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Post drug racket, Cong, SAD cautious
Congress, BJP running govt in syndicate: Didi |
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STOCK-TAKING: Varinder Kashyap shimla
Ex-MLA wins Cong’s 1st ‘primary’ for Indore LS seat
Lone MLA quits LJP over possible tie-up with BJP
BSP’s transformation into multiethnic outfit
STOCK-TAKING: Jitender Singh Malik Sonepat
Snapshots
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Post drug racket, Cong, SAD cautious
Patiala, February 26 The recent arrest of the kingpin of drug racket and his links with politicians has charged up the atmosphere in the state before the Lok Sabha elections. Both the Congress and SAD levelled allegations against each other after the Patiala police arrested Jagdish Bhola, a suspended DSP and an Arjuna awardee, in November 2013. He is charged with masterminding the Rs 2,000-crore drug racket. Two days later, SAD leader Maninder Singh Aulakh, aka Bittu, and Jagjit Singh Chahal, a businessman, who owns three drug factories in Himachal Pradesh, were also arrested. Aulakh's interrogations allegedly revealed many missing links to the drug supply chain. Later, the police spokesman confirmed that Bhola had funded the previous elections. The names of leaders who received the funds could not be revealed. Bhola's questioning by the Enforcement Directorate revealed names of some more politicians. "There is no proof against me and I don't know any one of them (smugglers). The allegations are baseless," Majithia said. The drug racket did not even spare the Congress. There were reports about former CM Captain Amarinder Singh writing to party president Sonia Gandhi hinting at possible links of PPCC chief Partap Singh Bajwa with drug smugglers. Bajwa denied the allegations but it fuelled the already charged political atmosphere with the SAD demanding a probe into the drug racket. A recent Home Ministry report put the heroin seizure in Punjab in three years to 813 kg, which may be worth Rs 40,000 crore. The heroin seizure in Delhi was only 180 kg in the same period. Punjab has the highest seizure of heroin in the country. It accounts to nearly 60 per cent of the all-India seizure. "The network of drug smugglers cannot work without political patronage," said an IPS officer. Elections in Punjab are always believed to be closely related to the widespread drug abuse and all major political parties will vow to fight against drug abuse to garner votes. The Election Commission seized drugs worth Rs 40 crore during the Assembly elections in 2012. Political parties woo voters with drugs, including intoxicating tablets, heroin and poppy seeds in the state. The Election Commission also seized Rs 10 crore during the Assembly elections. A majority of the political parties also use liquor to woo voters in villages. Leaders of the SAD and Congress also agree that liquor, poppy husk and opium are distributed during elections in Punjab, especially to woo rural voters. However the difference this time would be to arrange, store and supply drugs as due to the recent police strictness, drug rates have headed north, said sources. Even as the state government has rejected the need of a CBI probe into the drug racket saying it trusts the Punjab Police, drug lord Raja Kandola, who was arrested by the Delhi Police in October 2012, had put the Punjab Police and politicians in the dock saying he had links with politicians and the police. He had revealed his links with an Inspector General of Police, Superintendent of Police and a Congress leader. Former Punjab Director General of Prisons Shashi Kant, had in 2012 urged the Election Commission to prevent the use of drugs and drug money during the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. "Drug lords enjoy political patronage, but there is nothing on record to prove the claims of the arrested drug lords," said a senior police officer. Drug haul in state
A former Director General of Police said the estimated drug trade in Punjab was over
Rs 60,000 crore. In 2013, 355 kg of heroin was seized in the state against 296 kg in 2012. More than 2.3 lakh kg of poppy husk was seized in 2013 against 1.85 lakh kg in 2012. The Punjab Police recovered 6,000 kg of opium between 1999 and 2009. Liquor flows freely
In 2012-13, a total of 140 applications were received to close liquor vends in villages following a resolution passed by village panchayats. This year, 124 villages in Punjab have approached the Excise Department to close liquor vends in their villages. The president of the Scientific Awareness and Social Welfare Forum (SAF), an NGO fighting against liquor and drug abuse, said during the recent panchayat polls, an RTI query revealed that the sale of country-made liquor saw a 15 to 20 per cent jump. The intoxicated past
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Congress, BJP running govt in syndicate: Didi
Guwahati, February 26 Attacking Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, a Rajya Sabha member from Assam, Banerjee questioned what he had done for the state. "You (Assam) have given the PM. What more can you do? How many times has he come to Assam? What work has he done? What has he spoken to the people of Assam? He (Manmohan Singh) comes only during elections to get votes," Banerjee said. Taking a dig at BJP Prime Ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, she said: "The BJP is also the same...We had supported the NDA government because of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, for whom we have respect. But we don't have any respect for the one who is communal, we cannot support him. We have respect for all people of all regions." She said the people of Assam repeatedly supported the Congress governments, both at the Centre and state, but did not get anything in return. "...But in return what have you got? The Congress has a vindictive attitude. They are running with political vendetta," she alleged. Banerjee said that during the Congress rule, prices of all essential commodities shot up. "Prices of fertilisers were hiked. They have hiked prices of all items such as LPG, petrol, diesel, kerosene. They have privatised the insurance sector. Whatever money they are earning, they are spending on elections," she said. She also ridiculed the Congress' promise that the number of job days under MGNREGA would be increased to 150 days from 100 at present. — PTI
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STOCK-TAKING: Varinder Kashyap shimla First BJP man to defeat Cong in stronghold is confident of emerging victorious, says Modi is his lucky charm Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Notwithstanding the fact that Shimla Lok Sabha seat, which comprises 17 Assembly segments in three districts of Shimla (7), Solan (5) Sirmour (5), has traditionally been a Congress stronghold, he is desperate to come back with a bang. At present, the BJP has six out of 10 MLAs in two districts, which were once Congress bastions. "The UPA regime has been a disaster and the Narendra Modi wave sweeping the nation will definitely affect Himachal. The hill state is virtually Modi's second home as he had been the state in charge for a long time," Kashyap said. He is confident that luck will smile on him for the second time with Modi being his lucky charm. He has extensively been visiting various Assembly constituencies under Shimla Lok Sabha seat with a hope to make the most of the "anti-Congress" sentiment sweeping the nation. Performance in
Parliament
Kashyap also moved a Private Member Resolution in Parliament, seeking setting up of the Hill Development Board on the pattern of North East Development Council, headed by the Prime Minister. Considering that 80 per cent of the apple-growing belt of Himachal falls in his segment, he raised the issue of raising import duty on apple and garlic to 100 per cent to save Himachal apples from competing with cheaper Chinese apples. MPLADS funds
Kashyap has utilised the entire fund (Rs 19 crore) allotted to him under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS) during his five-year term. "Barring giving Rs 25 lakh for Milk Chilling Plant at Jubbal, which the Congress chose to close down after it was complete, and Rs 10 lakh for a parking lot in the state capital, I chose to finance small projects such as construction of Mahila Mandals and strengthening Youth Clubs in panchayats," Kashyap said. He claims that there is not even a single gram panchayat out of total 768 which has not benefited from the funds released by him. The controversy
Before Kashyap became the MP in 2009, a CD was circulated accusing him of accepting bribe. He says the matter is sub-judice and politically motivated. It is on the directives of the court that the Vigilance Bureau is also inquiring into it.
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Ex-MLA wins Cong’s 1st ‘primary’ for Indore LS seat
Indore, February 26 Satyanarayan Patel, 46, won the 'primary' to select the Congress candidate for the Indore Lok Sabha constituency, getting 573 of the 751 votes cast in an internal vote involving party members. Patel's candidature will, however, have to be finalised by the Congress's central leadership, party sources said. Party primaries - internal elections to choose a candidate - on the lines of the system in the US is Rahul's pet idea. "To ensure party workers' direct participation in selecting the candidate for the Lok Sabha polls, 16 seats, including Indore, have been identified for primaries. Patel won here with 573 votes," Congress secretary for Madhya Pradesh Sanjay Nirupam said. Patel's rivals Yogesh Yadav got 96 votes, while Archana Jaiswal bagged 57 ballots. Though 1,366 Congress members had registered as voters, only 751 turned up. Rahul has reiterated his resolve to replicate the system of choosing candidates with the collective decision of party workers in the 16 Parliamentary seats.
— PTI
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Lone MLA quits LJP over possible tie-up with BJP
Patna, February 26 He said he had put in the papers in protest against the party going along with "communal" BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. He said he had made his position clear to Paswan that he could not be part of any alliance with the BJP and had expressed his reservation against going with it before the LJP Parliamentary Board. Asked about his future plans, Khan said he would explore political options to strengthen secularism. After the 2010 Assembly elections, two out of three LJP MLAs had quit the party and joined Nitish Kumar's bandwagon. Khan was the lone party MLA left. The LJP national general secretary, Vijendra Chaudhary, has also expressed strong reservation against any tie-up with the BJP.
— PTI The ground situation
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BSP’s transformation into multiethnic outfit
New Delhi, February 26 Over the past 30 years, the party that essentially sought to transform the lives of the downtrodden and backward sections of the society has more than 20 per cent vote share in many Assembly constituencies, especially in Uttar Pradesh. Having its roots in Uttar Pradesh, the BSP has been fielding its candidates across half of the 28 states and seven Union Territories in the Lok Sabha since 1989. The BSP is driven by the ideology of ‘social transformation and economic emancipation’ of the ‘bahujan samaj’, comprising Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, Other Backward Classes and religious minorities, including Sikhs, Muslims, Christians, Parsis and Buddhists. These account for over 85 per cent of the country's
population. In the early days, the party founder, Kanshi Ram, had a simple argument to make at public rallies. He would pull out a pen from the pocket and point its nib upwards illustrating that the bulk of the ink remained at the bottom, but when reversed the fluid flows towards the nib allowing the instrument to write. The analogy of linking the ink to the 85 per cent of the bahujan samaj — without whose support the power, the nib is useless — gradually crept across the masses. Kanshi Ram made his electoral debut in the 1984 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent from Janjgir in Madhya Pradesh and Mayawati did so from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh. The elections were held after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. The Congress under Rajiv Gandhi won over 400 seats. Both Kanshi Ram and Mayawati lost the elections. Kanshi Ram got 32,000 votes and Mayawati 44,000 votes. A year later, Mayawati contested in Bijnore by-election and lost. Undaunted by the setbacks, the party contested the Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh and got 4 per cent votes weaving away the Dalis, who till then voted for the Congress. A beginning was made in electoral politics. By the time the next General Elections came in 1989, the BSP became ambitious. It entered the fray as an unrecognised political party fielding 245 candidates across 18 states and UTs. In terms of electoral success, the results were poor with the party winning just three seats while its candidates forfeited deposits in 221 constituencies for an overall vote share of 4.53 per cent. Mayawati, or ‘Behanji’ as she is known, made her debut in the Lok Sabha from Bijnore while losing from Haridwar. These elections were held after the Congress got discredited over Bofors scam and the VP Singh-led National Front formed the Government. The BSP won three seats with Punjab contributing one with Harbhajan Singh Lakha entering the Lok Sabha representing the Phillaur constituency. He defeated Charanjit Singh of the SAD. Although the BSP favours elections at short intervals, the theory did not work during the 1991 Lok Sabha polls. The party contested 521 seats across 17 states and UTs but won just two, including Kanshi Ram from Etawah in UP. The party got some 4.50 lakh votes with its overall vote share dipping to 3.64 per cent. In 1992, elections to the 13 seats of Punjab were held and BSP contested 12 seats with Mohan Singh winning the lone seat of Ferozepur while Mayawati lost to Kamal Choudhary of the Congress from Hoshiarpur. However, in 1996, BSP Supremo Kanshi Ram wrested the seat from Choudhary after an electoral understanding with the SAD. The BSP gave its best performance in the 1996 elections in terms of vote share. The party logged 11.21 per cent votes. The 2009 elections are the best in terms of number of MPs for the party. It won 21 seats although the vote share fell by nearly 5 per cent to 6.56 per cent. In 1996, the BSP contested 210 seats and won 11, while in 1998, it fielded 251 candidates across 17 states and UTs winning five, including one in Haryana. The 1999 elections were held in the backdrop of the Kargil intrusion and the BJP-led NDA under Vajpayee came back to power. The BSP won 14 of the 225 seats and all from Uttar Pradesh with a vote share of 0.03 less than a perfect 10 per cent. Since then, the BSP has been winning all its seats from UP except in 2009 when of the 21 seats, the party got one representative from Madhya Pradesh. Yet its vote share remained slightly over 6.5 per cent of the votes polled across constituencies contested. Over the years, the BSP has sought to expand its voter base by including members from the forward communities or ‘swaran jati’. From a party that loathed upper castes till 2000, it started looking to include the upper castes. After becoming the party chief, Mayawati justified the move stating that the BSP was committed to not only improve the socio-economic conditions of the people belonging to the ‘bahujan samaj’ but also of the poor among the upper caste Hindus, small and medium farmers, traders and people engaged in other professions. “Our party constitution clearly states that the chief aim and objective of the party shall be to work as a revolutionary social and economic movement of change with a view to realise, in practical terms, the supreme principles of universal justice and the Constitution of India,” Mayawati said. Best shot in 2009 The BSP gave its best in the 1996 elections in terms of vote share. The party logged 11.21 per cent votes. The 2009 elections are the best in terms of number of MPs for the party. It won 21 seats, although the vote share fell by nearly 5 per cent to 6.56 per cent. In 1996, the BSP contested 210 seats and won 11, while in 1998, it fielded 251 candidates across 17 states and UTs winning five, including one in Haryana.
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Security strengthened for rallies in UP
Lucknow, February 26 Modi will address his party's rally in Lucknow, Mulayam in Allahabad and former Delhi Chief Minister Kejriwal in Kanpur on the same day. "We are considering all rallies as sensitive as it is poll season. Elaborate security arrangements have been made and additional forces have been deployed at the venues,” said Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Mukul Goel. The state's Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), RAF personnel would also be deployed at the venues, the police officer said. HC stops UP from turning schools into police camps
The Allahabad High Court today restrained the Uttar Pradesh Government from providing school premises for camping of police personnel to be deputed for Narendra Modi's rally here on March 2. A Lucknow bench comprising Justices Imtiyaz Murtaza and Devendra Kumar Upadhaya, which passed the order taking suo motu cognisance of a report published in a Hindi daily, also summoned the district magistrate of Lucknow. According to the report, UP Board examinations are starting on March 3 but in view of the BJP prime ministerial candidate's rally a day before, police personnel have been given permission to camp in some of the schools of Lucknow which may affect the examination process. The court fixed February 27 as the next date of hearing and restrained the government from allowing cops in schools till further orders.
— PTI
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STOCK-TAKING: Jitender Singh Malik Sonepat No more in the race from Sonepat, he wants to focus on Gannaur, the segment his ancestors had represented Dharmendra Joshi and BS Malik Tribune News Service
Eight of nine segments ‘ignored’
Malik had been embroiled in controversies for “ignoring” eight of total nine Assembly segments of his constituency — Sonepat, Rai, Kharkhoda (reserved), Gohana and Baroda of Sonepat district and Julana, Jind and Safidon of Jind district. As Malik has already decided to contest the Assembly elections from Gannaur, he concentrated more on the area as far as development works are concerned. When asked as to why he was not interested in contesting the Parliamentary elections, he said: “Gannaur is the ancestral seat of our family. My father was elected from this constituency twice and now my supporters in Gannaur want me to remain in close contact with them and work for them as an MLA. As MP, I was expected to take care of nine Assembly segments due to which it was impossible for me to devote time to the people of Gannaur. So, I have decided to contest the Assembly elections from Gannaur.”
With voter strength of around 15 lakh, the area is considered to be dominated by Jats (40 per cent of the total population). It was for the first time in the history of Haryana that an independent Brahmin Arvind Sharma was elected to power in the 1996 Parliamentary elections. But in 1977, 1980, 1983 byelection, 1984, 1989, 1991, 1998, 1999, 2004 and 2009, Jat candidates had emerged victorious. Before his victory in the 2009 Parliamentary elections, Malik was elected as Gannaur MLA twice, in 2000 and 2005. He has also been holding the post of the DCC president for the past 15 years. Malik’s father Rajinder Singh Malik was a Cabinet minister in the Haryana Government. Renowned political leaders of the united Punjab, late Lehri Singh Malik and late Mukhtiyar Singh Malik, were his ancestors.
The projects
“As far as the projects of the Central Government are concerned, the government sanctioned an RoB on the Jind-Patiala road in Jind town and a flyover at Bahalgarh crossing on the GT road in Sonepat district,” he said. Denying the allegations that he was being overshadowed by frequent visits of Rohtak MP Deepender Singh Hooda, Malik said Deepender’s visits had helped him sanction and launch new development projects in the area.
In Parliament
The key issues he raised in Parliament were the construction of the Sonepat-Gohana-Jind rail line, metro for Sonepat, increase in number of passenger trains from Sonepat to Delhi and construction of RoBs at different level crossings of the segment. After being elected to the 15th Lok Sabha in 2009, he became the member of consultative committee on law and justice on August 31, 2009, as member of the Committee on Home Affairs and on September 23, 2009, as member of the Committee on Subordinate Legislation in Parliament.
MPLADS funds
A total of Rs 12.3 crore have already been untilised to complete 250 development works and 72 works are under process out of 359 development works sanctioned during the period. Of total 359 sanctioned development works for all nine Assembly segments, 130 had been in Gannaur and of the total funds, more than Rs 6 crore had been allocated to carry out works in Gannaur.
The rival’s take
As Kishan Singh Sangwan, BJP runner-up in the last Lok Sabha elections, passed away last year, the party’s state vice-president Rajiv Jain alleged that sitting MP Jitender Singh Malik’s performance was almost zero. “He failed to get required development projects from the Centre and this is the reason he is hesitating from contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha elections,” he added.
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Snapshots
New Delhi: Congress general secretary in charge of Andhra Pradesh Digvijay Singh today hinted at the merger of the Telangana Rashtriya Samiti (TRS) with the Congress in the wake of the passage of Telangana Bill. After meeting TRS chief K Chandrashekhar Rao, Digvijay said the TRS supremo had already met the Congress high command and indicated willingness to merge his party with the Congress as planned. "The details of merger are being worked out," Digvijay said adding that the Congress would now have two units of the party - Seemandhra and Telangana. — TNS Seemandhra BJP wants
to go solo in elections
Vijayawada: As the BJP is weighing its electoral options in Seemandhra region post bifurcation of Andhra Pradesh, its local unit has proposed to go solo in the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls. The Seemandhra BJP has urged the party to contest 175 Assembly seats and 25 Lok Sabha seats in the residuary state without tie-up with any party. This was decided at a meeting of presidents and general secretaries of 13 districts of Rayalaseema and Coastal Andhra region.
— PTI
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It all began almost two years ago when Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi said seven out of every 10 youths in Punjab were hooked to drugs.
My party did not derive political mileage out of murders and disputes. Our govt gave relief to riot victims with good
intentions. — Akhilesh Yadav, UP Chief Minister
I am inspired by MK Gandhi. The insurgency problem in Assam can be solved through discussions, love and
peace. — Rahul Gandhi, Congress v-p
Bhola's claim that Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia was also involved in the multi-crore drug trafficking racket has put the state politics on the boil. Though Majithia, brother-in-law of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, has denied the allegations, the Congress is demanding a CBI probe into the allegation. But there is a divide even inside the Congress as the former Chief Minister has rejected the need for the CBI probe.
Shimla, February 26
Kashyap raised the issue of grant of tribal status to parts of Shillai, Renuka and Pacchad Assembly segments in Sirmour district in Parliament. In fact, the Institute for Tribal Studies in Himachal Pradesh University (HPU) has conducted a survey to assess grant of tribal status to these areas, contiguous to the Jonsar Babar area in Uttarakhand that enjoys tribal status.
Other major issues he raised were expansion of rail network in HP, especially the 167-km Ghanoli-Nangal-Baddi-Paonta Sahib-Haridwar rail line. He also sought legalisation of cultivation of opium in certain parts of HP to meet the requirement of pharmaceutical industry.
The party argues that the people belonging to all these classes have been the victims of the ‘Manuwadi’ system in the country for thousands of years, under which they have been vanquished, trampled upon and forced to languish in all spheres of life. In other words, these people were deprived of human rights, which had been secured for the upper caste Hindus under the age-old ‘Manuwadi social system’.
SONEPAT, FEBRUARY 26
Malik defeated his nearest rival and three-time BJP MP Kishan Singh Sangwan (now no more) from this seat with a margin of around 3 lakh votes in 2009.
He claims that it was on his demand that the Haryana Chief Minister had sanctioned a number of projects, including a railway overbridge (RoB) at a level crossing, sewerage-treatment plant, storm-water project, rainy well scheme and construction of bypass in Sonepat town.
As per the government records, the Central Government had granted Rs 16.5 crore to Malik under the Member of Parliament Local Area Development Fund Scheme (MPLADS) and the amount increased to Rs 16.85 crore after inclusion of Rs 25.17 lakh crore from the interest accrued on funds and Rs 10.5 lakh received in the name of contribution.