New Delhi, September 22
As part of the preparations for the BJP rally on September 29 at Rohini, the convener of the rally, Vijendra Gupta, today announced the setting up of 18 committees to look after various aspects of the big show.

The BJP expects that more than five lakh people will attend the rally. Keeping this in view, the party has set up 18 committees to ensure that the common people should not experience any inconvenience. Also, these committees would look into various aspects of the rally such as sanitation, water availability, traffic and transport, publicity, media relations, stage management, etc.

The committees have already held their meetings, work has been distributed and all the members of the committees are working overtime to make the rally a success.

Gupta said, "We have already done "bhumi pujan" at Japanese Park, Rohini, which is the venue of this rally. The party is getting an overwhelming response as Delhiites are keen to hear the BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi and other senior BJP leaders."

"It is clear that with the announcement of Modi's name as prime ministerial candidate for 2014 parliamentary elections, there is a huge upsurge in support of the BJP. All sections of society are joining hands as they want a decisive and determined government. The BJP workers are also highly motivated," Gupta added.

Each ticket seeker in the BJP for contesting the assembly election has been asked to bring 5,000 men to the rally so that it can be made a success and the Congress can feel the strength of the main Opposition party in the state.

According to the sources, at a meeting held at the Delhi BJP office, the authorities concerned had asked each ticket seeker that he should show their following in the constituency from where he wants to contest the election. If he wants to contest election, he should bring 5,000 men at the rally to make it a grand success.

About 1,500 party workers have applied for the ticket for 70 assembly constituency. They also have to manage transport for the participants. Just after the ticket seekers were directed by their bosses for gathering, they have started mobilizing their men in the constituency to achieve the target.

Sources in the party said that sitting MLAs are somehow relaxed. Among them, those who want to get the ticket again are tense as they have to show their network in the area.

Delhi BJP president made a round in many villages yesterday convincing the residences to attend the rally as the prime ministerial candidate would be the main speaker.

The party today had a rally at Naseerpur village where speakers appealed to the people to attend the Rohini rally.

New Delhi, September 22
Onions have become an important ingredient for the Delhi Assembly election recipe, as it were. Its soaring prices are set to bring tears into politicians' eyes as it is going to be the main plank of the parties.

Though there are some vegetables costlier than onion, it is this humble commodity which could change the games that politicians play. At present, all the parties are trying to use the staple vegetable of Indian kitchen to gain political mileage.

However, the vegetable traders say that onions prices are not pinching the consumers so much as it is affecting the politicians.

Shopkeepers sell onions Tribune photo: Manas Ranjan Bhui

"I can name many other vegetables which remain costlier than onions. Why is there so much argument over onions only," said Rajender Sharma, chairman, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee, Azadpur.

He said that the rise in the prices of onion is an annual trend during the monsoon. "People are well aware of the fact that onion prices tend to increase during this period as it comes from the south. They bear the brunt of it every year and are used to it now. It is only the politicians who have created a crisis over it," said Sharma.

"The rainy season in the south is more than what it is in the north. It starts a month earlier and lasts for an extra month which often spoils the produce," he explained.

The market trend shows that the prices are already receding and may be normalized by October 10.

"We sold onions for Rs 65 per kg last week at government outlets at the wholesale rate, then at Rs 60 per kg and for the last two days, it has been sold at Rs 55 per kg. We hope it will come back to the usual price by October 10," said the chairman, Agriculture Produce Marketing Committee.

For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), it is an important tool to settle scores of a 15-year-old defeat when the prices of onion had cost the party its power in the Delhi Assembly elections in 1998. At that time, its prices had also reached as high as Rs 50 per kg and become an unaffordable commodity.

"It is the result of the wrong policies of the government which has failed to take proper measures. The high inflation rate has upset the budget of the middle class in the city," said VK Malhotra, the Leader of the Opposition.

As for the Congress-ruled Delhi Government, the price of onion has become the sword hanging over its head and the government even tried to blame it on the Madhya Pradesh Government. It said that the hoarders in the BJP-ruled state 'for some ulterior motive' have caused the rise in prices in the city.

Ministers in the Delhi Government said that going by the price of onion under the BJP rule in Delhi 15 years ago, it should have 'risen to Rs 700 per kg' by now. The other day, Delhi Food and Supplies Minister Harun Yusuf slammed the BJP for politicising the issue and the Madhya Pradesh Government for not taking action against the hoarders in the state.

Keeping in mind its poll prospects, the government has announced to sell the vegetable at subsidized rates in over 1,000 outlets through mobile vans across the city. 

New Delhi, September 22
Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit, who is also the chairperson of the Delhi Jal Board (DJB), today inaugurated the work of sewer lines in the Batla House area of the Okhla Assembly constituency.

Around 1.10 lakh residents of the Okhla Assembly constituency area will be benefited from this project.

The DJB has prepared schemes for laying of sewerage system to improve sanitation, social conditions and to provide a pollution-free environment for the residents in these areas of Delhi. These schemes will also help in reducing pollution in the Yamuna.

The house sewer connections shall be laid during the execution of the work which will prevent road cutting while joining the sewer connection at a later stage, reduce expenditure of beneficiaries in connecting their house sewer connections and prevent breaking of manholes.

The road will be restored by the civic agency later on at the cost of the DJB and the sewer pipes will be of high density polyethylene material, the life of which is more than 50 years.

Accordingly, the DJB has taken up the work of providing and laying internal and peripheral sewer lines in colonies of Batla House, Gaffoor Nagar, Okhla Village, Okhla Vihar, Noor Nagar, Noor Nagar extension, Gaffar Manzil, Hazi Colony, Jasola and Harkesh Nagar in the Okhla Assembly Constituency.

The work involves laying of 53.61 km of new pipelines. The cost of this project is Rs 52.78 crore approximately. The project is likely to be completed within three years.

"The government always tries to provide better sanitation facilities to the residents. Our government has made efforts to extend sewerage facilities to all the unsewered areas of Delhi," said the Chief Minister after the inauguration ceremony.

New Delhi, September 22
Family members and dozens of friends of NRI student Anmol Sarna on Sunday staged a protest outside Kalkaji police station here demanding a CBI inquiry into his death and alleged that he was sexually assaulted before his death.

Sarna, 21, died on September 13 after allegedly consuming drugs at a party in a friend's flat and being beaten up by two security guards in a south Delhi apartments complex.

Anmol's father Anil Sarna said, "Police are not trying to investigate why Anmol tried to run away from the building."

"Police are saying he died because of drugs... why are they not investigating the reason behind the three-inch cut on his head, found in the postmortem," he said.

Anmol died in a hospital where he was taken after being found bleeding and unconscious in South Park Apartments complex.

He was allegedly beaten up by two security guards when he created ruckus after taking a drug overdose at the party.

His autopsy said he died due to shock and haemorrhage caused by head injuries. There were injuries on his private parts also. — IANS

New Delhi, September 22
The Special Cell of the Delhi Police today arrested a pickpocket from Tilak Vihar who operated in Ludhiana and other parts of Punjab where he was also involved in a murder case of a police officer.

He was identified as Karandeep Singh wanted in a murder case of Assistant Sub-Inspector Gurdial Singh in Ludhiana in May 2011. He had been hiding here at Uttam Nagar after the murder. The Punjab Police had announced a reward of Rs 50,000 for his arrest.

The Special Cell had a tip-off that Karandeep was hiding in Delhi. While the information was developed, the police came to know that the accused, along with his accomplice Jaswant, alias Goldy, was also involved in many cases of snatching in Punjab.

In Delhi, he worked in a restaurant hoping that nobody will get to know about his criminal acts. In the meantime, Goldy was arrested by the Punjab Police and he disclosed Karandeep's whereabouts.

New Delhi, September 22
Abdul Hamid (22), an Afghan national, who was enrolled with Hansraj College of Delhi University, reportedly committed suicide after failure in love in his rented accommodation at Old Buddha Colony in Model Town, north-west Delhi, today.

He committed suicide by hanging himself from a ceiling fan. The incident came to light when his landlord came to him for rent at 11.30 am. He knocked at the door. When after repeated attempts, the door was not opened, the landlord informed the police and the door was broken open. The student was found hanging by a bed sheet from the ceiling fan.

A suicide note was recovered from his room in which a stanza was written in Urdu. It was also written "I am ending my life due to being rejected by my girlfriend," said the DCP of north-west district, Ganesh Bandhan.

He said that it was not clear as to who was involved with him.

He was an undergraduate student of computer science at Hansraj College.

His family has been informed, the police said.

New Delhi, September 22
A 25-year-old Nepali citizen, being taken to hospital for a medical examination, was crushed under the wheels of a truck when trying to flee from police custody in Delhi, officials said today.

A police constable was taking him to hospital on his motorbike when the man attempted to escape.

Ravi, a resident of Nepal, was held from Rajouri Garden, west Delhi in September 20, after he failed to produce valid ID and reveal the purpose of his visit to Delhi, police said.

The police took him to Deen Dayal Upadhya Hospital in Hari Nagar Saturday for medical examination. As they approached the gate and the motorcycle slowed down, Ravi jumped off the bike and ran. "A truck hit him and he died on the spot," a police officer said.

Truck driver Nafe Singh has been arrested, and the truck impounded.

Ravi's relatives have been informed. — IANS