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Vijay Bahuguna is third CM from Pauri
HN Bahuguna’s family members continue to be major political figures
Harish Rawat sulks after ‘betrayal’
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Chakrata Road traders lose patience, begin constructions
Day 2 of Annual Reunion
A rider at a horse riding competition at the RIMC annual function in Dehradun
on Tuesday. A Tribune photograph
Students’ Union celebrations at Shri Guru Ram Rai College
Municipal College students of Mussoorie gherao Principal’s office
DRCA win by 6 wickets
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Vijay Bahuguna is third CM from Pauri
Pauri, March 13 Vijay Bahugana’s elevation as Chief Minister reaffirmed the supremacy of this hill district in the state politics. Both Chief Ministers in the last BJP government, BC Khanduri and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, also hail from Pauri and have been contesting and winning the Assembly elections from the district. Khanduri hails from Margadna village (now Radha Ballabh Puram) in Pauri and his ancestral house is situated in the mid of Pauri city. He has been representing the Pauri Garhwal constituency since 1991. Nishank’s birthplace is Pinani village, 20 km from Pauri city, and before becoming active in the state politics he worked as an acharya (schoolteacher) in Saraswati Shishu Vidya Mandir schools in Pauri and Srinagar. Vijay Bahuguna’s ancestral Buggaini village is 30 km from Pauri in the Srinagar Assembly constituency. His father Hemwati Nandan Bahuguna used to frequently visit his village and the people remembered the ‘young’ Vijay, his sister Rita and brother Shekhar accompanying their father. In year 1991, when Vijay Bahuguna after his father’s death in 1989 decided to enter politics expressing his willingness to contest from his father’s traditional Pauri Garhwal constituency. But at the same time his maternal cousin, BC Khanduri, was also keen on making a political debut from his home constituency. However, as Vijay Bahuguna was not given the party ticket and Satpal Maharaj was declared the Congress candidate from Pauri, Khanduri decided to contest from the constituency on a BJP ticket. This forced Vijay Bahuguna to look for another constituency and he finally moved to neighbouring Tehri Garhwal. He had to initially face the ‘outsider’ tag and the Tehri Garhwal king dynasty factor as Maharaj Manvendra Shah had defeated him in 1998, 99 and 2004 parliamentary elections. But finally his intense fieldwork in the Tehri constituency and Maharaj Manvendra Singh’s death gave Vijay Bahuguna an opportunity and he defeated Raja Manujvenrda Shah, son of Manvendra Singh, in the 2007 byelections and later ace shooter Jaspal Rana in 2009. Senior advocate Mukesh Chandra Nautiyal recalls that during a function organised by the Uttarakhand Pradesh Congress Committee at the city party office in 1991 to felicitate Vijay Bahuguna he had advised him (Vijay) to enter politics with a vision to work for the people of the state and follow in the footsteps of his father, who is known as “Himalaya Putra”. Vijay Bahuguna had then told Nautiyal that he did not want the people to elect him due to his father’s political stature and asked them to vote for him on merit. Now, with two parliamentary wins to his credit, Vijay Bahuguna seems to have followed Nautiyal’s advice sincerely.
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HN Bahuguna’s family members continue to be major political figures
Nainital, March 13 It is not only his children Vijay Bahuguna and Rita Bahuguna Joshi, who are at the centrestage of politics, his nephew (sister’s son), Bhuvan Chandra Khanduri has just lost the post of the Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and also the polls for the membership to the state Assembly. The manner in which the members have made forays into the world of politics can lead one to presume that the Bahuguna family is the first family in the state. Bahuguna senior’s other protégés are amongst the key leaders in some of the other political parties in the state like the Samajwadi Party. Both the siblings, Vijay and Rita, have made a niche for themselves in the world of Congress politics. While Vijay went on to win the last parliamentary poll on the Congress ticket in 2009 and was declared the Uttarakhand Chief Minister on Monday, Rita has led the state unit of the party in Uttar Pradesh. Politicians in the state point out that the name Bahuguna carries a lot of political weght even today in both Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Affiliates and protégés of Bahuguna senior can still be found amongst the top ranks in all political parties in the two states. It was after the death of the stalwart, who had contested and represented the Congress as well as other Socialist forces like the Congress for Democracy that later merged into the Janata Party, Democratic Socialist Party and the Dalit Mazdoor Kisan Party, that his children had joined the Congress on being persuaded by none other than the former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Initially, both of them had left the Congress after a While Vijay had gone back to the legal profession, Rita had gone on to join Mulayam Singh, who had also been a protégé of Hemvati Nandan Bahuguna. Rita had then gone on to become the Mayor of Allahabad, a seat from where her father had begun his political journey by winning the Assembly election from Barah in 1952. She won as an Independent that was supported by the Samajwadi Party. She had later contested a parliamentary poll on the party ticket in 1999 and then on a Congress ticket in 2009 unsuccessfully. After her return to the Congress she led the All India Mahila Congress for several years before she was made the Uttar Pradesh president and entrusted with the job of reviving the party’s electoral fortunes in the state.
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Harish Rawat sulks after ‘betrayal’
New Delhi, March 13 Minister for State for Agriculture Harish Rawat, who sent in his resignation from the Union Council of Ministers to Congress president Sonia Gandhi last night after Bahuguna’s candidature was announced, said he will not split the party, adding that he “was working under the umbrella of the Congress party.” He was also quick to point out that he had the support of half the legislators and denied that he had met BJP president Nitin Gadkari. “A Congress general secretary said I only had the support of six MLAs.... how come such few legislators attended the swearing-in ceremony ,” Rawat pointed out. At least 14 MLAs, owing allegiance to him, are camping in Delhi and were closeted at Rawat’s residence through the day. Rawat maintained that he essentially wanted to prove that he enjoyed the support of the majority of legislators and that the party leadership had been unfair in overlooking his claim. This is the second time that Rawat has been denied the chief minister’s post. He was similarly pipped to the post 10 years ago by veteran Congress leader ND Tiwari. His loyalists pointed out that Rawat is particularly upset as he was specifically told that the next chief minister would be picked from among the MLAs as the party did not want to face two byelections, which would become necessary if an MP was chosen.It then went ahead and picked sitting Lok Sabha MP Vijay Bahuguna. It appears that Bahuguna was the front-runner from the very start and that his sister UP Congress president Rita Bahuguna Joshi resigned her post to clear the way for her brother’s elevation. While a firm Congress leadership ignored the revolt and went ahead with Bahuguna’s swearing in, AICC general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad called up Rawat to placate him and suggested that he would be elevated to Cabinet rank and his supporters would be accommodated in the new Uttarakhand ministry.A senior Congress leader maintained that this storm would blow over in a day or two and that Rawat would return to his ministry. While the party put up a brave face, the revolt in the Uttarakhand unit has upset the Congress leadership as it comes close on the heels of the drubbing it received in the recently-concluded Assembly polls. There is also a lurking fear that Rawat may follow in the footsteps of party rebel Jaganmohan Reddy, whose exit from the Andhra Pradesh has eroded the party’s support base in the state. Even if Rawat relents, the new Chief Minister will have a tough time running the government as long as a large number of legislators remain hostile to him. As it is, the Congress has only 32 MLAs in the 70-member Assembly and managed to form the government with the help of seven outsiders, including three Independent members.The BJP, which has 31 legislators, is not going to sit back and is bound to fish in troubled waters.
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Chakrata Road traders lose patience, begin constructions
Dehradun, March 13 Kishore Kumar, shopkeeper, said: “The shopkeepers have been sitting idle, waiting for MDDA to take a stand on the area of the land to be left for parking space before the demolished portion for more than three months but nothing happened till date. We are under intense strain as our families are suffering with acute financial problems. We have no other solution left for us but to start the construction by leaving the two-metre space as In muted tone, he said the officials would keep mum until the new state government gave fresh directions over the issue. It seems the officials also do not want to burn their hands by taking any decision, which may provoke the shopkeepers and adverse reaction from the new state government. They appeared to have adopted wait and watch policy at the moment. In reality, majority of the traders are also not leaving two meters space but following their own wishes by leaving two feet to three feet. Others who have little space left have built shops by leaving no space altogether and having entrance on the back side as was dictated by MDDA when this issue arose for those who had very little land left. But even in such cases, no permission has been taken from MDDA before doing so. Vishal Gupta, a shopkeeper, said: “ The shopkeepers are feeling encouraged from their colleagues who have begun constructions. With the majority doing so, the solidarity factor has further emboldened their resolve.” Anil Chamoli said the shopkeepers were well aware that after Congress took over the reins of the power, it would take time in either taking decisions over controversial issues such as Chakrata widening, or might issue re-allotment. In both the cases, the matter was going to stretch for many more months ahead, which would directly mean disaster for the business of traders, who were on the verge of penury for losing out on business for the last three months. MDDA Vice-Chairman did not answer phone calls made to him to take his version on the matter.
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Rare show of fellowship between RIMC alumni, cadets
Tribune News Service
Dehradun, March 13 Most of the alumni had reached while many came with their families and enjoyed these sports while clapping, hooting and laughing in unison. The seniormost, who coveted top positions, were revered by their juniors. This sort of get-together was a rare sight to enjoy and appreciate. The day had begun with wreath laying, fly past ceremony and a group photograph session. Then came the horse show. The young cadets of the RIMC left the audience spellbound with their excellent performance in horse riding and crossing all hurdles in their strides. The fewer hurdles where either some of the horses refused to jump over or fell aside evoked instant reactions from the audience. Amit Kumar Rai, Class XI student, who won the trophy for the Best Rider, said, “All boys were equally good but I was certainly lucky today that I got all jumps right and won the trophy.” The old boys judged the horse show. With the yellow gas spreading out of a nozzle inside the ground area, everyone was prepared to see the thrilling sky diving show. Four boys could be seen hovering in the sky and gracefully descending on the ground amid the dignitaries who clapped thunderously in appreciation. Colonel Vikas Singh, who led the show, said, “The boys jumped from 6000 ft and opened their parachute at the height of 4000 ft. It is not a difficult task for them as by now they are master in it but were also cautious in not making a bad fall before the luminaries.” Swadesh Trikha gave away the annual scholarship to the children of IV class employee of the institute in rememberance of her son Flight Lt Maheesh Trikha who became a martyr during the Operation Meghdoot when his Cheetah helicopter crashed while landing in Siachen Glacier on August 16, 2002. Lt Gen SK Singh, Vice-Chief, gave away commendation cards and medals to Lt Col Ambrish Tiwari, CS Vishwakarma, Brijesh Chauhan, PK Jain and Cadet Capt Harsh Arora, all giving exemplary services for RIMC. Brigadier Jasbir Singh, who bore bullet injuries in a leg in the 1971 war, is now dependent on wheel chair and seemed resplendent about the reunion. So was former Chief of the Army Staff General VN Sharma who took a quip on the recent controversy arising between the current Army Chief and the Defence Ministry over his age. He advised, “The relations must not be spoiled. It is indeed the prerogative of the Defence Ministry to select the officers for the top post.” Arun Mamgai, the longest serving commandant for seven-and-a-half years of the RIMC, is still passionate about the welfare of the institute. He said, “The job of a commandant is very demanding. One needs to put in lot of hard work which means not giving enough time to the family.”
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Students’ Union celebrations at Shri Guru Ram Rai College
Dehradun, March 13 SGRR College Principal Prof VK Borayee said due to excellent education environs, most toppers of the region preferred undertaking their college studies at SGRR College. He said apart from academics, the college also gives importance to extra-curricular activities. SGRR Students Union president Sakendra Rawat, general secretary Rohit Negi, vice-president Puja Negi and other office-bearers were present on the occasion. The first day of the celebrations saw cultural dances.
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Municipal College students of Mussoorie gherao Principal’s office
Mussoorie, March 13 The agitated students raised slogans against the college administration and demanded an explanation on not receiving the funds allocated by UGC for students from weaker sections. The UGC had started a project under which the training and expertise was imparted to the students by the guest speakers after college hours so that they are able to compete with other students in the competitive exams such as IAS etc. To motivate the students UGC had also made financial arrangements for the students who had their residences in far-flung areas from the college. The students, raising slogans against the college administration, entered the Principal’s office and sought an explanation on the delay in distribution of the UGC funds meant for students. Acting Principal Sudhir Gairola showed ignorance on the whole issue and said that as he received the charge of Principal on 14th February this year, he was not aware of what went on in past. He also said that the previous Principal RS Shukla still had not released the keys of the office where the concerned files were kept. So he was in no position to speak on the issue. He also said that RS Shukla, who has been relieved from the duty by the managing committee president, in this case Municipal Council president OP Uniyal had not given the keys of the lockers where the files were kept. RS Shukla, when contacted, said that he was illegally removed from the post of Principal of the college and even the High Court had reinstated him in the order passed today. Refuting the charges of bungling with the UGC funds amounting to Rs 22 lakh, he said that most of the amount had been utilised for the benefit of the students and the remaining, which was to be given to the students as the transportation fund, would be provided once he took full-fledged charge of the college in a few days. He also said that all the money was accounted for and would be presented after complete audit; so there was no question of siphoning of the money meant for students. The university representative, Anit Kumar, lamented the fact that the students were suffering in the fight for the coveted post of Principal in the college. He warned that if the funds meant for students are not provided by the college administration at the earliest, they would be forced to carry out mass-scale agitation to the extreme of closing down the college. It is worth mentioning that Dr RS Shukla was removed from the post after he reached his retirement age of 60 in the college but Shukla, citing the new guidelines of extending the retirement age to 65 years, did not relieve the charge and approached the High Court.
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DRCA win by 6 wickets
Dehradun, March 13 DRCA easily achieved the target score, thereby ensuring 6-wicket win for itself. Saurabh with unbeaten 39 runs was the highest scorer for DRCA team.
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Vijay Bahuguna today took oath as the seventh Chief Minister of Uttarakhand. He also became the third Chief Minister from Pauri Garhwal district in the last 12 years.
Old boys and cadets of Rashtriya Indian Military College (RIMC) exhibited a rare fellowship by participating in a horse show, sky diving and cricket match together on the second day of the Annual Reunion which also coincided with the 90th Founders Day on Tuesday.
The Municipal College students in Mussoorie gheraoed the Principal’s office, demanding the funds amounting to Rs 22
lakh, for which they had been entitled under a project introduced by the University Grants Commission today.
The agitated students raised slogans against the college administration and demanded an explanation on not receiving the funds allocated by UGC for students from weaker sections.
