Dharamsala, May 5
The Himachal Government has issued directions to its officials against referring Ogyen Trinley Dorjee as Karmapa.

The government has also withdrawn the letter written to the Una district administration in which the Home Department had referred Ogyen Trinley Dorjee as Karmapa. A fresh letter has been issued to the Una administration stating that the case should be withdrawn against Ogyen Trinley Dorjee, local sources said.

The District Attorney in his application filed in a Una court had already dropped the title of Karmapa before his name. The said action of he state has come after a letter received from the Centre objecting to referral of Ogyen Trinley Dorjee as the Karmapa in a communication of the Himachal Government.

The Centre had recently written to the Home Department of the state objecting to referral of Ogyen Trinley Dorjee as the 17th Karmapa.

Ogyen was referred to as Karmapa in a communication for withdrawing the criminal case filed against him in a Una court.

The said episode has once again brought to the fore the internal rivalry between Karma Kagyu sect teachers Tai Situ Rinpoche and Shamar Rinpoche.

Tai Situ is believed to have managed the escape of Ogyen from China in 1999. He wanted to take him to the Rumtek monastery in Sikkim that is the traditional seat of Karmapa’s or black hat Lama’s in India.

The assets of the monastery are pegged at nearly Rs 1,500 crore. However, the Centre did not allow the Karmapa to move to Rumtek allegedly under the influence of Shamar Rinpoche. Shamar, who was the second in command to the 16th Karmapa, is at present in control of the Rumtek monastery.

He has installed Thaye Trinley Dorjee as the 17th Karmapa and is questioning the authenticity of Ogyen.

However, Ogyen, who has been staying at Dharamsala in a monastery owned by the Central Tibetan administration, has also been recognised by the Dalai Lama.

He is only a reincarnated lama who is recognised both by the Dalai Lama and the Chinese Government.

Sources here said the Shamar was still lobbying with the Dalai Lama to get his Karmapa recognised.

He allegedly wrote to the Dalai Lama in December last year requesting him to recognise Thaye Trinley Dorjee as the real Karmapa.

The sources added that after the recent breakout of the Karmapa controversy, the Tibetan authorities had urged the Indian Government to settle the controversy and recognise Ogyen as the real Karmapa. Many followers of Ogyen had also requested the Centre to allow him to visit Rumtek.

The permission has, however, not been given as yet.

Recently a Tibetan NGO had also challenged the move of the Himachal Government to drop the criminal charges against Ogyen in the state high court. The court, however, rejected the plea. The plea was filed by his rivals.

The Central Tibetan Administration here, however, also recognises Ogyen as the 17th Karmapa.

Shimla, May 5
With Deputy Mayor Harish Janartha opting out of the race for getting the party ticket for the post of Mayor, the Congress has again decided to field its Mayor Madhu Sood for the top post in the first direct elections being held for the top two posts in the Shimla Municipal Corporation (MC).

The meeting of the election committee of the Congress was attended here today by all senior leaders, including Union Minister Virbhadra Singh, State Congress chief Kaul Singh and CLP leader Vidya Stokes.

“With Janartha himself withdrawing his candidature, it was unanimously decided to field the sitting Mayor, Madhu Sood, for the post of Mayor,” said Kaul Singh. He added that the party had decided the name of Devinder Chauhan for the post of Deputy Mayor.

The Congress had received 11 applications for the post of Mayor, with the name of Janartha, a die hard Virbhadra loyalist being among the frontrunners. In fact, Sood had herself opted out of the race for getting the party ticket for the post of Mayor by stating that since the seat was open this time she would not seek the party ticket.

In fact, at one point of time there was even talk of Sood being fielded by the BJP in case she did not find favour with the Congress.

It is the HPCC chief who has backed the candidature of Sood the most as he had been in favour of fielding her right from the outset.

Janartha, decided to opt out of the race at the last minute, thus making it convenient for Virbhadra to accept the candidature of Sood.

The Congress nominee for the post of Deputy Mayor, Devinder Chauhan, is also considered as a Virbhadra man. The party has given ticket to three of its councillors - Usha Lakhanpal, Mahender Singh Chauhan and Surinder Chauhan.

Out of the total 25 wards, 13 seats have been reserved for women. The list of Congress nominees for the Shimla MC is - Ward No. 1 (Bharari) Rashmi Bhardwaj, Ward No. 2 (Ruldubhatta) Aman Deep Chauhan, Ward No. 3 (Kaithu) Anjana Mehta, Ward No. 4 (Annandale) Jaiwanti Devi, Ward No. 5 (Summer Hill) Veen Thakur, Ward No. 6 (Totu) Nidhi Bhatia, Ward No. 7 (Boileauganj) Usha Lakhanpal, Ward No. 8 (Tutikandi) Uma Kaushal, Ward No. 9 (Nabha) Shashi Shekhar (Chinnu), Ward No. 10 (Fagli) Rakesh Kuku, Ward No. 11 (Krishnagar) Bawana, Ward No. 12 (Ram Bazaar) Sushma Kuthiala, Ward No. 13 (Lower Bazaar) Uma Verma, Ward No. 14 (Jakhu) Atul Gautam, Ward No. 15 (Menmore) Roshan Lal Verma, Ward No. 16 (Engine Ghar) Sushnat Keprate, Ward No. 17 (Sanjauli) Sonia Chauhan, Ward No. 18 (Dhalli) Mahender Singh Kanwar, Ward No. 19 (Chamiyana) Mahender Singh Chauhan, Ward No. 20 (Malyana) Kuldeep Thakur, Ward No. 21 (Kasumpti) Sushma Chauhan, Ward No. 22 (Chhota Shimla) Surinder Chauhan, Ward No. 23 (Patiyog) Deepal Rohal, Ward No. 24 (Khalini) Parveen Kumar and Ward No. 25 (Kanlog) Alok Pathania.

Shimla, May 5
The high court verdict and imposition of fine on JP Industries in setting up its cement plant has led to a blame game by the two main political parties, the Congress and the BJP, with both blaming each other for shielding and granting undue favours to the corporate house. The BJP as well as the Congress lost no time in addressing the media with their sides of the story.

“It was the previous Congress regime which allowed change of land use and giving community land for the plant without seeking NoC from local panchayats,” said state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti.

He defended the decision of his party to regularise the plant by charging about Rs 5 crore by stating that this was done in public interest.

“Since the direct and indirect employment of locals depended on the project, our regime did not consider it wise to cancel the cement plant which had already come up,” he remarked.

“I admit there could have been some negligence on the part of some officials while allowing the thermal plant though as a policy decision the cabinet had approved it,” he remarked.

State Congress chief Kaul Singh on the other hand took the Congress to task by stating that the BJP regime reversed the policy decision taken by the Congress with regard to a thermal power plant.

“What were the compulsions in allowing a thermal plant in a hydropower-rich state when it is an established fact that thermal power leads to a lot of environmental pollution,” he quipped.

The CPM said the JP cement plant was a perfect example of the nexus between politicians and bureaucrats.

“The JP company has flourished in Himachal due to the generosity of the BJP regime that has been shielding and protecting all wrong deeds of the JP group,” said Rakesh Singha, State Secretary of the CPM.

Tikku Thakur, spokesperson for the Himachal Lokhit Party, also accused the Dhumal regime of showering undue favour on the JP company.

Shimla, May 5
Accusing the BJP regime of showering undue favours on JP Industries, the Congress today sought details of the total funds provided by the company to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) and the expenditure incurred on putting up of 5,000 hoardings of its president Anurag Thakur, BJP Lok Sabha MP.

Addressing a press conference here today, Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee president Kaul Singh Thakur alleged that the BJP regime had been extra magnanimous towards the JP company as it had been granted favours in gross violation of norms.

“The BJP government gave over 50 bighas of land identified by the Congress regime for setting up of Central University in Dharamsala to the HPCA for construction of a five-star hotel,” he alleged.

Kaul Singh demanded details of funds provided by JP Associates to HPCA, headed by Anurag.

“The BJP should make public disclosure of the total expenditure borne by the JP group on putting up 500 hoardings of Anurag across the state,” he said.

He said questions were also being raised on the manner in which JP Industries had been allowed to enhance its generation capacity of the Karcham Wangtoo Power Project in Kinnaur to 1,200 MW despite being accused of causing immense environmental damage.

“How could the BJP regime allow felling of over 11,000 trees for the laying of transmission line to evacuate power from the Karcham Wangtoo project,” he quipped.

Dharamsala, May 5
Former Congress minister and senior leader from Kangra Vijay Singh Mankotia, who fought many political battles over the issue of Kangra district, today supported the demand for the creation of new districts.

In an exclusive interview with The Tribune, Mankotia said: “Creation of three new districts out of Kangra - Palampur, Dehra and Nurpur - was in the fitness of things.”

He said it was a political myth that the joint Kangra enjoyed political clout. Kangra had 16 Assembly segments and comprises about 25 per cent of the total Assembly segments in the state. After the reconstitution of Assembly segments, the numbers of the Assembly seats have been reduced to 15.

However, despite having the highest number of Assembly seats, Kangra has never displayed political unity. MLAs from Shimla and Hamirpur have remained as Chief Ministers of the state with the support of MLAs from Kangra.

The only Chief Minister from Kangra district, Shanta Kumar, was not allowed to complete his term of five years in power two times by MLAs of Kangra district, he said.

Kangra had got pittance in terms of development funds. There had been zero industrial investment in Kangra district, he said.

He, however, said along with the announcement of new districts, the state government should also declare Dharamsala as the second capital of the state. The demand for the second capital at Dharamsala would be more justified after the creation of new districts as there would be around eight to nine districts in the vicinity of the area. Mankotia said the demand for new districts was justified as the population of Kangra had increased.

Dehra sub-division was one of the most neglected areas of Kangra and was the fittest case for the creation of a new district, he added.

Mankotia’s stance over the division of Kangra district has come as a surprise for many as he is known for fighting political battle for the area.

Though out of mainline parties for the time being, Mankotia might still make a political comeback before the next Assembly elections banking on Rajput vote bank of Kangra district.