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Rajnath promises tribal status to
trans-Giri area
Campaign trail:
Narinder Thakur |
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BJP hardselling Modi’s link with state to garner support
Kinnaur to resonate with Shyam Saran Negi’s
jingles
VIGNETTES
In Kangra, leaders rely on caste equations
After BJP-Congress workers’ clash, blame game begins
Shanta did not allow any leader to grow in BJP, says Sushant
BJP has no achievements to list in state: Chander
BJP dubs CEO as Cong agent
Shanta to be minister if NDA wins: Kamal Sharma
Jasraj Jassi adds colour to AAP candidate’s campaign
CM has promoted sports: Pathania
Basic amenities at polling booths for voters
Two scooterists die in road accidents
Thunder squall hits state
‘Masses have shown support to BJP’
Dhumals should give poll fund account: Rana
Former Cong minister holds roadshow
4 killed as vehicle falls into gorge
Work on Chamba bus stand to start soon: CM
Man gets one-year RI in sodomy case
BJP will lead from Banjar: Khimi Ram One dies in road accident
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Rajnath promises tribal status to
trans-Giri area
Nahan, May 4 Spelling out his party’s poll promises for hilly states, Rajnath said the Himalayan Sustainable Association would be constituted for hilly and backward states, including Himachal, and this would make available special funds for their development. Referring to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s dream of linking rivers, he said their government would undertake channelisation of rivers and this would benefit the agrarian community by making available ample water for irrigation. He also announced that a Pradhan Mantri Gramin Sinchai Yojna would be introduced for the welfare of farmers. Overwhelmed with the response of the rally, he promised to come again and urged the people to ensure the victory of Virender Kashyap. He said the Congress kept repeating its rhetoric of “Bharat Nirman” to befool the masses even after 66 years of Independence and the nations, which had attained independence years after India, were much ahead in development. He said the Congress despite remaining in power for 55 years, had failed to remove poverty and more than half of the population still lived below the poverty line. He said a special border security force would be constituted for Himachal which would guard its international borders. Striking a chord with the Muslims, he urged them to vote according to their intelligence and said the Congress had been merely using them as a vote bank. Mohammed Rashid Ansari, national president, BJP’s Minorities Morcha, addressing the gathering, said all Muslims would vote for the BJP in the poll as the Congress had cheated them. He said a majority of the Muslims continued to live in poverty and the Congress had merely used them as vote bank. Rajkumari Diya Kumari, who is the granddaughter of the local royal family, also appealed to the people to vote for the BJP as the Congress had failed to bring about any development in Sirmaur which ranked at number 11 among 12 districts in the state. Others present included MP Virender Kashyap, MLAs Dr Rajeev Bindal, Suresh Kashyap, Baldev Tomar and other local leaders. |
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Campaign trail:
Narinder Thakur Pratibha Chauhan Tribune News Service
Sujanpur, May 4 Having made his electoral debut unsuccessfully in 1994 after the sudden death of his father, Thakur Jagdev Chand, he is again trying his luck as BJP candidate for the Sujanpur Assembly bypoll to be held on May 7. With odds heavily against him for his shifting loyalties and a politically divided family, he has an arduous task at hand. Two decades later, Narinder (56), a lawyer, is trying to evoke public sympathy in the name of his father, who is credited with nurturing and strengthening the BJP. Sensing that it is a golden opportunity for him to achieve what he missed out by merely 614 votes two decades ago, he is putting in his might to taste victory. An early riser, he is ready to leave home in his native village of Patlandar at 9 am. Travelling in his Bolero jeep with a handful of supporters in two other vehicles, the first stop is Patnon village. With the political lines being very blurred for Narinder who, after contesting the first election in 1994 on the BJP ticket, joined the Congress in 1998, there is a lot of explaining to do. “After my father’s demise, it is only Dhumal who has ensured development of not just Sujanpur, but entire Hamirpur,” he says of the man he had accused of trying to destroy Jagdev’s legacy and also his ouster from the BJP in 1998. It is ironical that in the last Assembly election in December 2012, Narinder had contested on the Congress ticket against Dhumal from Hamirpur and against Anurag in the 2009 Lok Sabha poll. He also tries to hit out at the Congress, a party which he joined in 2008 for six years till his return to the BJP recently. “None of the so-called senior Congress leaders, including their ministers, dared to contest from Hamirpur, so you must vote for Anuarg and me if you wish to see Modi as Prime Minister,” he exhorts. The fact that his own sister-in-law Urmil Thakur, a two-time BJP MLA, quit the BJP and joined the Congress when he was given preference over her, has made matters worse for him. Out to take her revenge, she not only joined the Congress, but is also actively campaigning for Congress nominees Anita Rana for the Assembly and Rajinder Rana for the Lok Sabha. “Politically she cannot damage me as people were quite unhappy with her way of functioning, but yes on the family front, it does send a wrong signal that she is opposing me," he admits. He also dismisses his Congress opponent Anita Rana as a substitute for her husband who he labels as a political opportunist. The other speakers, including Rakesh Thakur, Sujanpur BJP block president, also urge people to vote for Jagdev’s son. “All that Virbhadra has done in 15 months is to frame Dhumal and his son in false cases, so people of this segment must repay the debt they owe to the man who brought a transformation here,” says Thakur. At his next meeting in Bardhu village, he keeps his speech brief and explains that he will not make any tall promises unlike other politicians as he believes in action rather than just talking. After two other meetings in the area, he has a simple lunch at a party workers house. After a brief break, he is out on campaigning again. Rather than getting into the task of explaining his wavering political stand, he tries to touch an emotional chord in the name of his father, who won five consecutive elections and came close to becoming the Chief Minister. Even 20 years after his death, Jagdev is highly respected by people of the area. “I never wanted to quit the BJP, but was forced to do so much against my wishes. But now I am happy and am confident that people will repose faith in me," he says.
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BJP hardselling Modi’s link with state to garner support
Shimla, May 4 Unlike
Vajpayee, who has a small house in Manali, Modi has no property in Himachal, but his love for the state and Himachalis is no less, say BJP leaders.
Modi’s love for Himachal has already been demonstrated in the BJP manifesto which promises special policy for hill states. "We are confident that the expansion of the railway network and air strips, highways, setting up of cold chains and liberal financial assistance will be met with Modi at the helm of afffairs at the
Centre, says former Chief Minister PK Dhumal. Holding a similar view, the state BJP chief Satpal Singh Satti says, “Modi has said Himachal occupies a special place in his heart as he received immense love from Himachalis during his seven-year stay in the state and wish to pay back”, he
said. Modi, who was instrumental in formation of the BJP-HVC government in Himachal in 1998, has had close rapport with workers and leaders, who are enthusiastic about his becoming prime minister and boast of rubbing shoulders with him. BJP spokesperson Ganesh Dutt said the question whether Modi would treat Himachal as the second home was irrelevant as he lived in their hearts. However, Congressmen say that it is another gimmick to gain the sympathies of voters. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh opines that Modi may be known to party workers and cadre, but not to people and the so-called Modi wave is nothing but a media
hype. BJP leaders are harping on “Modi will do this, Modi will do that”, but they have no answer to the question why these things were not done during the six years of the NDA regime, Virbhadra said, adding that Modi had campaigned in the Assembly polls in 2003, but the BJP had
lost. Modi is making promises to check prices and remove unemployment, but not spelling out any plans or strategy. “We have seen the Gujarat model where development is visible only in urban areas, while rural areas have been neglected. This model can’t be replicated in Himachal where 90 per cent population is living in rural areas,” says state Health Minister Kaul Singh. The people feel that it is immaterial what BJP leaders claim, but the important thing is that whether the people feel that Himachal is the second home to
Modi. Vajpayee never boasted of Himachal being his second home, but people of Prini village in Manali claimed that it is Vajpayee’s second home and celebrate his birthday as a festival, they point out. |
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Kinnaur to resonate with Shyam Saran Negi’s
jingles
Reckong Peo (Kinnaur), May 4 With the rath penetrating into sparsely populated interior areas of the tribal district, the hills will resonate with jingles of the Election Commission along with the appeal of first voter of Independent India, Shyam Saran Negi, to voters to make it a point to exercise their franchise. The polling parties for four booths of Kunnu, Chaurang, Rupi and Shingarch have been dispatched today while the polling parties for the remaining 117 booths out of 121 will be sent tomorrow. There are about 511 persons in polling parties and micro observers will accompany them. There are about eight critical polling stations in the district, inaccessible by road and as one has to trek 5-14 km distance to reach these booths. Five deputy magistrates have been deployed in the area with 27 sectors and 121 booths been set up which included 102 ordinary, 13 sensitive and six hypersensitive booths. The Kinnaur administration had put stamps on all the newspapers distributed in the area with the message “Saare kaam chhod do, sabse pehle vote do” (leave all other works and vote first). Nonagenarian voter Vohra flags off marathon Chamba: With the objective of bringing awareness among voters, a marathon race, “Run for vote”, was flagged off here today by 98-year-old veteran elector Roshan Lal Vohra. He had been a presiding officer during the first Lok Sabha elections held in 1951. The nonagenarian said for a healthy democracy, it was essential that every voter should exercise his franchise. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Kadam Sandeep Vasant honoured Vohra by presenting him a Himachali shawl and a cap. The DC appealed to people to cast their vote during the Lok Sabha poll slated for May 7. The 8-km marathon, which started from the Regional Hospital complex, culminated at the police ground via Sultanpur. As many 150 persons participated in it. The winners were honoured. SP DK Chaudhary,
SDM Bachan Singh, SBI Lead Bank Chief Manager LR Thakur and Tehsildar (Election) Navjivan Mankotia, among other officials, were present on the occasion.
— OC |
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Six ‘playful’ evenings
Shriniwas Joshi All roads for theatre lovers led to The Gaiety on the evenings of April 24 to 29. Shimla, during the British period, was known as the Mecca of Theatres. It turned out be true to that sobriquet when the Language and Culture Department organised what is probably the most stupendous “Manohar Singh Smriti Natya Utsav” by inviting the best of directors to exhibit their talent. The department honoured the son of that great stage actor, but failed to display a photograph of late Manohar Singh on the occasion. The utsav was a lesson to the local theatre groups who complain of lack of drama audience in Shimla. Good theatre always has good audience. The utsav concluded with Ratan Thiyam’s “Macbeth” in Manipuri and was a great learning experience for students of theatre. A prominent critic once wrote that standards of Indian theatre would one day be measured along the lines of Ratan Thiyam’s plays. The grandeur of “Macbeth” — period costume, ideal make-up, the unison of huge cast, movement on the stage, flawless lighting (See photo) - above all his vision and oeuvre of treating Macbeth not as a character, but as a disease — conspiracies and murders to satisfy the lust for power — were a treat to watch. “Khalid ki Khala”, an adaptation by Begum Qudsia Zaidi of “Charley’s Aunt”, a farce in three acts written by Brandon Thomas and directed by well-known film and theatre personality Ramesh Talwar opened the utsav. The play made people laugh, but the theme was outdated. Some of the characters overacted. The caricatured Nusrat was horrible. The scene showing the characters smoking could easily have been dropped because smoking is an offence on the Gaiety stage in smoke-free Shimla. The second evening was devoted to the big names —Naseeruddin Shah, his wife Ratna Pathak Shah and Seema Pahwa (Barki of Hum Log) — who narrated the three stories, “Do Haath”, “Mughal Bachcha” and “Gharwali”, by Ismat Chughtai. Seema Pahwa’s portrayal of characters in the story “Do Haath” was laudable, but I wonder where was the necessity of her unwanted movements on the stage. Ratna presented a cameo in “Mughal Bachcha”. The point of dramatic excellence in the story was where she ate a non-existent paan. She followed the process of preparing paan to the minutest detail, chopped the betel-nut into pairings through an imaginary instrument, spread kattha and choona, put it in her mouth and feigned her voice as if she were actually chewing paan. Naseeruddin carries an aura with him and so the public appreciated whatever he was doing on the stage, but his narration and acting lacked the finesse that his wife had. Off-stage, credit to him for stopping smoking outside a hotel at midnight when his wife told him that smoking here was an offence. The third evening had two stories, “Aadamzaad” by Vijaydaan Detha and “Panchlight” by Phanishwarnath Renu made into plays directed by Ranjit Kapoor, a theatre and film celebrity. Full marks to “Panchlight” as a boisterous comedy. It was loud, no doubt, but rustic humour often is rowdy. “Mohe Piya”, on the fourth day, was directed by Waman Kendre, director of NSD. It is based on Bhasa’s play in Sanskrit — “Madhyam Vyayog”. Following the Natya Shastras conventions, it had stylised dialogue delivery, exaggerated movements and use of conch-shell and cymbals for music. The contemporary blend in the ancient theme raised its production value. The play exposed the modern generation to the vanishing form of Sanskrit drama and deserves three cheers. “The License” by Neelam ManSingh on the penultimate day was based on two stories, “The License" by Manto and “The Job” by Bertolt Brecht. The deaths of the breadwinners in both the stories led the women to rise to the occasion and enter into the shoes of their husbands. But were their lives easy? No, their courage apparently began to crumble under the weight of societal conventions. Symbols play a vital and crucial role in Neelam’s plays and she used these with deftness here. TAILPIECE: Waman Kendre, before the start of “Mohe Piya”, announced from the backstage: “Our play is of the Mahabharat era and during that era, there were no mobile phones, so please switch these off.”
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In Kangra, leaders rely on caste equations
Dharamsala, May 4 Congress candidate Chander Kumar is relying heavily on his OBC support base. Talking to The Tribune, Chander Kumar, who is a postgraduate and has taught in college, said though he did not believe in caste, in real life, it is difficult to ignore groups in society. He said the OBCs and SCs were united and were standing beside him in the current elections. Sources here said
Brahmins in the Kangra parliamentary constituency had rallied behind Shanta Kumar. A senior Congress leader from the district, talking on condition of anonymity, said Brahmins in the constituency had concocted a slogan this time:
"Ab ki baari bare panditji" (This time, it would be elder panditji). The Congress is hoping that Rajan
Sushant, who is a Brahmin leader and is also a former BJP MP, would cut into Shanta Kumar’s caste vote bank. Besides Brahmins and
OBCs, Rajputs make for another predominant caste in Kangra parliamentary constituency. Sources here said
Rajputs in fact had a majority in the Kangra parliamentary constituency. Rajputs constitute about 34 per cent of the total electorate of Kangra. OBCs follow them closely at about 32 per cent and Brahmins comprise about 20 per cent of the electorate. The remaining 14 per cent are Gaddi and Gujjar tribals and Scheduled Castes. The Congress apparently does not have any prominent Rajput leader in Kangra district. A slot of a Rajput leader in the Congress is supposedly occupied by Sujan Singh
Pathania, Minister for Agriculture. He remains focused on his own Assembly constituency and does not have a pan-Kangra following. Vijay Singh Mankotia apparently used to be a "strong" Rajput leader but he has been pushed to the sidelines in the Congress. Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh is the lone Rajput leader of the Congress who the party hopes could influence the caste in Kangra. The BJP is perceived to have a comparatively strong Rajput leadership in Kangra. Though the leaders are relying heavily on caste equations, the past elections have shown that personal relations of candidates and other factors also play a crucial role in polls. In Kangra parliamentary constituency, even Sat Mahajan had won despite the fact that his caste had marginal presence in the area. Similarly, in Assembly elections, Congress minister GS Bali has won four times consecutively from Nagrota
Bagwan, an Assembly constituency dominated by OBC voters.
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After BJP-Congress workers’ clash, blame game begins
Una, May 4 Una MLA and state BJP president Satpal Singh Satti was pushed in the melee and his personal security officer, who intervened, was also attacked and his clothes torn. A former Up-Pradhan of Abada Barana, who happened to be a BJP sympathiser, was beaten up, allegedly resulting in a broken tooth. It all began when a BJP cultural troupe was preparing to make a presentation in a marketplace, which was objected to by some shopkeepers reportedly owing allegiance to the other party. Some more people from the village joined in and a scuffle ensued. Satti said he was passing by and stopped his vehicle to enquire about what was going on. He said some Congress workers, who were under the influence of liquor, were beating up a BJP worker Jagdev Jagga. He alleged that the police were under pressure to shield the accused and had not registered a criminal case till 11 pm, till he intervened and got an FIR registered. Satti alleged that money and muscle power, besides liquor and drugs, were being used by the party in power to woo voters and put their adversaries on the defensive. He said while the BJP workers had been asked to refrain from getting provoked by Congress workers, if the Congress did not desist from bullying BJP supporters, their party would retaliate. Satti demanded that paramilitary forces be called in to allow the conduct of free and fair elections. Besides, he said, the barriers with Punjab needed to be sealed so that anti-social elements from across the inter-state border did not create lawlessness during the polls. Meanwhile, member of the Pradesh Congress Committee from Una sadar segment, Satpal Raizada, at a media briefing, alleged that the BJP cultural troupe had no permission to perform in the area and when they were urged to show the permission from the election department, the BJP workers began abusing and manhandling the Congress workers. Raizada said Satti and his men had taken law in their hands and that if the police had not reached in time, the situation could have worsened since Satti and his supporters were calling more supporters to the scene. SP Anupam Sharma
said a case had been registered on the complaints of both the parties, adding that a medical examination of the injured had been conducted and investigations were on. |
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Shanta did not allow any leader to grow in BJP, says Sushant
Palampur, May 4 Addressing mediapersons here today, Sushant said Shanta triggered anti-party activities in the party during his political carrier. He quoted that during the last Assembly elections, he misled the party high command and refused to give party tickets to winning BJP candidates like Rakesh Pathania from Nurpur, Pawan Kajal from Kangra, Manohar Lal Dhiman from Gangath, Ravi Dhiman from Jaisinghpur, Ravinder Ravi from Palampur and Sudha Sushant from Jawali as he never wanted to see PK Dhumal as the chief minister for the second term. Sushant said it was on record that he fielded seven week candidates in Kangra district. All of them lost the Assembly elections and Virbhadra Singh managed to form the government in the state by a narrow margin, he said. He said he misused Rs 25 lakh of his MPLAD fund by purchasing books from three publishers of New Delhi. He said all these books were written by Shanta himself. Later, these books were sent to different libraries free of cost for his publicity. He said despite being a senior BJP leader, Shanta always remained in touch with Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to gain political benefits. He disclosed that on many occasion he pressurised me, Maheshwar Singh, Khushi Ram Balnatah and three ministers to wage war against Prem Kumar Dhumal when he was the chief minister of the state. He said he had evidences and documents against Shanta pertaining to his involvement in various corruption cases, he would soon place all these evidences before the state Vigilance Bureau to get a criminal case registered against him. |
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BJP has no achievements to list in state: Chander
Dharamsala, May 4 He said the Himachal Assembly, the School Education Board office, the office of state Technical Education Board and many other offices were brought to Dharamsala by the Congress government led by Virbhadra Singh. He said many schemes such as MGNREGA under which thousands of residents of rural areas were getting employment in Himachal were started by the UPA government. Chander said institutes such as the Central University of Himachal Pradesh and the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) at Kangra were also sanctioned by the UPA government, he claimed. Minister for Housing and Urban Development Sudhir Sharma, who represents the Dharamsala Assembly constituency, said the BJP was trying to ride on 'Modi wave' to help it win during the forthcoming Lok Sabha poll. However, the BJP did not had its own achievements to list at least in Himachal. He said the BJP candidate from Kangra, Shanta Kumar, remained the Chief Minister of the state two times and union minister in the NDA government, but he did not do anything for Kangra, in particular. He claimed during the past 18 months, the Congress government got many projects, including strengthening of the Gaggal-McLeodganj road worth Rs 11 crore, water supply augmentation project worth Rs 23 crore and the electricity distribution system improvement project, Sudhir Sharma said. Naresh Kumar, observer, AICC, said the BJP had no right to question Congress on the issues of corruption. Both senior leaders of the BJP, former CM’s Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar were facing corruption charges. Shanta had been accused of corruption in the Vivekanand Medical Research Trust (VMRT) by former BJP MP, Rajan Sushant, who is now a AAP candidate and Dhumal was facing charges in the HPCA case, he alleged. |
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BJP dubs CEO as Cong agent
Shimla, May 4 He said the Chief Electoral Officer ignored it and now the Election Commission had taken notice of it on the BJP’s complaint in Delhi and sought a report from the state. The BJP also alleged that the Congress was misusing the office of the Chief Minister for the elections and press releases of Congress leaders were being released from the official ID of the CM. Referring to some Congress advertisements, Dutt said black money was being spent in these advertisements and they did not bear the name of any person or agency on whose behalf the add had been released. Reiterating the demand for the deployment of Central security forces in the Haroli Assembly constituency falling under Una district to ensure free and fair polls, Dutt said the BJP had made 60 serious complaints of the violation of the model code of conduct. But no action was taken on 54 complaints and action taken in six cases was just an eye wash. Satti files fresh complaint with CEC
State BJP president Satpal Singh Satti has filed a fresh complaint with the Chief Election Commissioner alleging that no action has been taken on their complaints. He demanded immediate action on their pleas for transfer of SP Una Anupam Sharma to ensure free and fair polls. |
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Shanta to be minister if NDA wins: Kamal Sharma
Dharamsala, May 4 Addressing a press conference here, Kamal said PM candidate Narendra Modi had respect for Shanta Kumar. He would be given an important responsibility if the NDA government was voted to power. "Shanta Kumar has expanded the base of the party in Punjab as in charge there and helped the party grow in the state," Kamal said. He said the people of Punjab had already rejected the Congress and the same would happen in Himachal. The Congress had always resorted to divisive politics. In the elections also, when the Congress saw its boat sinking, it tried to divide the electorate on religion and caste lines. However, the people had seen enough of such politics. Kamal also alleged that the since the Congress had come to power in Himachal, the development had come to a halt. The only achievement the Congress had in Himachal in the past 18 months was the cases filed against the HPCA and other BJP leaders with vindictive nature. He alleged that during the rule of the UPA government, the corruption and inflation had reached its peak. While the people were reeling under price rise, ministers in the UPA government were committing scams. |
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Jasraj Jassi adds colour to AAP candidate’s campaign
Shimla, May 4 Taking a dig at Modi, Jassi remarked: “Yeh kushti ka akhara nahin hai jahan longot kai saath utrana hai... Sheela Dikshit ne bhi aisi galti kar patkhani khai hai. Is ke liye panch-foot teen-inch ka pest hi kaafi hai; 56 inch ka seena nahi” (This is not a wrestling rink where one has to come down. Sheila Dikshit had committed the same mistake and lost the election from the 5-ft 3-inch pest). Jassi charged that the country had suffered a lot as the Congress had perpetuated the dynastic politics and made the common man’s life miserable as scams after scams had tumbled out during its regimes. He said the Badal dynasty was ruling in Punjab, while Virbhadra Singh and Prem Kumar Dhumal were promoting dynastic rule in Himachal. “They face corruption charges and their greed is to keep sticking to power,” he alleged. On the other hand, Kejriwal had challenged dynastic politics and exposed corrupt leaders in the Congress and the BJP. They were attacking him as he had emerged a mass leader, he claimed. |
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CM has promoted sports: Pathania
Kangra, May 4 Pathania said the HPCA spokesman was misleading the youth by saying that the Congress party had no contribution in the development of sports in the state. He said it was during the Virbhadra government that the Directorate of Sports and Youth Services was set up in the state. He said the BJP was projecting the stadium at Dharamsala as its contribution ignoring the 350 playgrounds constructed at the doorstep of rural sportsmen in the state. He said Rs 2 lakh was spent on each playground to boost sports in rural areas of the state. He said it was Virbhadra Singh, who decided to provide gold, silver and bronze medals to those who returned after winning medals outside the state at the national level.
He said the Youth Welfare Board and Sports Council were created by the Congress government and outstanding sportsmen were included in the council. He said when the vigilance inquiry was in progress regarding the demolition of government buildings by the Dhumal government, the BJP leaders got disturbed and started speaking against the Congress. |
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Basic amenities at polling booths for voters
Chamba, May 4 The DC said two polling booths, Bhuri Singh Museum and Chauntra in Chamba town, had been identified as ‘model polling booths’ where a red carpet would be laid at their entrance.
Vasant said Class IV staff had been deployed to provide potable water to voters. Even medical staff would be available and booth-level officials would act as facilitators. He said schoolchildren would welcome voters on their way to booths. Chairs would be kept there for the aged, ailing and handicapped voters. A cricket match, to encourage people to cast their vote, had been organised at Kaded in the district by the National Literacy Mission, the DC
said. Vasant said 88 micro-observers had been deployed in sensitive areas. The security personnel who were on duty at the polling station would cast their vote at the same station. Besides, 40 polling booths in the district had been identified for
webcasting, the DC added. SP DK Chaudhary, during a press conference, said 68 locations had been identified as ‘shadow areas’ in hilly terrains, which had been connected by a police wireless network. |
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Two scooterists die in road accidents
Nurpur, May 4 The police have registered a case under Sections 279 and 304-A,
IPC, and Section 187, MVA, against the unidentified truck driver. In another road mishap, Om Parkash of Sihal
(Fatehpur) was going to Jassur on a scooter being driven by Ashwani Kumar. A speeding Santro car (HP-54A-6263) hit his scooter from the rear. He was seriously injured and rushed to a private hospital at Pathankot where he succumbed to his injuries on Saturday. A case was registered under Sections 279, 337 and 304 (A),
IPC, against car driver Kuldeep Kumar. The police handed over the bodies to the families after postmortem. |
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Thunder squall hits state
Shimla, May 4 The overcast conditions and strong winds provided relief from the scorching heat and the mercury fell by a few notches. Kumarsen received 15 mm rain followed by Sundernagar 9 mm, Jubbal 8 mm, Shimla and Bhuntar 3 mm each and Solan, Kullu, Kasauli and Parvanoo had traces of rain. However, the minimum temperature fell marginally and Keylong recorded a minimum of 7°C, while Hamirpur was the hottest during the night with minimum temperature at 22°C followed by Palampur 20.2°C, Una and Kangra 19°C and Shimla and Dharamsala 14.7°C and 14.4°C, respectively. The maximum temperature also dropped by 2 to 3 degrees and Una was the hottest with a high of 40.4°C, followed by Sundernagar and Kangra 34°C. The local met office has predicted rain and thundershowers at mid and high hills in the next 24 hours.
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Villagers protest contaminated water supply
Dharamsala, May 4 Raj Kumari, another resident, said they were being forced to fetch water from a local bauri (a natural outlet where water seeps in the
hills). Suresh Kumar said in case the water supply did not improve in the next few days, they would gherao the IPH office in Dharamsala. Congress candidate from Kangra Chander Kumar, who had come to Sakoh village to seek votes, found himself in a piquant situation amidst protesting villagers. He assured the villagers that proper water supply would be restored at the earliest. IPH officials were not available for comments. |
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‘Masses have shown support to BJP’
Kullu, May 4 He said the BJP had fought the General Election under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and even the Assembly elections in Himachal were fought projecting Prem Kumar Dhumal as Chief Minister. He added that a political party without a leader was sure to be unsuccessful. He said the Congress had failed to work for the masses of this region and raise the basic infrastructure to support the tourism industry. The Congress had already accepted its defeat in the present elections and the level of anxiety of Congressmen was on the rise, he added. Talking about former Prime Minister Vajpayee, he said the leader had provided special packages for Himachal, especially Kullu. He stated that the BJP was sure to form the government at the Centre under the leadership of Narendra Modi. He added that Modi had also planned to provide special packages to hill states to support tourism and agriculture.
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Dhumals should give poll fund account: Rana
Nadaun (Hamirpur), May 4 He said, “The BJP is spending a large sum of money to boost the campaign of BJP candidate Anurag Thakur, but voters have come to know about the truth.” Rana said, “In the last two elections, Anurag had won the seat as the BJP was ruling the state, but now voters are asking for the report card of the MP in the elections.” Attacking Dhumal and Anurag, Rana said, “They have turned the politics into a business and during his two terms as CM of the state, the BJP’s own MLAs and other leaders raised fingers of suspicion at the working of the
state government.” |
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Former Cong minister holds roadshow
Kullu, May 4 Sanjay Sharma, president of the Himachal unit of Rahul Brigade, was present as a special guest for the show. The Congressmen marched from Shangri Bagh to Dhalpur raising slogans in support of the party and seeking votes from residents of
Ramshila, Akhara Bazar, Beasa More, Sarwari and Lower Dhalpur. Satya had earlier done canvassing in the
Bhalyani, Brahman, Barahar, Maangarh, Talpini, Malana, Majat and Dugilug panchayats during his campaigning spree in the Kullu Sadar Assembly segment since April 24. His wife Prem Lata
Thakur, a Zila Parishad member, had also campaigned in support of Pratibha at the
Bhalyani, Brahman, Bhumtir, Barahar, Maangarh, Maashna and Chauparsa
panchayats. |
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4 killed as vehicle falls into gorge
Kullu, May 4 The deceased were identified as
Dayaram, Roshan, Nandlal and Lal Chand. Driver Pritam hailed from Kalwari village in Kullu district. The remaining three occupants, residents of Teel village, were injured as well, but were reportedly in a stable condition and getting treatment at the Banjar
CHC. Banjar SDM Virender Sharma said an immediate relief of Rs 10,000 was provided to the critically injured and they were referred to the Regional Hospital,
Kullu. Rupees 5,000 to the injured and Rs 20,000 to the family members of the deceased would also be provided, he added. |
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In a last bid to create awareness on the importance of voting, the Kinnaur district administration today launched its “Awareness rath”.
The rath equipped with audio, video gadgets will take the message of the Election Commission to masses and cover maximum places, including Reckong Peo, Powari and Bhawa Nagar, said DD Sharma, Deputy Commissioner, Kinnaur, while launching the rath in Rekong Peo.
All roads for theatre lovers led to The Gaiety on the evenings of April 24 to 29. Shimla, during the British period, was known as the Mecca of Theatres. It turned out be true to that sobriquet when the Language and Culture Department organised what is probably the most stupendous “Manohar Singh Smriti Natya Utsav” by inviting the best of directors to exhibit their talent. The department honoured the son of that great stage actor, but failed to display a photograph of late Manohar Singh on the occasion.
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) candidate from Kangra Rajan Sushant levelled serious charges against BJP leader Shanta Kumar and said he did not allow any other leader to grow in the BJP and those who tried making their position in the party were politically eliminated by him.
The Election Department has made all possible arrangements for providing basic amenities at polling booths.
This was stated by Deputy Commissioner Kadam Sandeep Vasant, who is also the District Election Officer, while briefing mediapersons about the election arrangements in the district here today.
account of the money collected for the election fund.
Addressing election meetings under Nadaun Assembly segments yesterday, Rana said, “During the five years of the previous BJP government in the state, several alleged scams took place and the interests of the state were ignored and irregularities were committed in the name of the
cricket stadium.”
The candidates in Kangra parliamentary constituency include Congress candidate Chander Kumar, an
OBC, BJP candidate Shanta Kumar, a Brahmin leader and AAP candidate Rajan
Sushant, also a Brahmin.