for the Hisar Lok Sabha seat, Ajay Chautala, is putting up during the campaign. By the time Chautala is free from his morning chores, about 500 supporters have already gathered.

The supporters wait outside patiently, smoking bidis feverishly. They exchange notes about the impact of Chautala’s tour on the previous day. Most of them are carrying a green scarf or a green towel which is the colour of the INLD flag.

This band of dedicated supporters forms the core of the INLD cadre. They come with their home work done and are ready for another gruelling day of campaigning.

As soon as Chautala is ready, many of them are summoned inside for a feedback session. A seasoned campaigner, Chautala spends about 30 minutes with them.

Depending on their suggestions, Chautala will fine tune his day’s programme.

Minutes later, Chautala emerges from the mansion. Dressed in impeccable whites, he lodges himself in an SUV. His supporters make a dash towards their vehicles.

Chautala heads for Dhani Shobha village near Hansi, about 25 km away. As he reaches the venue, a large crowd rushes towards his car to greet him. His supporters have a hard time controlling the crowd. Within minutes he is covered by garlands up to his forehead. He bows before the elders and shakes hands with the younger villagers.

He does not mince words when he speaks. He prefers plain talk which goes down well with his audience. “So you are enjoying all the attention you are getting from the Congress and the HJC. But tell me how many times these leaders have visited you since the last time they sought your votes,” he asks. The crowd responds with “kade bhi na” (never) in unison. Chautala knows he has scored a brownie point.

He then raises his voice and says “there is jungle raj in Haryana under Hooda. You are facing an acute shortage of water and electricity. A bag of fertiliser that cost Rs 477 six months ago now costs Rs 970. But because of short supply, you buy it in the black market for Rs 1,200. They have raised diesel price by Rs 14 and another hike is in the offing. Life has become hard for us farmers”.

He terms HJC as ‘Team B’ of the Congress. “They have the same culture. They are masters at conning voters. But do not let them succeed. It is time to say goodbye to both the Congress and the HJC. Usher in change. If you elect me, your party will be back in power even before 2014,” he adds.

The elderly among the crowd raise their sticks called ‘doga’ in local parlance as a gesture of their approval. The youngsters raise slogans in his favour. Chautala begins to walk towards his SUV. But his supporters surround him and assure him of their support. He thanks them all and boards his vehicle.

Chautala’s next stop is Sheikhpura, followed by Dhani Chhattarpur. The cavalcade departs leaving behind a trail of dust. At Sheikhpura, he targets the Congress. He accuses Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of “inequitable distribution of development funds”. “This was not so during the INLD rule. The entire state was treated as one entity and funds were pumped in as per needs of the area concerned. In his heart, Hooda knows his party is losing. That has made him desperate. Give the opponents a push and assure yourselves of a better future,” he says.

By the end of the day, he has covered about a dozen villages. On reaching Hisar, he meets supporters from other parts of the state who have come to express support. The meetings continue till late in the night. By the time he retires to his bedroom, it is midnight. 

Chandigarh, October 7
Namesakes seem to abound in Haryana's poll politics. While Bhajan Lal, a stalwart of Haryana's defection-ridden politics, had to contend with five of them in the 2008 assembly elections, his son, Kuldeep Bishnoi, is faced with four namesakes in the Hisar Lok Sabha byelection.

Among the 40 candidates in the fray for the October 13 byelection, Kuldeep Bishnoi, who is contesting as a HJC-BJP candidate, has four opponents with the same name.

While three of them have registered their names as just “Kuldeep”, another one is called Kuldeep Malik. All four 'Kuldeeps' are Independent candidates.

The contest is a tough one for the three main players-- Kuldeep Bishnoi (HJC-BJP candidate), Ajay Chautala (INLD), and three-time former MP Jai Prakash (Cong).

Stakes are high for all three parties and their candidates. Hisar is the only seat the Congress could not win out of the state's 10 Lok Sabha seats in the May 2009, general election. Three-time Chief Minister Bhajan Lal had won the seat by around 7,000 votes against the INLD and the Congress.

Besides the three main candidates, there are six from registered political parties and 31 Independents in the fray.

Bhajan Lal had to face five namesakes when he contested the Adampur assembly seat in the last assembly poll in May, 2008. In Haryana's politics, it is said that namesakes are propped up by vested interests to confuse voters about the main candidates. But, in Bhajan Lal's case in 2008, the trick hardly worked. All other Bhajan Lals got a combined votes were just 461- the highest one managing 137 votes and the lowest 60. — IANS

Chandigarh, October 7
The Haryana Congress has reacted sharply to the call given by Anna Hazare to voters of the Hisar Lok Sabha constituency not to vote for the Congress in view of the latter’s failure to support the Jan Lokpal Bill drafted by the civil society.

In a statement issued here today, Congress spokesman Ved Prakash Vidrohi said Anna had shown his true face to the people by giving such a statement and the façade of his being a social worker and crusader against corruption had been blown.

Vidrohi said the Congress had garnered political support for Anna’s demands and was instrumental in passing a resolution in Parliament regarding his demands. His three demands regarding the Lokpal Bill were sent to the standing committee by the Congress alone. The Congress had also given an assurance that it would try by all means to get this Bill passed in the winter session of Parliament. By not waiting till the winter session and asking the voters to not vote for the Congress, Anna had proved that there was a political agenda behind all the movements organised by him.

The Congress spokesman said in Hisar, the INLD candidate had been charge-sheeted in two corruption cases by the court, HJC-BJP nominee Kuldeep Bishnoi’s father, Vidrohi alleged, was the “father of political defections” and was the pioneer of corruption in Haryana.

Vidrohi said by asking the voters not to vote for the Congress, Anna was indirectly supporting the corrupt, which had put a question mark on his credibility. He said Anna should know that when Om Prakash Chautala was the Chief Minister, he diluted the Lokpal Act. 

Chandigarh, October 7
The state government has constituted a state-level committee for the implementation of the Prime Minister’s New 15-Point Programme for Welfare of Minorities and the Multi-Sectoral Development Programme in minority-concentration districts.

A spokesman of the Social Justice and Empowerment Department said the Chief Secretary would be the chairperson of the committee. Its other members included the Financial Commissioner and the Principal Secretaries of departments of Social Justice and Empowerment, Women and Child Development, Finance and Planning, Institutional Finance and Credit Control, Technical Education and Industrial Training, Home, Power Department, Water and Sanitation, Health Department, Agriculture, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Education and Languages, Development and Panchayats and Urban Local Bodies.

The Director General of Police, Higher Education Commissioner, Commissioner and Director General School Education and State Project Director, Haryana Prathmik Shiksha Pariyojna Parishad, the directors of the departments of Rural Development, Urban Local Bodies, Industrial Training and Vocational Education, Technical Education, Institutional Finance and Credit Control, Social Justice and Empowerment, Women and Child Development, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, Agriculture, Institute for Human Development, NIDM Building IIPA Campus, IP Estate, Mahatma Gandhi Road, New Delhi; and the Director-General, Health Services, would also be on the committee.

While Special Secretary, Home, would be the member-secretary of the committee, the Engineer-in-Chief, Public Works (Sanitation and Water Supply) Department, MD, Dakshin Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam, Project Director SJSRY and State Urban Development Society, Chief Executive Officer Mewat Development Board Mewat, Deputy Commissioners of Mewat and Sirsa and the head of the lead bank of the state would also be its members.

Non-official members of the committee included Ashok Tanwar, Deepender Singh Hooda and Ishwar Singh, all MPs; Aftab Ahmed and Anil Dhantori, both MLAs; Mandeep Singh Gill, Nambardar Surat Singh Sandhu, Amarjeet Singh Laddi Virk, Khurshid Ahmed, Ayub Khan Sehrawat and Gurnam Singh Jhabbar. The committee would review and monitor progress of the Prime Minister’s 15-point programme. It would also consider and recommend the multi-sectoral development plans for districts with concentration of the minorities to the Union Ministry of Minority Affairs. The committee would meet at least once in a quarter.

Manesar/Gurgaon, October 7
Production at the Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL) came to a halt yet again as a number of workers struck work and sat on a dharna at the plant this evening.

The reason for strike this time is the company management’s move of not taking back the contractual/ casual workers after the recent standoff having been resolved following tripartite talks among the management, workers and state government functionaries.

Regular employees at the Manesar plant as well as workmen of other industrial units expressed solidarity with the agitating contractual workers. Hundreds of regular workers also staged a protest demonstration on the premises of the Manesar plant. “It is unfair not to take back the casual workers as only the permanent workers have been allowed to resume duties,” said Anil Kumar, president, Suzuki Motorcycle India Employees Union.

However, the MSIL management maintained that taking back the contractual staff was a “non-issue”. “We are gradually ramping up our production at Manesar, including our new 2.5 lakh-capacity Manesar B-assembly plant. Many of the contractual workers are likely to be absorbed in the expanded operations. This has been communicated to the contractual workers through their employers,” the company said in a statement.

The company further stated that the striking workers had not put forward any demand before the management, and alleged that the protesters had also beaten up some non-striking workmen. “This action by the workers clearly violates the agreement that they themselves had signed with the management on October 1, in the presence of the Haryana Government. It is a breach of faith.... a mockery,” the statement added.

Meanwhile, production at the local plants of Suzuki Motorcycle India Ltd, Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd (which supplies diesel engines to MSI) and Satyam Auto was also reported to be hit as the workers halted operations in solidarity with the agitating MSIL workmen.

Sirsa, October 7
The Haryana Government has initiated an inquiry into the incident of gifting of an Alto car to the Transport Manager, RS Poonia, on his transfer to Fatehabad last month.

Confirming, Lajpat Rai, General Manager of the Sirsa depot of Haryana Roadways, said the Joint Commissioner, Transport, Kamlesh Bhadoo, had been entrusted with the inquiry by the government.

Bhadoo is expected to visit Sirsa anytime next week for this purpose.

Eyebrows were raised when some workers of Haryana Roadways presented a new Alto car to the Transport Manager during his farewell party after he was transferred to Fatehabad last month.

The incident had surprised many as gift of a car by subordinate staff getting modest salaries to their boss was never heard of before.

Even Rai had taken exception to the practice of accepting costly gifts from workers on the plea that it would breed corruption in the department.

“If senior officers start accepting expensive gifts from their subordinates, how will they be able to stop them from corrupt practices in future,” Lajpat Rai had said in his speech during the farewell party attended by officers of some other departments too.

Both Poonia and leaders of the three unions representing the roadways workers had defended the gift.

Poonia had maintained that the workers had gifted him the car out of their respect and affection for him, while the workers’ representatives had maintained that the gift was purchased out of funds collected from more than 700 workers of the depot. 

Sirsa, October 7
Taking to “Annagiri” for one’s grievances against those at the helm may sometimes lead one to jail for the offence of “awaragardi” (loitering around).

This is precisely what happened to Darvesh, a student of the Commerce Department of Chaudhary Devi Lal University here, who is lodged in jail for the past two days for “awaragardi” only because he sat on a dharna outside his teacher’s room against a notice served on him for shortage of lectures.

The incident happened on Wednesday, when a police party from the local city police station “picked” Darvesh, a resident of Dharondi village in Jind district, from the department and booked him under Section 109 of the CrPC (security for good behaviour from suspected persons).

Darvesh had brought his mattress and pillow in the department and had staged a dharna outside a classroom in the department.

Suresh Pal, SHO of the City Police Station, said that he had received a message from the police control room that a student was not letting his teacher and other students come out of the room.

He said the police asked him to call his parents, but he refused to do that.

“We had no option, but to send him to jail, as we feared he could have committed suicide in case he was left outside,” said Suresh Pal.

The SHO added that Darvesh was produced before a magistrate yesterday and was sent to jail as none came forward for his bail.

Surender Kundu, Chairperson of the department, said Darvesh had been creating indiscipline by coming late to the classes for the past some days.

He said he went to the extent of confining him and other students in the classroom on October 5.

The Vice-Chancellor, Dr KC Bhardwaj, maintained that the student appeared to be mentally sick.

Bhardwaj said there were complaints of misbehaviour against him from other students, including girls and he had not attended the minimum required lectures.

He said the teachers had asked him to call his parents, but he refused to do so and started harassing teachers as well students by confining them to a room. 

Kaithal, October 7
The Dalits of Badsikri Kalan village, tired of a long agitation and over a month-long dharna in the mini-secretariat here, had to call off their agitation on Wednesday following an assurance by the Deputy Commissioner, Amneet P Kumar, to look into their demands.

The protesters were demanding a CBI probe into the death of a Dalit, Rulha Ram, who was allegedly beaten up by a liquor contractor and his men on the night of August 2. Later Rulha Ram succumbed to his injuries in the local multi-speciality hospital. Following the incident, hundreds of Dalits blocked the NH-65, passing through the town, on August 4 leading to high tension and forcing the deployment of a heavy police contingent.

Those sitting on dharna in the mini-secretariat here for the past over one month demanded a CBI probe into the incident besides a compensation of Rs 20 lakh to the family of the deceased, arrest of the remaining three accused and registration of a case under the SC/ST Act against the then SHO, Kalayat, for the alleged delay in registering a case against the accused. They also demanded employment for the wife of Rulha Ram and withdrawal of a case registered by the police against about 250 persons for resorting to a road blockade. Those agitating further demanded an inquiry into the alleged negligence of hospital doctors and staff while treating an injured Rulha Ram.

Even after a considerable time passed, the demands of the Dalits have remained unfulfilled and they have withdrawn their agitation on an assurance given by the administration, said Rameshwar Fauji, state president of the Dalit Sangharsh Samiti. 

New Delhi, October 7
The University of Texas in the US has named its School of Management after Indian parliamentarian and industrialist Naveen Jindal, recognising his achievements in the fields of entrepreneurship and public service.

The recognition will lead to the establishment of the Naveen Jindal Institute for Indo-American Business Studies, a press release said.

Jindal earned his MBA from the university in Dallas in 1992. He was also the university’s student government president and got the student leader of the year award while studying there, the release said. The varsity's School of Management had earlier signed a MoU with Jindal Global Business School (JGBS) to develop collaborative initiatives on faculty and student exchange programmes, teaching and research projects, conferences, publications and continuing education programmes. — PTI