PM attacks state govt for not utilising central funds
Rajeev Khanna

Rudrapur, January 20
Emboldening the Congress campaign for the coming state Assembly poll in Uttarakhand, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh has underlined that only the Congress has the “experience and the ability” to deal with the challenges which the nation is facing.

In a strong political speech delivered at a rally held here today at Gandhi Maidan, Dr Singh attacked the BJP government in the state for having failed to utilise the funds given by the Centre for the welfare of the marginalised sections of society like the minorities, the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, women and children. He also underlined that only the Congress understood the ideal functioning marked by a coordination between states and the Centre.

Dr Singh’s presence in Udham Singh Nagar was important from several perspectives. To begin with, this is the economic hub of Uttarakhand where both industrial and agricultural development have taken place.

Secondly, there is a presence of a sizeable number of Punjabi and Bengali population that was resettled here after the Partition.

Referring to his address to the nation earlier this year wherein he had listed various challenges being faced by the nation, including poverty, challenges of health, economic security, environment security, energy security, etc, Dr Singh said, “While casting your vote, you must keep in mind which party is capable of meeting these challenges. Only the Congress has the ability and the experience to deal with these problems.”

Attacking the BJP government in the state, he said the development initiated by the Congress regime in the state was brought to a standstill by the BJP.

“I am told that the central funds meant for the development of the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes, the minorities, women and children are not being utilised. On the one side, the unemployed youth is resorting to hunger strikes and on the other there are a large number of posts of teacher lying vacant. Corruption has been prevailing and no step has been taken to check the migration of the youth to other parts of the country,” he said.

He came up with a list of initiatives taken by the UPA government at the Centre for the development in the state while substantiating his claims with relevant statistics.

The Prime Minister also recounted the new initiatives take by the government led by him at the national level like the RTI, the RTE, the MGNREGA and the extension of Mid-Day Meal scheme.

State unit Congress president Yash Pal Arya, party candidates from Haldwani and Rudrapur Indira Hridayesh and Tilak Raj Behed, also spoke on the occasion along with the local parliamentarian KC Singh Baba.

Sidelights

Jo boley so nihal...

Manmohan Singh was able to strike an instant chord with the people of Rudrapur. He was greeted with wild cheers when he recounted how he was personally attached to the Terai area of Uttarakhand. He related how he had spent an initial period of his life in Haldwani. Apart from the regular slogan of ‘Dr Manmohan Singh Zindabad’ the crowd resorted to the slogan more identified with Sikhism “Jo boley so nihal, Sat Sri Akal….” Dr Singh was seen waving to the noisy crowds at length.

PM’s arrival a relief for Behed

The sound of the chopper carrying the Prime Minister dispelled the fear that fog could play a spoilsport and once again Congress workers would have to be content with listening only to the state leaders just like when Congress president Sonia Gandhi had failed to turn up at a party rally in Haldwani a few days back as the weather had prevented her departure from Delhi. The arrival brought more relief to the Congress candidate from Rudrapur seat Tilak Raj Behed as failure of Dr Singh to come would have meant a double blow to him.

BJP bashing on a high

When it comes to giving a new nomenclature to the rivals, the politicians never disappoint. This time around it was left to the local leader Indu Mann who is also known for her oratory to do some BJP bashing. Having attacked the state government for having failed on all fronts, she said, ”The BJP stands for Bhrashta (Corrupt) Janata Party.” This drew cheers from the crowds who had turned up in large numbers”.

Rudrapur a fortress

The town had been turned into a fortress on the occasion of the Prime Minister’s visit. Not only had the area where Dr Singh was to move been sealed two hours prior to his visit, the inter-district and inter-state traffic had also been diverted since 9 am. In addition to this, the shops on the main roads around the bus-stand had also been shut. The presence of a large number of policemen had been witnessed in the town over the past two days. But the enthusiasm of the locals on getting an opportunity to listen to the Prime Minister prevailed over the inconvenience being faced by them.

 Almora unit of BJP dissolved
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, Janaury 20
Taking strong action against members of the Almora BJP district unit for indulging in anti-party activities, Uttarakhand BJP chief Bishan Singh Chuphal today dissolved the District Working Committee.

According to Mayank Gupta, general secretary, BJP Uttarakhand, the members who have suspended include Arvind Singh Bisht - district president of the BJP working committee, Mahesh Bisht - president city (unit), Champa Pande- secretary, Uttarakhand BJP Mahila Morcha, Nirmala Joshi- district vice-president, Sandeep Srivastav, secretary (district) and Manish Joshi - general secreatry (city).

Besides Chandan Singh Mehra former district president has also been suspended.

 Roads built in violation of code of conduct
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, January 20
Election Commission observers have taken notice of the construction of small roads by the BJP and Congress candidates in the Pithoragarh constituency in violation of the code of conduct and forest laws to please voters.

“The issue has been brought to my notice and I have asked the District Election Officer to inquire into the matter,” said SK Viswas, an observer for the seat.

According to information, the candidates have started constructing small roads without permission. “The Congress candidate Mayukh Singh Mahar has reportedly constructed a 1.5 km road from Nirara to Maithana villages near the town with his own money, thus violating the code. BJP candidate Prakash Pant has violated it by constructing a 250 metre road from Bans to Jajurali villages in the Chandak area,” said a source in the District Election Office.

At both places the work on sanctioned roads has been stopped by the construction agency due to lack of forest clearance. “Therefore, it is not only a violation of the model code of conduct but also of forest laws,” said the observer.

“We have sent a team of officers to both areas. It will submit its report in two or three days and if any violation of the model code of conduct is established, the commission will be informed accordingly,” said RD Paliwal, returning officer of Pithoragarh.

 Kaushik in spot as Team Anna to raise Mahakumbh fund scam
Sandeep Rawat
Tribune News Service

Haridwar, January 20
With Team Anna camping in Haridwar and urging the people ‘not to vote’ for corrupt or tainted candidates, state Cabinet minister Madan Kaushik is in a spot as he is being targeted by rival parties for his alleged role in the Mahakumbh fund scam.

Team Anna had made it clear that though it would not name any party or candidate, it would urge voters not to vote for any candidate who had been involved in corruption cases.

As the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) report had cited the misuse of Rs 200 crore of Mahakumbh funds and Kaushik was the in-charge of the Kumbh mela, Team Anna would surely raise the issue at public rallies and campaigns.

Further, Kaushik’s alleged role in the murder of a beauty parlour operator, Neelam, had rocked the state politics a few years ago. Recently, Congress supporters had raised the murder case during an open debate with Kaushik, resulting in violence at the venue.

Kumar Vishwas, a core member of Team Anna, told The Tribune that they would be raising the Mahakumbh fund scam as their purpose was to generate awareness among the voters and urge them not to vote for corrupt candidates.

This is a setback to the BJP as the party has been thinking of using Team Anna’s presence and the latter was primarily to campaign against the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre.

Kaushik, who is contesting from the Haridwar city seat, said, “When it comes to corruption, people visualise the Congress. The eight-year rule of the UPA government at the Centre and the tenure of the ND Tiwari-led Congress government in Uttarakhand witnessed several scams and corruption cases instead of development activities.

He refuted charges against him in the Mahakumbh fund scam. He added that as the Opposition could not counter him, it was levelling baseless allegations against him. “Voters of Haridwar will elect me for the third consecutive time to testify development works carried out by me,” Kaushik said.

While Congress candidate Satpal Brahamchari, whose clean image has been instrumental in getting him the party ticket, said the people had realised that Madan Kaushik had given them nothing as far development was concerned.

“The coffers of district leaders of the BJP as well as the party high command have been filled with the Kumbh funds, annual funds of the legislator and despite Rs 755 crore earmarked for Mahakumbh, the city does not justify its tag of a world-class religious and spiritual tourist place,” said

Brahamchari, whose tenure as chairman of the Haridwar Municipal Corporation, is regarded as the best, cleanest and development oriented. Ardh Kumbh was also held during this period.

While the returning officer for the Haridwar city seai, Jyoti Yadav, said they would be closely monitoring the rally and the campaign of Team Anna to ensure that the model code of conduct was not violated and all its expenses were tallied with the account of NGO People Against Corruption.

 Inclement weather hits campaigning
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, January 20
Inclement weather has hit the campaigning process as the candidates are forced to restrict their movements due to cold conditions prevailing in both the hilly and plain areas of the state.

The problem is more acute for candidates who are banking on the star campaigners to lift their canvassing.

On Wednesday, BJP national president Nitin Gadkari was forced to address the voters in Haridwar through cellphone. Chief Minister BC Khanduri also had to cancel his rally in Kotdwar.

With the weather department predicting cold weather conditions in the coming days, the candidates will have a tough time canvassing. 

 BJP govt has fulfilled most of poll promises, says Khanduri
BD Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, January 20
Chief Minister BC Khanduri has claimed that the BJP government in the state has fulfilled most of the 182 promises made to the people since 2007. Khanduri was addressing a public meeting on the Ramsay ground in Almora town today.

He said only 22 promises remained unfulfilled and they were also being fulfilled. “The Congress does not believe in fulfilling its election promises,” alleged Khanduri. “The Congress government eight years ago had promised to open an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Rishikesh in the state, but it did not fulfil the promise despite the UPA government getting a second term at the Centre,” he said.

Khanduri promised to the people of Almora that if voted to power his government would open three medical colleges in the state. “We have announced a policy under which the youth belonging to BPL families will be able to pursue medical education in the state for Rs 7,500 per year,” he said.

The Chief Minister promised to give a corruption-free government and initiate infrastructure development in the next five years. “I promise only what I can fulfil,” said Khanduri.

The BJP leader had blamed the Congress for inciting the masses in the state and playing emotive politics. “The Congress has a record of playing with the emotions of the people rather than catering to their demands,” Khanduri.

 Bedi, Kejriwal to campaign for honest candidates 
Sandeep Rawat/ TNS

Haridwar, January 20
With the anti-graft team of Anna Hazare set to launch a campaign in favour of honest candidates, the election battle in the state has become more interesting.

Core group members of Anna Hazare --- Kiran Bedi, Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sishodiya and Kumar Vishwas --- will be campaigning in the state on January 21, 22, 27 and 28 in support of candidates, irrespective of party affiliation, who are honest and have a clean image. They will also campaign in other four poll-bound states of Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Manipur and Goa.

Their drive to urge voters to cast vote to honest candidates irrespective of the party will begin in Haridwar tomorrow.

A public rally will be organised at Bandhan Palace at 3 pm which will be attended by all core members of the team except for Anna who will be coming to Haridwar on January 27 depending upon his health condition.

After Haridwar, Team Anna will move to Garhwal, where they will be organising similar public rallies at Rudraprayag, Haldwani and Srinagar. Discussing about Team Anna’s plan, Kumar Vishwas said they would be seeking mandate for those candidates who had a clean image as their sole emphasis was to ensure that “corrupt” persons did not enter the state Assembly.

He said they would urge the voters to evaluate the past and corruption-free record of candidates of their respective Assembly segments.

“Earlier, our campaign was against a single party. However, now we have decided to seek votes for only honest candidates irrespective of their party affiliation. Our focus is to ensure that in all poll-bound states, honest candidates win and voters show the exit door to dishonest and corrupt candidates,” said Vishwas, while finalising the itinerary of Haridwar tour of their team members.

With “closeness” increasing between Anna Hazare and yog guru Ramdev, Team Anna will also be getting support from activists of the Bharat Swabhiman Trust, a social organisation of Patanjali Yogpeeth. He also lashed out at the Congress, the BJP, the Samajwadi Party and the BSP for not being sincere on the Lokpal Bill issue and adopting “double standards”. 

Gangolihat battlefield for Geeta Thakur, Narain Ram 
B.D.Kasniyal

Pithoragarh, January 20
The Gangolihat Assembly segment, the only reserve seat (SC) in the district, would be the battlefield for Geeta Thakur of the BJP and Narain Ram of the Congress. They are facing each other in Gangolihat where five other candidates - Narain Ram Sanguri of BSP, Jyoti Rani of Lok Janshakti Party, Bachi Ram Kohli of the Uttarakhand Raksha Morcha and Dinesh Arya of UKD (P) - are seeking the mandate from the constituency where the number of Schedule Caste voters is more than that of any other seat in the district.

The BJP candidate Geeta Thakur has contested the seat as an Independent candidate in the elections of 2002 when she lost to Narain Ram of Congress. Geeta, who had sought ticket from Congress that year fought as Congress rebel, lost by a thin majority of 500 votes in 2002 elections, and after having been expelled from the Congress, she joined the BJP. She was made vice chairperson of the state SC\ST Commission. Geeta could get the party ticket only after sitting MLA Joga Ram showed his reluctance to contest on health grounds.

The Gangolihat Assembly seat has a total of 84,809 voters, out of which the number of male voters is 43,302 and female voters is 41,507. These voters have been divide into 145 polling booths of the area.

Geeta Thakur claimed that she would win the seat as 80 women voters will vote for her in this election. “My priority will also be to make womenfolk of the Gangolihat area powerful enough to sustain their families and get their children good education,” said Thakur.

Joga Ram, the sitting MLA of BJP, who has been accused by the locals of spending his time out from the constituency after getting elected as a MLA in 2007, claims to have constructed the lift drinking scheme for the Gangolihat town and elevated the village market of Gangolihat to the nagar panchayat.

But the people of the area do not agree with this logic of their sitting MLA and allege that the MLA, a retired Income Tax Commissioner, has his family in Lucknow and remained with his family most of the time.

“Despite being the original resident of Thama village of Berinag, Ram even did not visit his village in the last five years,” allege Suresh Upreti, a villager from Kunjanpur village of Gangolihat.

But the Congress candidate, Narain Ram, a former chairperson of state SC/ST Commission, has a lot of allegations against the BJP rule. “During the Congress rule, not only the lift drinking scheme for the town had been sanctioned but buildings for Rajiv Gandhi and Kasturba Gandhi Navodaya Vidhyalaya were also sanctioned, but the BJP stopped the works, ” claimed Narain Ram.

The Congress candidate said that if elected from the area, he will not only give priority construction of these buildings but also resume work on the lift drinking water scheme for the town. “Besides these priority schemes, I will also resume work on the three main motor roads of the area, including road from Lohathal to Tolathal, Dausauli to Ukhrali and Maraknali to the interior village of Ganura in Bel Patti, which had been approved by the Congress Government in 2004 but stopped by the BJP,” alleged Ram.

Narain Ram blames the BJP sitting MLA for not taking the welfare of the poor people of the candidate in mind despite being himself from a poor family of the area. “Except promoting scams in the funds and in the budget allocated for disaster repairs, the BJP MLA did nothing for the area,” said the Congress candidate.

 Standard procedure for dealing with unaccounted cash, gold
Rajeev Khanna
Tribune News Service

Nainital, January 20
The Election Commission of India (ECI) has come up with a standard operating procedure (SOP) for dealing with unaccounted cash, gold and other valuable assets detected by flying squads and static teams during the process of the on-going electoral exercise in the five poll bound states, including Uttarakhand.

In a letter addressed to the chief election officers of the poll-bound states, commission’s secretary SK Rudola stated: “Concerns are expressed about the inconvenience being caused to the general public, small-time traders and farmers regarding seizure of cash by flying squads and surveillance teams, while performing their duties to check flow of illegal or unaccounted cash in the ensuing Assembly elections.”

He stated that in order to avoid genuine hardships to small traders/ farmers, the commission has considered the above and has partially modified the SOP.

It has been clarified that if the flying squads and surveillance teams find any cash with links to any political party or a candidate and criminality is suspected that it may be used for distributing among the electors, then the cash is to be seized irrespective of the amount.

It has been further clarified that if the cash found is up to Rs.2.5 lakh with no links to any candidate or political party and no criminality is suspected as mentioned above, and the cash is being carried with proper documents as regard to it’s source and end-use, then the cash will not be seized.

However, the documents that are to be collected before the release of the cash include any evidence as to the identity of the person like the Permanent Account Number (PAN) card, proof of residence, office or

business address, explanation about source of the cash, like the copy of the bank withdrawal slip, passbook etc., purpose for which the cash is being carried and any proof thereof.

The letter further states: “The above information is to be collected in the specified format and shall be forwarded to the Nodal Officer of the Income tax Department on the same day for further verification.”

If the cash found is above Rs 2.5 lakh with no links to any candidate or political party and no criminality is suspected, then the Income Tax authorities shall be involved in all such cases before the release of any such cash and the Income Tax authorities shall consider prompt action for seizure of the cash in accordance with the Income Tax laws if they find the amount not duly accounted for.

Rudola stated: “ I am directed to request you to bring the amended provisions of the SOP to the notice of all concerned for information and strict compliance.”

 Heart diseases among women on the rise: Expert

Dehradun, January 20
Due to an unhealthy lifestyle, more and more young women are becoming susceptible to heart diseases, said an expert. Shedding light on the unhealthy practices being followed by youth, including women, Dr Anurag Rawat, cardiologist, Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust, said inactivity and faulty diet were some of the reasons for the onset of the heart diseases.

“The major concern is that the heart disease has shown to affect Indians 5-10 years earlier than their western counterparts. This fact is crucial as around 50 per cent of our population is below the age of 25 years,” he said.

Dr Rawat said young women might reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular disease simply by eating more fish rich in omega-3 fatty acids. He cited a population-based study on women in childbearing age; those who rarely or never ate fish had 50 per cent more chances of cardiovascular problems than those who ate fish regularly. — TNS