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What the voter is talking about
More song and dance than learning
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Decision more political than administrative
Shanta to focus on Kangra, Chamba
Sonia, Manmohan, Rahul to campaign
Cong chief to visit
Kangra on Oct 22
Virbhadra raps govt over IFS promotions
Dhumal attacks Virbhadra, PM
CM protecting liquor maker, says Kaul Singh
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What the voter is talking about
The perception of pandemic corruption has touched a raw nerve with the common man across the country. Such is the flurry of allegations in Himachal, that the voter is hard pressed even deciding which party is relatively clean. Even as both the main protagonists in the fray, the Congress and the ruling BJP, level corruption charges at each other, they are also forced to consider the skeletons in their own cupboards. Neither is sure what effect raising the issue would have. As for the voter, he has no way to know the truth from political gimmick. Corruption slugfest The Congress is trying to project the BJP regime led by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal as the most corrupt ever in Himachal. But with its own party chief Virbhadra Singh in the dock over the latest controversy involving alleged kickback from a steel company, the main opposition party finds itself on sticky wicket. The BJP is gleefully playing up the charge against Virbhadra, questioning the ‘wisdom’ of the Congress high command in handing over the reins of the party to a man facing “serious corruption allegations”. This has blunted the Congress campaign on the issue of corruption, as hardly any senior leader from the Centre or state has come out openly in defence of Virbhadra. The BJP is also raking up the infamous ‘CD episode’ involving Virbhadra. “The fact that charges had been framed by a local court against him in the CD case should have deterred the Congress high command from making him the state party chief,” asserts state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti. He says it was on similar grounds that Virbhadra had to resign from the Union Cabinet, how could he be considered fit to lead the party in the elections. The CD in question had a purported recorded conversation of Virbhadra Singh, his wife and a bureaucrat regarding some financial transactions. The BJP is also pointing to the “political compromise” arrived at by Virbhadra Singh with the very person who accused him in the case, Vijay Singh Mankotia. Mankotia, who had been expelled from the Congress, has now been given the party ticket for the Shahpur constituency. The voter also does not know what to make of the ‘compromise’, as till recently Virbhadra and Mankotia were sworn enemies. Mankotia had vowed to fight corruption. Virbhadra has said the compromise is in the “interest of the party”, adding that personal differences still exist. He has accused the BJP of being behind the fresh charges against him in the steel ministry controversy as they “fear his sway among the electorate”. Another Congress candidate facing corruptions charges is former minister Asha Kumari. A local court in Chamba has framed charges against her in a land deal case. She is the party candidate from Dalhousie. BJP in same boat Happy to pursue charges against the Congress, the BJP’s own slate is hardly clean. It has fielded former MP Suresh Chandel from Bilaspur, whose name had figured in the cash-for-query sting operation, which could put the BJP on the defensive. However, Chandel says, “Since the case is still pending in court, the matter is sub-judice. Charges have not been framed, and the action of the then Speaker, Somnath Chatterjee, was disciplinary in nature, and the charges have yet to be proved.” BJP MP from Shimla Virender Kashyap also faced corruption charges when a video purportedly showing him accepting money from people setting up a private university was released. Cases against former minister and BJP nominee from Nahan Rajiv Bindal are still pending with the Vigilance Bureau, which had sought sanction to prosecute him from the Vidhan Sabha Speaker. The challan is likely to be put up in court soon. The Vigilance Bureau did not make much headway in the complaints that had been filed with it against ministers in the Virbhadra regime, an issue that had also figured in a “charge sheet” prepared by the BJP against the Congress regime. Only in the matter related to resale of land by Himalayan Fertiliser in Nalagrah was a case registered against Virbhadra Singh and his entire Cabinet. Cong charge sheet The Congress has prepared an 85-page charge sheet, listing “irregularities” in various departments and allegations of corruption against the Chief Minister, his family and ministers. Raising the slogan of “Himachal on sale”, the Congress alleged permission had been granted for purchase of thousands of acres of land by private universities, religious and charitable institutions and real estate developers in violation of Section 118 of the Tenancy and Land Ceiling Act, which prohibits purchase of land by non-Himachalis. This, they pointed out, had lead to several ‘benami’ land deals. The Bemloe housing project, located amidst a thick deodar forest on the outskirts of Shimla, is one such case. The Congress alleges the Dhumal regime granted all required permissions for the plush cottages in a day. It also raises questions over the “delay” in the acquisition of the heritage property of Bantony on the Mall, which was being converted into a hotel by a London-based NRI. The Congress has also attacked the Dhumal regime for the “benevolence” in giving prime land at Dharamsala, Shimla, Nadaun and Gumma to the HP Cricket Association headed by Anurag Thakur, Dhumal’s son and MP. They also accused the government of trying to hand him over the Annandale Ground in Shimla, currently with the Army, to convert it into a cricket stadium. The UPA shadow Adding to the Congress’ unease is the pervading shadow of scams involving Central ministers, regarding which the party has had to do a lot of explaining. Charges referring to Robert Vadra have only made things more difficult. The cap on the number of subsidised LPG cylinders imposed by the Centre too is likely to emerge as a major poll issue in the hill state, which has long winter months. Virbhadra Singh has tried to counter this by announcing that if voted to power, the Congress would provide subsidy on three more cylinders.
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More song and dance than learning
The BJP government set out to make the hill state a hub of higher education, but what prevails today is academic anarchy caused by the ‘indiscriminate’ opening of private institutions of doubtful credentials, without assessing the requirement. The manner in which private universities have been allowed to open without any vision, justification or plan has raised questions over the intentions of the government. The Congress and the CPM have made it a major issue, accusing the government of serving the interests of the land mafia in the garb of promoting higher education. The fact that no uniform policy was followed while granting permission for acquiring land under Section 118 of the Land Reforms and Tenancy Act lends currency to the allegation. While some institutions were allowed to purchase huge chunks of land, some did not fulfil the minimum stipulated quantum, making it obvious the entire process was arbitrary and not based on legitimate stipulations. With no social science streams, most of universities are offering engineering and management courses. Varying sizes Out of the total 16 units set up so far, 10 have come up in Solan district, which accounts for just 9 per cent of the state’s population. In fact, three universities have been set up in one panchayat. Arni University in Kangra district was allowed to acquire 624 bigha of land, while Sai University, Palampur, could set up in only 52 bighas. Eyebrows were raised when it became known that former Haryana minister Gopal Kanda, who came into limelight with the Geetika Sharma suicide case, had acquired Arni University. Intriguingly, the government prescribed a minimum requirement of 50 bigha of land at one place, but did not fix any upper limit. However, even the minimum limit was no adhered to, as evident from the case of Manav Bharati University, which had only 30 bighas at Sultanpur in Solan. The other piece of 45 bighas and 10 biswas was at Kaunihat in Sirmaur. The Baddi University of Engineering Sciences was allowed to acquire 131 bighas, Maharishi Markandeshwar University 232 bighas and Bahra University 120 bighas. Chitkara University bought 67,835 sq m, APG University 219 bigha and Career Point 130 bigha, while the Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University purchased 1,97,790 sq m land from HIMUDA. Indus University, Una, was allowed to acquire 57 bighas. The Kalighar Trust, which sponsored Eternal University, Badu Sahib, is already in possession of 102 acres. UGC rules violated Some of the private universities have also indulged in gross irregularities and committed illegalities, making a mockery of UGC rules and regulations. Some even admitted students after Class X, instead of Plus Two, as laid down under the law, jeopardising the future of hundreds of students whose degrees can not be recognised. The universities claim they have got approval but, it is meaningless as the government is not competent to grant permission in contravention of the law and UGC regulations. On the other hand, many universities have enrolled students for Ph.D in violation of UGC regulations, as they do not have any postgraduate classes or qualified faculty. True dimensions of the admission scam were revealed when the State Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission carried out inspection of Manav Bharati University. It was revealed that 115 students had been admitted in violation of norms in the 2011-12 session alone, and Rs 41.92 lakh had been charged as fee from them. The commission imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore for a number of irregularities. There have been instances of private universities admitting students even before coming into existence. The government has been promulgating ordinances to set up private universities, even though there were few takers for the seats. Most universities lack qualified faculty, as is evident from the meagre spending on salaries, which range from 20 to 40 per cent of the receipts, as against the normative 60 per cent. In case of state universities, it is as high as 80 per cent. Seats vacant In the current academic session, 55 per cent of the sanctioned seats remained vacant. Out of 11,592 seats, only 5,329 were filled. The Institute of Chartered Financial Analysts of India University, which did not admit any student for the second consecutive year, is as good as closed. Maharaja Agrasen University, which was set up by an ordinance, has also not started its academic session. Apart from the fact that the government has allowed far more institutions than required, most of these universities have not obtained approval of Central regulatory bodies like the AICTE and lack requisite faculty and other infrastructure. As a result, thousands of students are going out of the state to pursue higher education. Even Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) does not recognise private universities as state institutions, and considers even their bona fide Hiamchali pass-outs as outsiders. Besides HPU students, it considers only the pass-outs from Horticulture and Forestry University, Solan, and Agriculture University, Palampur, as Himachali students, including those who are from outside the state. While 75 per cent of the seats are reserved for pass-outs of the three state universities, all others, including bona fide Himachalis who have qualified from private universities or any other institutions located in the state, are treated as outsiders. In case of M.Tech, 75 per cent seats are reserved for HPU students, as there is no B.Tech course in the two farm universities. ‘Higher cause’ Chief Minister PK Dhumal and other ministers have repeatedly been quoting Union Minister for Human Resource Development Kapil Sibal’s statement that the country needs 50,000 colleges and 1,000 universities to raise the Gross Enrolment Ratio (GER) in higher education from the existing 12 per cent to 25 per cent by 2020. While 16 private universities are already functional and five more letters of intent have been given, the government has not bothered to open any colleges in the private sector. Rather, it has taken over many private colleges. The only apparent reasons is that private universities are competent to award degrees, whereas students of private colleges will have to clear the examinations conducted by the university they are affiliated to. Lowering standards Instead of raising the academic standards, the government has been consistently lowering the minimum eligibility criteria. The minimum marks for admission to B.Ed colleges have been lowered and admissions at times are allowed mid-session as late as January, with examinations held in May, for a one-year course. It is common knowledge that most students do not attend classes and only take the exams. In fact, the government is also allowing its own universities to carry out admissions in violation of the law. The decision of the newly set up State Technical University to allow admission to B.Tech courses in contravention of the State Private Technical and Vocational Educational Institutions (Regulations of Admission and Fixation of Fee) Act is an example. The Act says admissions will be carried out on the basis of a national or state-level entrance test, but the newly set up university has allowed affiliated private institutions to admit students without having appeared in the All-India Engineering Entrance Test (AIEEE). That it is more the business interest that decides matters is apparent from the fact that despite bypassing the entrance test, more than 40 per cent of the seats in 17 engineering colleges affiliated to the university are vacant. The pass percentage of the first-semester examination was a dismal 11 per cent. Some polytechnic institutions even recorded zero per cent result. The State Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Commission has taken some measures to bring transparency in admissions and streamline the functioning of private universities, but it will take a long time to restore credibility.
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Decision more political than administrative
Dharamsala: Carving out new districts from Kangra, the biggest district in the state in terms of population and number of Assembly constituencies, remained a hot issue through the last year of the BJP government.
The move was aimed at assessing the public sentiment on the issue. It was also hoped it would help the BJP counter the anti-incumbency factor in the district, which accounts for more than 20 per cent of the Assembly segments. Pathania spearheaded the movement, demanding district status for Nurpur subdivision. Since Dehra sub-division is part of the Hamirpur parliamentary constituency, represented by Anurag Thakur, Dhumal’s son, one lobby also wanted district status for Dehra. However, the idea was opposed by national vice-president of the BJP Shanta Kumar and his loyalists. They believed the move was aimed at finishing the veteran’s clout in Kangra. Those opposed included Minister for Industries Kishan Kapoor, who represents the Dharamsala Assembly constituency, which is district headquarters of Kangra. Kapoor said new districts would not provide any political gain to the BJP. He cited the example of a similar move by the then BJP government in 2002, when just before elections the government had appointed ADCs in Palampur, Nurpur and Dehra to suggest the subdivisions would be converted into districts after elections. However, the BJP lost the elections in most of the affected areas. Shanta Kumar is also miffed at the thought that despite his being from the district, no party leader consulted him on the issue before making announcements. His stand has forced the government to shelve the issue. Congress dilemma The Congress also found itself in a catch-22 situation. Fearing backlash in areas where there was a demand for new districts, party leaders like GS Bali merely questioned the timing of the move, but didn’t oppose the idea. The most curious argument at the time had come from Vijay Singh Mankotia, who said Kangra had never displayed unity as a district. Had there been unity, the post of Chief Minister would never have gone out of the area, he said, advocating smaller districts also from the administrative point of view. The issue, however, has remained more political than administrative. The existing districts lack infrastructure. In Kangra, there is shortage of space for government offices and courts, despite a new secretariat being built at Dharamsala under the present government. New districts would only spread the resources thinner.
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Shanta to focus on Kangra, Chamba
Shimla, October 18 Though the former Chief Minister has spared about four days to visit other districts, he has expressed the desire that to be allowed to concentrate only on Kangra and Chamba. He will tour Una, Bilaspur and Mandi districts and some other places from October 24 to 27. There is a possibility of his not campaigning in Dehra, from where Ravinder Ravi is contesting. The former Chief Minister, who has covered some parts of Kangra and Chamba districts, has concentrated on holding ‘karyakarta sammelans’ so far. “I am at the disposal of the party to campaign wherever it wants, but I have requested it to allow me to concentrate on Kangra and Chamba,” he said. He added that he would prefer interaction with workers, but would address public meetings as well wherever required. As per Shanta Kumar’s programme, he will cover two constituencies a day in Kangra and Chamba. He will campaign in Jwalamukhi and Pragpur-Jaswan on October 23, but Dehra does not figure in his tour programme. “We will try to cover Dehra on October 23, depending on the programmes in Jwalamukhi and Pragpur-Jaswan,” said a Shanta Kumar loyalist.
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Sonia, Manmohan, Rahul to campaign
Shimla, October 18 The party has prepared a list of 40 campaigners, mostly Chief Ministers of Congress-ruled states and leaders from adjoining states like Capt Amarinder Singh. The campaign in the state is being spearheaded by Virbhadra Singh. Anand Sharma will join him in a couple of days. He will mainly cover constituencies which are not being covered by Virbhadra Singh. Anand Sharma will arrive here tomorrow in connection with the release of the party’s election manifesto. The party will spell out its positive agenda in the manifesto. The Election Manifesto Committee headed by Sharma held a series of meetings and invited suggestion from various sections of the electorate, particularly employees, youth, women, farmers and workers. The party is likely to include various issues in the manifesto to woo these sections. Besides Sharma, Virbhadra Singh and Vidya Stokes, Central leaders like state party affairs in charge Birender Singh and party secretary Anees Ahmed will be present during the release of the manifesto. Cong chief to visit
Kangra on Oct 22
Kangra: All-India Congress Committee (AICC) chief Sonia Gandhi will visit Kangra town on October 22 to address a public meeting in support of Congress candidates of this region in the local municipal stadium. This was stated by Aligarh MLA and secretary, AICC, Vivek Bansal while addressing a press conference here today. Bansal said AICC general secretary Rahul Gandhi would visit the remaining parts of the state in the coming days. |
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Virbhadra raps govt over IFS promotions
Solan, October 18 Addressing a rally in support of Congress candidate Dhani Ram Shandil here, he said several posts of Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests had been created for ‘favourites’. He said the BJP government was taking credit for development works undertaken by his government. He pointed out that several inaugurations were not carried out since the model code of conduct was enforced six months before the completion of his tenure in 2007. Lauding the efforts of the Centre for extending liberal financial support, he said the Congress had accorded special category status to Himachal Pradesh, making it eligible for special grants. Negating the claim of the BJP government that Himachal Pradesh was discriminated against, he said liberal funds were made available for roads, water schemes and irrigation, health and education sectors, but the state government had failed to make use of the grants and Rs 10,500 crore lapsed during the BJP regime. Attacking the opening of private universities, he said ‘commercial shops’ were set up. He claimed that the BJP government had closed 8,500 primary schools and 25,000 middle schools were on the verge of being closed. He pointed out that the subsided ration scheme was launched during his tenure. He added that the Atal Free School Uniform Scheme had been launched two years late and its funds had been provided by the Centre. Shandil said he would address various problems concerning irrigation, health and school staff shortage, alleging that the area had been neglected during the BJP regime.
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Dhumal attacks Virbhadra, PM
Mandi, October 18 Addressing a public meeting here in support of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from Mandi, DD Thakur, Dhumal alleged that corruption was rampant in the UPA and the PM should probe who VBS and APS in the diary entries of the Steel Ministry were. Dhumal claimed that the Congress saw corruption in every good thing the BJP government had done in Himachal Pradesh. He claimed that the opening of private universities and colleges had stopped certain commission agents from charging for admission to institutes outside the state. He said it was strange that the Congress leader who had released the compact disc against Virbhadra Singh was now back in the party and was sharing the dais with him as party candidate. He alleged that the Benami Commission had come out with figures which showed that more benami deals were made during the Congress regime. Dhumal cited development done by his government and accused the UPA government of cutting ration quotas and failing to protect the interests of Himachal Pradesh in BBMB projects. He dared the Congress to a debate on corruption, price rise and development done by his government. Dhumal claimed that Virbhadra Singh was blaming the BJP for the compact disc case and the ISPAT scam to mislead the public.
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CM protecting liquor maker, says Kaul Singh
Mandi, October 18 Addressing a press conference here, Kaul Singh said the manufacturer was caught supplying two trucks of unlicensed liquor without paying excise duty, but was released as bills were shown to have been issued on a back date. He claimed that the BJP had ensured that it was on its way out as it did not fulfil its promises. He alleged that the inauguration of incomplete schemes was an indication of signs
of desperation. He accused the BJP of double standard on the issue of corruption as its leaders like Bangaru Laxman and Yedduriyappa were involved in cases of corruption, but it was defending them. He pointed out that the Congress had removed A Raja and Suresh Kalmadi and they were sent to jail in connection with cases
of corruption. |
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Solan, October 18
The government — egged by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal’s loyalists, Minister for IPH Ravinder Ravi and Independent MLA from Nurpur Rakesh Pathania — first floated the idea of creating of new districts casually.