‘HJC to meet its Waterloo this time’
Ratia (Fatehabad), April 2
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today hit out at HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, saying that the latter had lost his balance after realising that this poll was going to be the last election of his outfit.

BJP tries to make inroads into Ahirwal belt
New Delhi, April 2
The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, will address a rally in Gurgaon tomorrow. The constituency is a part of the Ahirwal belt.

Disgruntled BJP leaders stay away from party candidates 
Rewari, April 2
Even as preparations are in full swing for Narendra Modi’s rally in Gurgaon on April 3 to make the show successful, the BJP here has been suffering from factionalism in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

Six Haryana politicians contesting from other states
Sirsa, April 2
Politicians from the state seem to have a special knack for contesting polls outside their state and also winning from there.

Here, they make PMs of their choice everyday
Jind, April 2
The sight of village elders huddled together under a banyan tree, smoking the hookah, takes you back into the past. But in rural Haryana, ‘chaupal’ meetings are still the only source of entertainment for most people, despite the deep penetration of Dish TV and Internet in many homes.

A chaupal in progress in a Jind village. A Tribune photo

BJP expels two women leaders after clash
Panipat, April 2
The BJP has expelled two women leaders from the party for six years after a clash between two groups at the election office of the party here on Tuesday.

Ratia/Odhan (Sirsa), April 2
Punjab Deputy CM and president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) today urged Sikhs living in Haryana to vote for Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) to defeat Congress and Haryana Janhit Congress, as the leaders of both these parties, he alleged, were responsible for atrocities on the community.

Addressing election rallies in support of INLD nominee from Sirsa Charanjit Singh Rori at Sikh dominated Ratia in Fatehabad and Odhan in Sirsa, he alleged that Congress president Sonia Gandhi'?s mother-in-law Indira Gandhi had inflicted deep wounds to the community and Kuldeep Bishnoi'?s father Bhajan Lal too was a party to it.

The Congress, he alleged, honoured those with party tickets and ministerial birth, who were responsible for massacre of Sikhs during 1984 riots.

Hitting out at the UPA government at the Centre and Bhupinder Singh Hooda government in Haryana, Sukhbir Badal said all sections of the society were fed up with them, as they had pursued anti-people policies during the past ten years.

He said there was a strong wind against the Congress and claimed that the party would be wiped out from several states, including Punjab this time.

Asking people to votes for the INLD, Badal junior said that his family?s ties with Chautalas were stronger than the ?blood relations?.

Abhay Singh Chautala'?s son Karan Singh Chautala, who also addressed the meeting, also affirmed this relation, when he addressed Sukhbir Badal as his ?'taya'? (father'?s elder brother).

Hitting out at Hooda for his claims of development, Sukhbir Badal said Punjab was providing 24-hour electricity supply to its farmers against 8-hour power being provided to Haryana farmers.

Effusive in his praise for INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala, Badal junior said only he could provide people of Haryana the development they deserved. He alleged that Chautala and his son Ajay Singh were in jail today due to the conspiracies hatched by the Congress, but the ?truth?, he said, would prevail in the end.

Chandigarh, April 2
The launch of election campaign in Haryana by Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has developed fissures in the SAD-BJP alliance . Not taking things lying down, the Haryana BJP President Ram Bilas Sharma has informed the high command about the setback his party would suffer on account of Sukhbir Badal's campaign in favour the INLD .

Badal junior, who campaigned in five places in Haryana, has managed to get his party nominee Charanjit Singh contest the Sirsa parliamentary constituency as an INLD nominee. He has also announced that the INLD and the SAD would be in an alliance in Haryana while the SAD would be an ally of the BJP in other parts of the country.

Punjab's Deputy Chief Minister has targeted the Congress and HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, suggesting that the latter would lose its identity after the April 10 poll and would be forced to merge with the Congress. Badal, however, refrained from attacking the BJP, an alliance partner of the HJC in Haryana. He is apparently annoyed with the BJP for refusing a pre-poll alliance with the INLD after dumping the HJC.

Interestingly, while Sukhbir Badal started his campaign for the INLD in a bid to influence a large Punjabi voters in the Ambala, Karnal and Sirsa parliamentary constituencies, no prominent Punjab BJP leader has so far campaigned in Haryana. The Haryana BJP in charge, Jagdish Mukhi, has tried to play down the issue by saying that "the BJP has an alliance with the SAD only in Punjab". His stand is quite contrary to the views of Haryana BJP leaders, who feel this would cause a setback to BJP nominees.

Political observers are viewing Sukhbir Badal's coming to Haryana as a pressure on the BJP to scrap the alliance with the HJC after the parliamentary elections and enter into an alliance with the INLD to brighten the prospects of the INLD coming to power in Haryana.

Bishnoi has also lodged a complaint with BJP president Rajnath Singh against Sukhbir Badal for campaigning against the NDA in Haryana. Sukhbir has reacted to the charges by saying there was nothing new in fighting against the BJP in Haryana, the SAD had done so in the past too.

Ratia (Fatehabad), April 2
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today hit out at HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi, saying that the latter had lost his balance after realising that this poll was going to be the last election of his outfit.

In an interview with The Tribune during his poll campaign for INLD candidate Charanjit Singh Rori here today, Badal junior said Bishnoi was going to lose both Hisar and Sirsa seats.

“He can do whatever he wants. My party does not have anything to do with him,” Sukhbir retorted when his attention was drawn to Bishnoi’s statement that he had lodged a complaint with BJP president Rajnath Singh against SAD leader for campaigning against the NDA in Haryana.

When his attention was drawn to the fact that even state BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma had termed his campaign for the INLD in Haryana as against the coalition “dharma”, Sukhbir Badal said his party had an old alliance with the INLD and contested the 2009 poll in Haryana together with Om Prakash Chautala’s party.

“There is nothing new in fighting against the BJP in Haryana as we have done this in the past too,” he added.

When asked whether he saw any possibility of realignment in the coalition in Haryana after the parliamentary poll, Badal junior said even before these elections, his party had made efforts for an alliance between the INLD and the BJP as it was in the best interests of both parties.

Sukhbir Badal said had the BJP and the INLD gone in this election together, the alliance would have won all 10 seats in Haryana.

Sukhbir Badal said the INLD would win six to eight seats in these elections.

New Delhi, April 2
The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Narendra Modi, will address a rally in Gurgaon tomorrow. The constituency is a part of the Ahirwal belt.

He will also address a rally in Kurukshetra, but his visit to Gurgaon, where BJP nominee Rao Inderjit Singh is in the fray, is on the party’s national radar much because of the Yadav community.

Sources in the BJP said the party was strategically working to expand its base among the Yadavs in Haryana and adjoining states. They have presence in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi and Rajasthan. Mahant Chandnath, who is the head of a “math” in Rohtak, is a Yadav and has been fielded from Alwar in Rajasthan. Significantly, yoga guru Ramdev is also a Yadav and hails from Mahendergarh district which is demographically dominated by the community.

Modi had addressed a successful rally of ex-servicemen in Rewari, considered to be a nerve-centre of the Yadav politics in Haryana, on September 15 last year. It is part of the Gurgaon parliamentary segment. The rally was organised before Inderjit joined the BJP.

Sources say Modi could make a reference to the Yadav community’s contribution to society by quoting even mythology. Considering the importance of Modi’s visit, the party sent its Haryana in charge and Delhi MLA Jagdish Mukhi to Gurgaon today. Mukhi said the party was trying to expand its base among all sections of society. Workers of Gurgaon and Faridabad -- both part of the NCR-- will be galvanised by Modi’s visit to southern Haryana tomorrow.

Party president Rajnath Singh will address rallies at Bhiwani, Barwala (Ambala), Gharaunda (Karnal) on April 4, Sushama Swaraj will address rallies at Ambala, Panipat, Kaithal and Safidon (Sonepat) on April 5.

Rewari, April 2
Even as preparations are in full swing for Narendra Modi’s rally in Gurgaon on April 3 to make the show successful, the BJP here has been suffering from factionalism in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections.

A faction of the local BJP leaders who are disgruntled with the party high command for allotting tickets to the Congress turncoats from Gurgaon and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seats, are yet to step out for the canvassing in both the constituencies.

Sudha Yadav, former MP and BJP national secretary, and Rao Narbir Singh, former minister and state vice-president of the party, are the prominent among such disgruntled leaders who are maintaining distance from the party candidates here.

Both the leaders, belong to Rewari district which forms a major part of the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat and they had been lobbying for the party ticket either from Gurgaon or Bhiwani-Mahendragarh. However, both the leaders lost the ticket battle.

Sudha Yadav has been canvassing for BJP nominee and former Indian Army Chief VK Singh in Ghaziabad (Uttar Pradesh) for the last two weeks. Her absence from the constituency is enough to convey the massage to her supporters of keeping themselves away from the campaigning of Rao Inderjit and Dharambir Singh in Gurgaon and Mahendragarh respectively.

A similar sort of approach is also being followed by another BJP leader Rao Narbir Singh to register his protest against the party’s decision of not considering him for any of the constituencies. Though he has not so far attended any poll meeting of Rao Inderjit but does not rule out to seek votes for him as well. On being asked about his strategy regarding campaigning for the BJP candidates, Narbir opts to keep silent after stating that he would soon join Inderjit’s poll campaign.

Notably, both the constituencies have a large number of Ahir voters who play a decisive role to decide the fate of candidates in poll fray. Around 2.80 lakh voters are Ahir each in Gurgaon and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh parliamentary constituencies. Both Sudha Yadav and Rao Narbir have their own political base in Ahirwal region.

It is learnt that Sudha and Narbir also gave a miss to the party meeting in Gurgaon two days ago to contemplate over preparations for Modi’s rally with an intention to show their resentment.

Sirsa, April 2
Politicians from the state seem to have a special knack for contesting polls outside their state and also winning from there.

In these Lok Sabha elections, there are as many as six politicians who have their roots in Haryana but are contesting from other states.

Senior BJP leader Sushma Swaraj hails from Ambala, but she is contesting from Vidisha in Madhya Pradesh.

Besides Sushma, Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal, who hails from Hisar, is contesting from Varanasi (UP), former Army chief VK Singh, who hails from Bhiwani, is contesting from Ghaziabad (UP), Kartar Singh Bhadana, who belongs to Faridabad, is contesting from Kairana in Uttar Pradesh, Mahant Chandnath of Rohtak is in the fray from Alwar (Rajasthan) and Rakhi Bidlan of Jhajjar is fighting elections from North West Delhi.

Interestingly, Sushma contested the parliamentary elections thrice from the Karnal parliamentary seat in 1980, 1984 and 1989, but every-time, she was defeated by Chiranji Lal Sharma, father of Haryana Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Sharma.

Since then, Sushma bade goodbye to Haryana and has been contesting polls from other states. In 1990, she was elected to the Rajya Sabha.

She was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha in 1996 from South Delhi and was re-elected for the 12th Lok Sabha in 1998 from the same constituency.

After becoming a Cabinet minister in the Atal Behari Vajpayee government, she resigned and became the Delhi Chief Minister.

In 2000, Sushma became a member of the Rajya Sabha from Uttarakhand and in 2006, she was re-elected to the upper house, but this time from Madhya Pradesh.

In 2009, Sushma was elected to the Lok Sabha from the Vidisha parliamentary seat in Madhya Pradesh and in this election, too, she has chosen the same seat.

Chaudhary Devi Lal, the tallest leader from Haryana, contested the 1989 parliamentary polls from three seats - Rohtak (Haryana), Sikar (Rajasthan) and Ferozepur (Punjab).

He won Rohtak and Sikar seats but lost from Ferozepur. Devi Lal hailed from Chautala village in Sirsa district.

Mani Ram Bagri, another Jat leader from Hisar, contested the 1977 parliamentary polls from Mathura on the Janata Party ticket and won the seat. Credit for getting elected from three different states goes to Chaudhary Tayyab Hussain, veteran Meo leader from Haryana.

Tayyab Hussain became MLA from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan on six different occasions and remained minister in all three states.

Krishan Swaroop Gorakhpuria, a political analyst, said there were several reasons behind fielding outsider candidates. Sometimes, senior and influential leaders tend to select safer seats for themselves in other states. Secondly, popular leaders are fielded outside their states so that the party could cash in on their popularities on the other seats of that state. In some other cases, caste equations prompt political leaders to find greener pastures outside their own states.

Jind, April 2
The sight of village elders huddled together under a banyan tree, smoking the hookah, takes you back into the past. But in rural Haryana, ‘chaupal’ meetings are still the only source of entertainment for most people, despite the deep penetration of Dish TV and Internet in many homes.

It is here that the villagers decide the fate of politicians in the fray. Whether it is Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Arvind Kejriwal or any other star campaigner, their roadshows must pass by a ‘chaupal’.

Small groups of men stroll into the central place of Brahan Kalan village, waiting for Ramesh Kaushik, contesting the Sonepat LS seat. Within minutes, a convoy arrives, bringing Kaushik. "These days leaders come to a place, deliver their speeches and return. I am here to listen to you and not to deliver any speech, tell me the issues that concern you and I will redress these when you send me to Parliament", he tells the gathering.

Jasmer Singh (65), referred to as “chaudhary”, draws Kaushik's attention to the non-availability of potable water in the village. Another points out at the lack of reliable means of transport while yet another expresses his reservation over sending girls to far-away schools as there is no high school nearby.

This village is located in the heart of the Jat belt, about 12 km from Jind city. Locals appear illiterate but once they open up, they show profound knowledge of politics.

"Political interaction, organised at a ‘chaupal’, are not only commonplace, most Khaps or even village panchayats hold ‘chaupals’ at designated places and hold discussions on social issues like inter-caste marriages, voting rights to girls etc," said Satyender, a local villager.

When The Tribune team arrived at the chaupal, there was a small gathering of 10-12, comprising only men in the 25-65 age group. "Politicians are like seasonal insects that appear in elections and then remain confined to air-conditioned homes, offices or cars for five years," said Yagsir Redhu in chaste Haryanavi, making the gathering burst into a laughter.

Comments like "There is a Modi wave in the country as he is a good decision-maker" by Dinesh, a graduate, evoked a strong reaction from a “tau”, who said “going to the university does not make you a political pundit. We will vote for Hooda as he has increased the old-age pension".

Some people nod their heads but this is not taken as the final word on the way the village will vote.

As the debate hots up, Mohit, a staunch INLD supporter, cannot resist saying "the INLD is the real face of Haryana voters as the party has always been supporting the poor. The INLD will win with a huge margin".

While politicians bite the dust travelling from one village to another, village elders gathered at scores of 'chaupals' choose the governments and Prime Minister of their choice. Numerous discussions bring out various issues that face each village and every segment of society. Statements like "Country needs Kejriwal as he can serve people the best. Other parties are trying to tarnish his image with false propaganda, but ultimately he would win and become kingmaker" leave a deep impression on the psyche of people and is bound to reflect in polling on April 10. 

Panipat, April 2
The BJP has expelled two women leaders from the party for six years after a clash between two groups at the election office of the party here on Tuesday.

District president Gajendra Saluja expelled state mahila morcha spokesperson Mehak Dewan and BJP district vice-president Savita Taneja on the basis of a complaint by state industry cell co-convener Surendra Rewri.

Taking a strong note of the expulsion, Mehak termed the action against them as one-sided.

Talking to The Tribune on phone from PGI, Rohtak, where Savita is being treated, Mehak said “This is nothing but injustice to us. Instead of taking action against Surendra Rewri and his companions who slapped Savita and misbehaved with several women workers, the party has expelled us without even listening or issuing a show cause notice to us. We have been working for the party since decades whereas Rewri joined it just a year ago on money power.”

She said “We will fight against this undemocratic and unjust action at every platform.” She further questioned “How can a district president expel state spokesperson of mahila morcha. It does not fall under his jurisdiction.”

When contacted, Saluja said “I have expelled the two women leaders as the incident occurred in Panipat. They are free to raise the issue with the state BJP leadership.”

To further queries, Saluja said “I was also present at Karnal BJP candidate Ashwani Chopra’s election office in Panipat when the incident took place. So, there was no need for issuing show cause notice to them. They misbehaved with Rewri in my presence, so we did not issue any show cause notice to Rewri.”

However, Mehak said “We have been campaigning for BJP candidate Ahwani Chopra for several days. We had gone to the election office to take lunch. When Savita asked Rewri why did he use indecent and derogatory language against her while talking to mandal general secretary Santokh Thakkar, he lost his temper and started slapping her and his companions joined in. I just tried to mediate.”

Mehak said “Allegations levelled by Rewri, of not depositing Rs 11,000 given by him for Jan Sewa Dal, are baseless. Savita has the receipt of the amount deposited.”

Meanwhile, a police personnel from Kishan Nagar police post recorded Savita’s statement at the PGI today.

State BJP Mahila Morcha president Pratibha Suman also visited her. 

Gurgaon, April 2
Promising better infrastructure and all-round development, AAP leader Yogendra Yadav today released a manifesto for Gurgaon constituency, from where he is fighting the Lok Sabha elections.

Slamming Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in Haryana, Yadav said there was an utter neglect of basic infrastructure like roads, health facilities and schools in the region, especially in rural areas.

Talking to reporters, Yadav said Gurgaon contributes around 60 per cent income of the state, but the government had neglected the development of the southern region.

Over the last decade, incompetent policies of the state helped develop a nexus between builders and politicians which led to the complete neglect of farmers who constitute majority of the population in the region, he said.

Erratic supply of water, electricity, ill-managed food grain storage facilities and incompetent support system for providing farming inputs have made farming a challenge, Yadav said. If voted to power, the AAP candidate promised better infrastructure and all-around equal development in all three districts of Gurgaon, Mewat and Rewari which fall under the constituency.

Unlike in Delhi, a single authority system would be formed in Gurgaon as multiple agencies to regulate and provide infrastructure had created loopholes and increased corruption, he said.

Yadav also promised to look after the safety and security of women, provide sufficient quantity of water and electricity to the people and provide equal and fair distribution of resources in the entire constituency.

Ecological and environmental issues and depleting ground water and education are other concerns where the party would give its serious attentions, he said.— PTI

Kurukshetra April 2
Campaigning for Congress candidate Naveen Jindal here today, Rajya Sabha member Kumari Selja said, "There is no wave of BJP’s PM nominee Narendra Modi. It is a hype being created by the media."

Selja was addressing mediapersons after attending a couple of public meetings at Khedi Markanda here today.

She said, "I am confident that the people of Kurukshetra will vote in favour of Jindal and he will win with a huge margin. The party has a strong base and a clear vision and these will help us in the elections."

Taking a dig at Modi, she said, "Those who are talking about the Gujarat model of development should not forget that a state cannot progress without the pro-development policies of the Central government."

The Congress would win all 10 seats in Haryana as elections were being won on agendas and not on waves, she added.

She said it was the work of the Congress government that had made Haryana number 1 state in the country.

Sonepat, April 2
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda today started his fourth roadshow in the Gannaur and Sonepat assembly segments of the constituency.

He addressed election meetings at nine villages- Bhigan, Panchi Jatan, Rajpur, Purkhas, Kailana, Bajana Kalan, Bajana Khurd, Pugthala, Khubru and at Gannaur town. Sonepat town was covered by addressing meetings at as many as 18 places in the town.

While addressing the meetings, he claimed that Gujarat stood nowhere close to Haryana in the all-round development and social welfare schemes. “Presentation of Gujarat as a model state of development is just being used to mislead and misguide people,” he alleged.

He said after the completion of the ongoing development projects, Sonepat would be acknowledged as a model township.

“The BJP is borrowing candidates from outside and none of the political party in the NDA and the UPA is willing to shake hands with the INLD,” he remarked, and appealed the voters to vote for Congress nominee Jagbir Singh Malik for uninterrupted development and social security.

Sirsa, April 2
Reports of cancellation of Narendra Modi’s April 7 rally at Fatehabad have raised many eyebrows.

The BJP’s prime ministerial candidate was to address an election rally at Fatehabad on April 7, where he was to seek votes for Haryana Janhit Congress candidates from Sirsa and Hisar seats Sushil Indora and Kuldeep Bishnoi, respectively.

Bishnoi’s cousin and a former parliamentary secretary Dura Ram said, “The rally stands cancelled now.”

Dura Ram said efforts were being made to bring some other senior leaders of the BJP for the proposed rally.

Former BJP minister Ganeshi Lal and BJP’s convener for Sirsa parliamentary constituency Jagdish Chopra also confirmed that Modi’s visit was in doubt.

None of the HJC or the BJP leader could throw any light on the reasons behind the development.

The cancellation, if it happens, will deny Kuldeep Bishnoi’s Haryana Janhit Congress the political advantage it could have got had Modi addressed the rally a day before the end of the election campaign in the state.

The HJC had been publicising this rally, particularly in Sirsa, where the party has fielded Sushil Indora, who quit the Congress just before Bishnoi announced his candidature.

The HJC had been claiming that Modi’s visit would provide a fillip to the poll campaigns of both Bishnoi and Indora.

The move is being linked with HJC supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi’s recent outburst against Sukhbir Singh Badal after the latter addressed a rally in support of INLD nominee Dushyant Chautala in Hisar.

Badal Junior, however, said it was the internal matter of the BJP and he was not aware of any such development.

Ganeshi Lal, however, said the cancellation of the visit, if it happens, would not at all affect the poll prospects of the HJC candidates in Sirsa and Hisar.

Hisar, April 2
A silent but strong undercurrent of caste loyalties seems to have overtaken all other issues in this parliamentary segment, where a battle for ‘chaudhar’ has begun between Jats and non-Jats.

Though the caste divide is a common factor in elections, the hardening of stands on caste lines is a reflection of the tension that has vitiated the social fabric in this district in recent years. Incidents such as Mirchpur violence, the Bhagana caste row and the Dabra Dalit gang-rape case on the one hand, and the Jat reservation agitation on the other, has turned Hisar into a nerve centre of caste politics.

HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi is locked in a tough contest with INLD's fresh face Dushyant Chautala, while the Congress nominee Sampat Singh was trying hard to make it a triangular contest. BSP nominee Mange Ram Varma, who has an eye on the vote bank of Mayawati and AAP candidate Yudhbir Singh Khyalia, has the potential to play spoilsport for any of the main contestants.

Fault lines, however, run deeper than expected as slogans of "caste ki chaudhar" take the centrestage. Ask anybody about the voting patterns in the the rural segments of Uchana, Narnaund, Adampur, Uklana or Bawani Khera, people almost know for certain who is voting for whom in their respective villages. "Non-Jats are backing Kuldeep, so Jats are consolidating the INLD. Though Sampat and Khyalia also have presence in the village, it is becoming a direct fight between the top two,” said Rameshwar Singh in Bhatla village of the district.

A resident of Mirchpur village, which underwent harrowing caste tension in 2010, said, “The clamour of ‘Kuldeep harao’ (defeat Kuldeep) is gaining momentum among Jats. Same is the issue with non-Jats, who are consolidating behind him to oppose the Jat nominees of the INLD and the Congress. Jats are polarising towards the INLD, as the Congress seems to be on weak footing due to anti- incumbency," he maintains.

Even in the Adampur Assembly segment, which has been a stronghold of Kuldeep, as besides Bishnois, Jats too had been backing the Bhajan Lal clan, caste loyalties have thrown the schism open. "Politicians have been playing up the caste factor. Though the issues such as corruption, price rise, jobs and even national security are still being discussed at the common meetings in streets and ‘chaupals’, when it comes to casting the vote, people would go on caste lines," said Dharam Pal of Ghursal village in the Adampur segment.

Faced with the stark reality of caste divide, the main contestants though blame each other for creating the situation.

Dushyant Chautala alleged that Bishnoi had created fissures in society, as he discriminated against particular community even in the allocation of the MPLAD funds. Bishnoi, however, refuted the charges, stating that he had a vision of inclusive growth of all communities. Sampat Singh took a dig at both, stating that they should mend their own ways before blaming others for creating the caste divide.

Rohtak, April 2
Over 30 Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) activists courted arrest after they were not allowed to reach Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's parental house to submit a memorandum here today.

The workers, protesting against the failure of the local police in nabbing the miscreants who had allegedly damaged their leader Arvind Kejriwal's car a couple of days ago, took out a protest march to register their resentment.

The protesters were adamant on reaching the CM's house to submit their memorandum there, but the police prevented them from crossing the barricades .

Finally, after some argument with the police, the AAP workers said they would court arrest. They were then seated in police vehicles parked there and taken to a police station.

District Aam Aadmi Party convener Satish Rana alleged that the police had failed to check the rising crime graph even in the Chief Minister's hometown.

Kejriwal's car was allegedly damaged by two motorcycle-borne youths when two party workers were going to park it in Sector 3 on the night of March 31. Nobody was injured in the incident.

Rewari, April 2
Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's roadshow here yesterday has given a boost to the election campaign of Congress nominee from the Gurgaon Lok Sabha seat Rao Dharampal, who had been facing internal bickering and factionalism among local Congress leaders.

It was for the first time ever since Rao Dharampal got the party ticket that state Power Minister and MLA Capt Ajay Singh Yadav shared a public platform with him during the roadshow. However, his son Chiranjeev Rao, who usually remains active in such activities, gave the roadshow a miss.

Capt Yadav and his supporters had been keeping themselves away from active poll campaigning of Rao Dharampal ever since he was denied the party ticket for his son Chiranjeev, who, too, was lobbying hard through his father-in-law and former Bihar Chief Minister Lalu Prashad Yadav for the same.

Chief Parliamentary Secretary (CPS) Rao Daan Singh, who has, so far, not organised even a single public meeting in Mahendragarh district in support of the Congress candidate from there, was also seen waving at the people during the roadshow.

Rao Daan Singh has been an MLA from Mahendragarh that falls under the Bhiwani-Mahendragarh Lok Sabha seat from where Shruti Choudhry is seeking her re-election as a Congress nominee. Daan Singh had attended Shruti’s rally in Bhiwani on March 21, the day she filed her nomination. Since then, he is not visible during Congress candidate’s campaign being carried out in his Assembly segment. “As Daan Singh does not have cordial relations with Shruti’s mother Kiran Choudhry for a long time, he has been keeping himself away from her poll campaign,” reacted a local Congress leader.

Though Capt Ajay Yadav, in the presence of Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda, has announced to extend his full support to Rao Dharampal, it is yet to be seen when he would start organising poll meetings in Rewari.

Faridabad, April 2
Faridabad is no different when it comes to providing the fairer sex an opportunity to represent the voters in the Lok Sabha elections.

With all parties fielding male candidates, only three women are in the field.

“The mentality and approach of the top leadership of nearly all political parties continues to remain outdated when it comes to the issue of giving tickets to women candidates,” said Parag Sharma, a lawyer . She said the debates on reservation to women might prove hollow if a practical approach was missing. “The fielding of male candidates by prominent parties, including the Congress, the BJP, the INLD, AAP and BSP, suggests that the leadership of these parties perhaps could not find able women candidates,” said Kiran Gupta, an advocate. She said politics had perhaps been deliberately kept as a male-dominated area due to various factors and all claims regarding the equality of women had failed to prove their worth.

Only six women out of the total 184 candidates had contested the 10 parliamentary elections held so far since 1977 from this seat. While only three women candidates, including an independent, are in the fray this time, the segment has a total of over 7.7 lakh women voters.

Female candidates who have filed their nomination papers for this seat include Nirmala of Janat Dal (united), Kusum of All India Peoples' Front (radical) and Sushila, an independent. No women candidate had been fielded or had filed her nomination papers for the five parliamentary elections held between 1977 and 1991.

Bhiwani, April 2
The police have tightened the security arrangements to prevent smuggling of liquor and intrusion of anti-social elements during the Lok Sabha elections in the district.

District Election Officer (DEO) Ashok Kumar Meena said here today that the police would keep a close vigil on illicit liquor and movement of cash and criminals in the areas adjoining the Rajasthan border. As many as 11 nakas had been set up in the border areas, the DEO said.

“Nakas have been set up at Bahal, Loharu, Siwani, Badhada and Tosham and thorough checking of vehicles, passengers and their luggage is being carried out. The police are in constant touch with the Rajasthan Police and their administrative officers involved in the election duty in Churu, Jhunjhunu and Rajgarh districts of Rajasthan which is in close proximity of Haryana," the CEO added.

Meena said as many as 4,400 citizens residing in six Assembly constituencies, including Bawani Khera of the district, had licenced arms in their possession, out of which 3,700 had deposited their arms at the nearest police stations. “Notices have been issued to those who have not deposited their arms under Section-188 of Indian Penal Code,” he said. Cases would be registered against those who would not comply with the directions, he added.

Sonepat, April 2
The Haryana School Lecturers Association today decided not to boycott the evaluation of answersheets of students who appeared in the second and final semesters of classes X and XII.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the state executive committee at Gohana today. Association president Daya Nand Dalal presided over a meeting of office bearers from the state and district units.

In a press statement issued here today, Dalal said though the decision was taken in the interest of the students, the Association's opposition of the authorities would continue.

In a meeting with the Association's representatives on November 28 last year, the Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Education, had assured that a state-level committee constituted to look into their demands will submit its report within 15 days. "But there is no report from the committee even after five months," Dalal alleged.

"The Association has planned a new strategy to get our demands accepted by the government but it will be made public after the parliamentary elections," he said.

He also alleged that the decision to sanction vacations from April 5 to 14 in the schools was aimed to benefit private schools.

Kaithal, April 2
Blood was coming out his mouth as he lay motionless in the middle of the national highway, knocked down by a truck.

When he left home this morning, he was a son, a brother and a friend to many. Just 500 yards down the highway, a few minutes out of his village, he was reduced to only another statistic in the police records, one that took the death toll on that particular portion of the Ambala-Pehowa-Kaithal killer stretch, to four.

The police arrived in no time. His paternal uncle, Swaran Singh identified the deceased as his nephew, Ramandeep, Prince to family and friends.

Those around knew it was futile. The boy had died on the spot. He left behind a wailing family, a shell-shocked neighbourhood and a debt of Rs 1.5 lakh, taken six months ago to marry off his sister.

"Prince, the only son, used to work as a daily wager in two shifts with a contractor to repay the debt. His father, a truck driver, earned enough to feed the family. They are all shattered," said Nasib Singh, a neighbour.

By the evening, on that same stretch towards Narwana, another accident between a motorcycle and a car had left two more boys seriously injured. They were referred to the PGI, Chandigarh, their parents called in from Pai and Hisar.

While accidents may only end up as statistics in the police records, this particular stretch has been a cause of worry for the government.

State PWD Minister and Kaithal MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala, on his way to campaign for Congress candidate Naveen Jindal, happened to be passing by after the accident this morning, said: "This is a very narrow road where many precious lives are lost in accidents every year. We have been pushing for its four-laning. There were no takers for the tenders twice. I met Union Surface Transport Minister Oscar Fernandez even yesterday. Finally, the tender has been accepted but it is held up since the Election Commission has banned its clearance till the model code conduct is in force. Hopefully, we will be able to set the ball rolling after the elections," he said.

Jind, April 2
The majority of residents of this district do not have even basic information about their fundamental duties while they are aware of their fundamental rights to some extent only. After the revelation of this fact during a survey by the District Legal Services Authority (DLSA), Jind, has started a special awareness campaign “Know your fundamental duty”.

Harleen A Sharma, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) and incharge of the DLSA, Jind, had ordered a special survey by its paralegal volunteers some days back to assess the knowledge level of “fundamental duties and rights” among district residents. The special teams visited almost all colleges, schools and other important places of the district to take feedback. During their survey, teams interacted with almost all sections of society and asked them questions about their fundamental duties and rights. But surprisingly majority of them could not count even 5 fundamental duties, out of total 11.

“Though residents knew only few fundamental rights and did not have exact information about their all rights. But about duties, almost all were found to be unaware,” said a paralegal volunteer.

The outcome of the survey has shocked authorities as many senior citizens were found to be unaware about their duties.

“Since without spreading awareness about fundamental duties, we could not bring a positive change in the society, we have started special campaign “Know your fundamental duty”. I have been taking regular feedback from our special teams, formed for this purpose,” said CJM Harleen A Sharma.

The project has been going on under the supervision of District and Sessions Judge Jind Santparkash, who also held a meeting with advocates, who are on the panel of the DLSA.