Shimla, March 22
Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh today formally launched the election campaign from his home turf -- the Shimla (Rural) constituency. The demand for addressing election meetings is pouring in from across the state.

Even as the window for electioneering in the hill state is very long with polling on May 7, the Congress strongman has an onerous task at hand. He will be covering all the 68 Assembly segments. Realising that he could steer the Congress ship, the party high command has not just made the ticket selection for all the four Lok Sabha segments on his recommendation, but also he has been entrusted the task of leading the campaign.

“I do not underestimate Narendra Modi. I respect him and he has been productive, but I can say with certainty that it is the local leaders who will have the last word with the voters,” he stated.

He said the media, especially electronic channels, were glorifying Modi, who had sidelined very senior and respected BJP leaders who differed with him as they came in the way of his prime ministerial ambitions.

“As compared to Modi, a three-time Chief Minister, I have had this privilege on six occasions and in most areas of development, HP has better indicators than Gujarat,” he said. He was not totally dismissive of Modi even as the Chief Minister’s supporters chanted that it was not Modi, but the Virbhadra factor which would matter in the state.

The six-time Chief Minister said the Congress would win all the four seats. He addressed five election meetings in his Assembly segment today, at Shoghi, Totu, Dhami, Kohbag and Thachi. During the next few days till March 28, he will cover Solan, Bilaspur and Kullu districts.

“Today, campaigning is far easier with a vast network of roads. I remember that during the first Lok Sabha elections I contested, in 1962, I traversed over 1,300 km on foot,” he said. He cautioned voters not to be misled by BJP's hollow promises on poll eve.

“The public is supreme and I am confident that this time too, they will turn BJP’s Mission Repeat into Mission Defeat," he remarked.

With the use of helicopter being restricted to tribal areas, keeping in mind the election expenditure, 90 per cent of the campaigning will be done by him by road. He would be distributing his time of campaigning almost equally in the four Lok Sabha seats, his poll managers said.

“I personally believe small corner meetings are far more productive as they offer closer interaction with people and are economical. Thus, I will traverse the state till the day of polling,” said a beaming Virbhadra.

Shimla, March 22
The BJP today formally requested the Election Commission of India to hold by-election for the Sujanpur Assembly segment in Hamirpur district alongside the Lok Sabha polls on May 7.

The state BJP spokesperson, in a letter written to the Chief Election Commissioner, said since the Sujanpur Assembly seat had fallen vacant after the resignation of Independent MLA Rajinder Rana, both the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls should be held together on the same day on May 7.

Rana, a BJP rebel who had won as an Independent resigned his Assembly seat to be able to contest the Lok Sabha poll as Congress nominee from Hamirpur seat. In case Rana loses in the Lok Sabha polls, it is almost certain that he will be fielded by the Congress for the Assembly bypoll to be held within the next six months.

Now, with the BJP raising the pitch for holding of simultaneous polls, Rana can be faced with a piquant situation.

“Since the final electoral rolls will be ready by April 9, it makes sense to hold the two elections simultaneously rather than holding the elections again within a span of four months,” he pleaded.

He said this would save a lot of government expenditure and deployment of security personnel and poll staff once again. He also added that if elections were held later, 
the area would witness heavy rains which could affect campaigning.

Not just the BJP, but also a faction of the Congress is keen that the two elections are held simultaneously as they abhor the idea of Rana being given the Congress ticket despite being a hardcore BJP man.

Shimla, March 22
The BJP today sought the intervention of the Election Commission of India with regard to violation of the election code of conduct by the ruling Congress through misuse of folk groups of the Information and Public Relation Department and allowing the holding of functions in a government rest house.

BJP spokesperson Ganesh Dutt today sent a complaint to the Election Commission about Congress publicity being done by folk groups of the department in the garb of making people aware of the Right To Information Act.

"A complete ban should be ordered on these performances till May 10 and video clippings of these programmes be viewed and appropriate action be taken," he requested.

He cited another violation by the Chopla MLA who held a political meeting inside a government rest house and a community lunch. "There are endless instances of such violations, but no action is being taken. We urge you to intervene and not allow such misuse," he said.

He said the Election Commission must take note of both the instances and direct the authorities to be particular in future.

Una, March 22
Former Chief Minister and Leader of Opposition in the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Prem Kumar Dhumal today alleged that it was common talk in the power corridors of the state capital that the Virbhadra Singh-led government had purchased machinery worth crores of rupees to tap telephones.

Addressing mediapersons here, he said this machinery reportedly did not need the support of telephone service provider agencies.

Responding to a query on Virbhadra Singh's allegations that his room was bugged in Chandigarh during the BJP regime while he was a Union Minister, Dhumal said the Congress government should take action and punish the accused.

Reacting to Virbhadra's allegations that "Himachal was on sale during the BJP regime," Dhumal said during the previous tenure of Virbhadra Singh, 2,398 permissions were granted to outsiders for the purchase of 18,500 bighas of land under Section 118 of the HP Tenancy and Land Reforms Act.

In contrast, he said, during the five-year tenure of the BJP, only 1,649 permissions were granted for the purchase of 14,800 bighas. He charged that a prime piece of land near the Bhagsu Nag temple in Dharamsala had been sold to a Batala resident of Punjab recently in violation of the laws.

Dhumal said the popularity of the Congress had gone so low that senior leaders were declining to contest the elections. He said in Uttarakhand, Congress leader Satpal Maharaj's entry into the BJP had caused ripples.

"The BJP will come to power in Uttarakhand in May and Himachal Pradesh will also see a change in government in June," he said.

Dhumal said the state government had increased surcharge on electricity and potable water besides enhancing the price of essential commodities under the Public Distribution System. He charged that sub-standard mustard oil was being given to the consumers through the system.

Dhumal said the Election Commission should hold by-elections to the Sujanpur seat vacated by Congress Lok Sabha candidate Rajinder Rana, simultaneously with the General Election. He said this would not only save additional expenditure, but also was in line with the BJP's demands of holding simultaneous elections from panchayats to Parliament.

Later, Dhumal addressed workers' meetings at Basdehra village in Una sadar segment and Saloh village in Haroli segment. Una MLA and state BJP president Satpal Satti accompanied Dhumal. 

Dharamsala, March 22
BJP leader and former minister Kishan Kapoor has alleged that the Congress government was hand-in-glove with cement companies.

While addressing a press conference here today, Kapoor said the prices of cement bags had been raised by Rs 35 per bag in the state in the last few months.

After a hue and cry was raised, the prices were lowered, but by just Rs 10 per bag. The people of the state were being forced to bear the burden of elections funds taken by the present government from cement companies, he added.

“The BJP government in the state had forced the cement companies to reduce the price by Rs 25 per bag. But now the situation is reversed and the Congress government has allowed the loot openly,” Kapoor said.

The BJP leader said the Congress government had befooled people of Kangra on the issue of setting up a Central University at Dharamsala.

It was the main issue on which the Congress MLA had won the election. But till date, no campus had been set up. He said the leader should clarify why the Central University campus could not be established even when the Congress-led UPA government was at the helm of affairs in the Centre. Central universities had been set up in all other states of the country, but it was pending in Himachal, Kapoor said.

He blamed the Congress government for putting all development plans on hold which were prepared during the previous BJP government.

Una, March 22
Congress candidate from the Hamirpur Parliamentary seat Rajinder Rana today held a workers' meeting of the Una Sadar segment.

Addressing the gathering, he appealed to the workers to put together a united fight against the BJP to wrest the Hamirpur seat from the rival party after 23 years.

Rana said the party workers should fan out in their areas and spread awareness on the Congress’s policies and programmes, besides explaining development work undertaken by the party while in power.

Rana said the Congress had initiated welfare schemes for all sections of the society and these benefits had percolated to the last person. He alleged that sitting MP Anurag Thakur had not even spent the entire amount of his Local Area Development funds, claiming that out of the Rs 5 crore, a sum of Rs 2 crore had lapsed for the current year.

Rana said while the state BJP leadership had always indulged in negative politics, the Congress had facilitated development and played the role of a responsive and constructive opposition.

The Congress candidate said the "Modi wave" as publicised by the BJP did not exist in Himachal. The fact, he said, was that the BJP leaders from the Hamirpur parliamentary area were a worried lot after the announcement of his candidature, which was the reason for their superfluous statements in the media. He later addressed 14 meetings in lower areas of the Kutlehar Assembly segment. 

Shimla, March 22
Accusing the Congress-led UPA regime of being unsympathetic towards the problems of ex-servicemen and their families, the BJP Ex-servicemen Cell today expressed apprehensions over the implementation of the one-rank one-pension scheme announced by the Centre.

Addressing a press conference here today, state convener of the cell Brig Lal Chand Jaswal (retd) said it was still not certain whether the announcement, made with such fanfare, would be fulfilled or not. “Moreover, the UPA regime gave nod for the one-rank one-pension demand only after Narender Modi promised that he would fulfill it if voted to power, so we doubt the intentions of the Congress,” Jaswal added.

Similar sentiments were echoed by Brig Kushal Thakur (retd) who was also present on the occasion. “It was PK Dhumal who first raised this demand way back in 1991 and Modi promised to implement it at the Rewari rally of ex-servicemen,” said Jaswal.

He further said the Centre had made a provision of merely Rs 500 crore for implementing the one-rank-one-pension demand whereas a minimum of Rs 2,000 crore should have been allocated for it.

Both Brigadiers Jaswal and Thakur said seeing the track record of the Congress, which had ruled the country for the maximum period, it was doubtful if the party would honour its announcement. It could be reduced to a mere political gimmick to woo ex-servicemen.

Birgadier Thakur said a large number of retired Army officers, including Gen VK Singh, had come out in support of the BJP and Modi as they felt they would honour and be sympathetic towards soldiers and ex-servicemen.

Palampur, March 22
Palampur and its adjoining areas were lashed by heavy rain, a hailstorm and high-velocity winds this evening. These caused a widespread damage to fruit, tea and other crops. Green tea leaves in most tea gardens were completely destroyed.

The hailstorm continued for more than an hour in upper areas of Palampur, where most of the tea gardens were located. Dinesh Butail, a local tea grower, said the plucking of green tea leaves was due in the next three days, but the hailstorm had completely damaged the leaves. Tea growers were expecting good returns from the green leaves plucked in March and April, but their hopes were dashed by the unseasonal rain and hailstorm.

Shimla, March 22
As the apple bloom time is just 10 days away in the lower apple belt, farmers are resenting that Chandigarh-based insurance companies and the Directorate of Horticulture have neither paid the insurance claims of 2013 nor have they issued fresh notification for the Weather-Based Crop Insurance Scheme (WBCIS) for this year.

What worries the farmers is that the weather has been wavering and the summer season of hailstorms looms large as a spell or two have already lashed the region.

But the Horticulture Department has not issued notification for the WBCIS under the excuse that the model code of conduct has come into force due to the Lok Sabha elections.

As many as 138 farmers in Jubbal belt have not received payment of 2013 insurance claims so far and have yet to avail the new policy, said Laxman Thakur, Chairman, Ecohorts, Nandpur.

"The bloom time is approaching fast and the temperature is fluctuating rapidly. The WBCIS is a continuous process and it violates no model code of conduct," he asserted.

Secondly, the state government should ask Agricultural Insurance Company of India (AICI), which covers 21 blocks and the HDFC and ICICI Lombard, which cover three blocks each, to open their offices in Shimla, demanded apple farmers Ami Chand, Manoj Negi and Chaman Tanta. They were spending time and energy going around various offices to get claims and submit documents time and again, they rued.

More weather stations should be opened in Shimla-Mandi-Kullu-Chamba apple belts and mango belt of lower parts of the state as the government had extended the scheme to cover 77 development blocks- 35 blocks for apples and 42 blocks for mango- in the state this year, they further said.

The scheme, launched in 2009-10, has benefited farmers who suffer about 20-30 per cent loss to the crop due to hailstorm, adverse weather, drought or incessant rains every year. "As many as 41,333 apple farmers had availed the WBCIS last year with insurance claims of about Rs 9.5 crore. We have asked companies to speed up the payment," said SS Verma, in charge of the scheme at the Horticulture Directorate.

He said they were awaiting the government notification as the model code of conduct had come in force. They would go ahead as and when the election department gave its nod, he said.

AICI's Agricultural Administrative Officer, Chandigarh, Ajay Linwal claimed they were awaiting documents from the farmers who had not taken loans to pay the claims. Most of these farmers had been paid their claims, he added. 

Sundernagar, March 22
The seven-day state-level Nalwar Fair (cattle fair) started with the worship of bullocks here today. Mandi Divisional Commissioner Onkar Chand Sharma was the chief guest on the occasion.

The centuries-old fair is considered the biggest cattle fair in North India. Cattle are brought here not only from Himachal, but also from Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, UP, Uttarakhand and Jammu and Kashmir for sale or exchange by farmers. Business transactions, which are increasing every year, worth crores are done here.

As per tradition, during the inaugural function a colourful procession was taken out from the PWD Rest House to Nagaun Khud, where the Divisional Commissioner performed the puja of a pair of bullocks and put a hub (khundi) on the ground and formally declared the fair open.

He was accompanied by Harikesh Meena, SDM, Sundernagar, who is also chairman of the state-level Nalwar Committee and other officials on the occasion.