Sirsa, August 20
The alliance between the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) for the Assembly elections is likely to be finalised soon on the revised terms and conditions.

Though senior leaders from both parties are tightlipped over the terms, sources said the HJC is likely to get 25 to 30 seats. HJC spokesperson Devi Lal Manjhu said things were moving in a positive direction after party supremo Kuldeep Bishnoi’s meeting with BJP president Amit Shah yesterday.

The BJP’s alliance coordinator and former minister Ganeshi Lal said he was not aware of developments after the Shah-Bishnoi meeting. Sources in the HJC, however, said the two parties had come closer to clinching the deal as the BJP was ready to give 25 seats to Bishnoi, while the HJC leader was adamant on 30.

As per the original terms of the alliance, the BJP and the HJC were to contest 45 seats each and the post of CM was to rotate between the two parties for two-and-a-half years each, with Bishnoi getting the first term.

However, the BJP leadership, particularly at the state level, refused to stick to the old terms after the saffron party won seven of the eight seats it contested in the Parliamentary polls while the HJC lost both seats it contested.

Sources said the BJP has also suggested a new formula on the CM’s post to Bishnoi. According to this formula, the BJP will retain the CM’s post for the full five-year tenure if more than 45 of its MLAs win. However, if the party gets less than 45 seats on the lotus symbol, the CMs’ post can be shared between the two parties on mutually agreeable terms.

Sources said that though the BJP is interested in continuing the alliance to avoid division of anti-Congress and anti-INLD votes, at the same time, the party wants to contest on sufficient number of seats to win 45 plus seats on its own if a wave like the one witnessed in the Parliamentary polls is witnessed.

Even if the wave is not strong enough, the BJP, according to sources, wants to win sufficient number of seats to become the single largest party so that the Governor has to invite the party to form the government even if Bishnoi’s party tries to blackmail it at that stage.

The himalayan expressway near kalka has been a welcome relief for commuters.

Main issues People have small landholdings and agriculture is their main vocation. Apart from a bypass to Baddi, scarcity of water, unemployment, sewerage system and wild animal menace irk the residents. Residents demand a backward area status and develop it as an industrial hub. Segment scan Located on the National Highway-22, the segment comprises of Kalka and Pinjore municipal councils. Kalka, Pinjore and Raipur Rani are the main towns. The constituency is dominated by Hindus that comprise 80 per cent of the population followed by Sikhs (16 per cent) and Muslims (4 per cent). It comprises 300 villages dominated by Brahmins, Gujjars, Rajputs, Banias and SCs. Legislatorspeak I raised several public issues on the floor of the House, but to no avail. Since the Congress was in power for the past 10 years, it adopted an indifferent attitude towards my constituency. No development projects were sanctioned and even ongoing ones were starved of funds Pradeep Chaudhary, inld Oppositionspeak The local MLA failed to play a good role of opposition. He ignored the public in past five years and hardly tried to implement central government schemes such as the MNREGA, NRHM and various others for benefits of residents. He forgot all the promises he had made to public before the last Assembly elections Satvinder Singh Rana, congress

An ancient town related to the Pandavas, Kalka falls in Panchkula district and is a part of the Ambala parliamentary constituency. It has famous tourist places such as Yadvindra Gardens, Morni Hills and Tikkar Taal.

Chander Mohan’s fiefdom

The constituency was the pocket borough of Mohan who successfully contested the elections in 1993, 1996, 2000, 2005 from here. Though a high-profile member of the Bhajan Lal family, he failed to ensure all-round development of the constituency when his father was the CM and when he was the deputy CM during the previous tenure of Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

This is a sore point with the residents and will reflect in the election results. Mohan is once again contesting from here on the HJC ticket. It remains to be seen if he can repeat his previous feats.

Issues of concern

Poor road network, scarcity of drinking water, electricity and sewerage system are the problems faced by the residents.

Residents of Paonta and Khudan panchayats in Tikkar Taal near Morni boycotted the Lok Sabha elections this time, demanding metalled roads and drinking water. Employees of HMT, too, have been protesting for long against the Centre’s indifferent attitude.

Other issues staring the constituency are non-abolition of the Punjab New Capital (Periphery) Control Act in villages that were merged to form the Panchkula Municipal Corporation, unemployment, granting a backward area status, setting up of industrial units and construction of the Surajpur bypass to connect the Kalka-Ambala highway with the Pinjore-Baddi road.

No development works

The constituency did not get any development projects in the past 10 years. Apart from construction of the scenic Pinjore-Kalka bypass by the NHAI, not even a single brick was laid by the government in the constituency. The proposed Surajpur-Pinjore-Baddi bypass is still a hanging fire for nearly a decade long even though the government had acquired land for this purpose.

NEW DELHI, AUGUST 20
A three-time Congress MP from Haryana, Avtar Singh Bhadana, today joined the INLD here in the presence of its senior leaders. Abhay Chautala, INLD legislator and Om Prakash Chautala’s son, welcomed Bhadana into the party. “No Congress leader worth his salt will remain in the party, which has been marginalised by Hooda in the past 10 years, Abhay Chautala said.

A well-known Gujjar leader, Bhadana said he had quit the Congress because he felt stifled on account of “coterie culture” patronised by Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

“The party has been marginalised in the past 10 years of its rule in Haryana. The tragic part is that its malfunctioning was ignored by Sonia Gandhi. No self-respecting leader will continue in the Congress,” Bhadana said.

He alleged a nexus between a section of the Haryana BJP and Hooda. This came to the fore during the last Lok Sabha elections in Faridabad and Rohtak. The BJP cadre worked to ensure Congress nominee Deepender Singh Hooda’s victory. Congress workers returned the favour by ensuring BJP nominee Krishan Pal Gurjar’s victory. Bhadana was the Congress candidate in Faridabad.

Bhadana’s joining the INLD is a homecoming. He was handpicked by then Haryana CM Devi Lal in 1988 (also head of the Lok Dal, an earlier avatar of the INLD) for induction into his Council of Ministers although the former was not an MLA. He was given the portfolio of Urban Local Bodies in the Lok Dal-BJP coalition government.

However, he broke ranks with the Lok Dal and joined the Congress in 1990 following the controversy over the Meham bypoll where then Chief Minister OP Chautala (Devi Lal’s son) was in the fray. The controversy, marked by “state-sponsored violence” had repercussions in national politics and negative fallout on the non-Congress government at the Centre.

Chautala was made the Chief Minister after Devi Lal became Deputy Prime Minister. It was a must for him to be elected to Haryana Assembly within six months of his assuming the post of Chief Minister.

Yamunanagar, August 20
In a major setback to Congress, a senior Muslim leader Haji Amir Husain quit the party and joined the BJP in Jagadhri town today in the presence of state unit president Ram Bilas Sharma.

The rally was organised by Haji at the New Grain Market in Jagadhri. It was addressed by Ram Bilas Sharma, Ambala MP Ratan Lal Kataria, Kurukshetra MP Raj Kumar Saini and former BJP MLA Kanwar Pal.

Welcoming Haji, Sharma said his arrival will strengthen the party in the region. Seeing an impressive gathering of Muslims at the rally venue, Sharma assured Haji that his supporters would get due respect in BJP.

Political observers say Muslims play a major role in the elections from all four Assembly seats of the district as Jagadhri Assembly segment has 27,000 Muslim voters, Yamunanagar 22,000, Radaur 17,000 and Sadhaura has 23,000 voters.

Haji Amir Husain is an influential Muslim leader, who contested Assembly elections in 2000 on a BSP ticket and bagged 20,000 votes. In 2005, he fought on a Congress ticket and secured 23,859 votes from Jagadhri seat (Chhachhruali segment in the past). Though, he could not win the elections, but he played a major role in the defeat of sitting Jagadhri MLA and deputy speaker of Haryana Vidhan Sabha Akram Khan as Mulim votes got divided due to his candidature.

Kurukshetra, August 20
Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda and Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar today took exception to the jeers that Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was greeted with at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Kaithal yesterday.

They said the BJP turned a government function into a party event and disrespected the Chief Minister, a representative of the people of the state. Both leaders were in the city to attend a function of Haryana Jodo Abhiyan at Congress Bhawan.

“The Chief Minister attended the Kaithal function as a representative of the state residents. But the BJP showed its true colours. What has hurt us the most is that not a single BJP leader has condemned the incident,” Deepender said.

He questioned Modi’s “love” for the state that he professed during the function. “Modi said yesterday that he had received respect from Haryana and he would return it with interest. Where was he when Haryana was ignored in the general and rail budgets?”

Tanwar echoed Deepender’s views in flaying the BJP. “What happened yesterday was unfortunate. It was a government function, but the BJP turned it into a party event. It was a conspiracy and we will give a befitting answer at Panipat’s rally on August 24,” he said.

Taking potshots at BJP chief Amit Shah, Tanwar said: “The BJP now stands for ‘Bhagodo Jamakhor Party’ as it has indicted rejected leaders of other parties and goons of the INLD. The BJP used to call INLD the party of goons and now they are inducting those people into the party.”

“Shah bhanmati ka kunba jodney me lagey hain,” Deepender said.

The MP asked the BJP to announce its chief ministerial candidate. “The BJP has the policy of announcing its CM candidates before the elections. If he (Amit Shah) has confidence in his party leaders, he should announce the CM candidate. Let the people of Haryana know who will be the BJP’s face.”

Tanwar called upon party workers to reach Panipat in large numbers. The party would check how many people leaders would bring to the rally.

Jind, August 20
Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar has said that the Congress would show the BJP how rallies are organised. “The Congress will organise a big rally in Panipat on August 24 and set an example before the BJP in conducting such events. The rally will be a pointer to the overwhelming support the party enjoys in the state,” he said here today.

Tanwar was referring to the booing of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Kaithal function yesterday.

“The Panipat rally will clarify doubts of several parties that are day dreaming of forming the next government in the state,” he said.

On the distribution of tickets, the Congress leader said the party had formed a special committee for it and tickets would be allotted as per the performance of leader at the Panipat rally. “Leaders who will bring the maximum crowd will get the tickets for the Assembly elections,” he added.

New Delhi, August 20
The BJP today washed its hand of yesterday’s incident of Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda getting booed by party supporters at Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s function in Kaithal.

BJP spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain rubbished Hooda’s allegation that his ill-treatment at the rally was a conspiracy. “Hooda is the Chief Minister and anti-incumbency prevails against him and his government. It is Hooda’s responsibility to quell people’s resentment against him and his government,” he said.

Reports say the BJP supporters that made up the crowd at the Kaithal event, organised by the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI), did not allow Hooda to speak as his address was interrupted by boos.

Despite working with full devotion and honesty for one-and-a-half decade, I was ignored Kanta Devi, inld state vice-president

Jhajjar, August 20
Soon after two-time INLD MLA Om Prakash Beri resigned, former minister and state vice-president Kanta Devi exit the party today alleging dedicated workers were being persistently ignored.

Kanta unsuccessfully contested the last two Assembly polls on the party ticket from Jhajjar in 2004 and 2009. She was a strong contender for the ticket from Jhajjar this time too.

Kanta romped home victorious in the 1996 Assembly polls and served as Minister for Animal Husbandry in the Bansi Lal government before joining the INLD in 1999. Later, she was environment minister in the Om Prakash Chautala regime.

“The party leadership apparently does not want dedicated workers to strengthen the organisational set-up. Despite working with full devotion and honesty for one-and-a-half decade, I was being ignored. I had no option, but quit to maintain my self-respect,” Kanta said. She said top leaders visited Jhajjar many times during the last few months, but she was not invited. Kanta said she would remain active in politics.

Chandigarh, August 20
The BJP ‘chargesheet’, which is intended to expose the various acts of omission and commission of the Hooda government over the last 10 years ahead of the upcoming Assembly elections, has been delayed.

The ‘chargesheet’, which was supposed to be made public in July, is yet to be finalised by the party. “The final draft is ready and it will certainly be released by the end of August,” Anil Vij, Ambala Cantonment MLA, who heads the 11-member committee tasked to prepare the document, claimed today.

Regarding the delay in the finalisation of the ‘chargesheet’, Vij said the committee had to verify a large number of representations from the party cadre and general public. “The committee has decided to include only verifiable charges backed by documentary evidence in the ‘chargesheet’. There will be no wild allegations in it,” he claimed.

Party sources, however, claimed that alleged favours given by the Hooda government to AICC president Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Robert Vadra, alleged corruption in grant of CLUs, irregularities in land acquisition, alleged favours to big corporate in the shape of large land holdings for special economic zones, nepotism in government jobs, regionalism in development and sorry state of education, health and civic amenities, would form part of the ‘chargesheet’.

The state BJP unit’s ‘chargesheet’ against the Hooda government is patterned on the BJP’s ‘chargesheet’ “A dark decade in governance” released by the party against the UPA government in New Delhi on April 4 ahead of the 2014 parliamentary election. A special website, www.bjpchargesheet.com, was launched on July 1 to help people provide feedback to the party to expose acts of omission and commission of the Hooda government.

Recently, the main Opposition INLD submitted a ‘chargesheet’ to Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki against the Hooda Government alleging amassing of huge wealth by CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda and his close relatives in the past 10 years. Hooda, in turn, threatened to file a defamation suit against the INLD for ‘malicious’ wild allegations.

‘Chargesheet’ to include... Alleged favours given by Hooda govt to Robert Vadra Corruption in grant of CLUs Irregularities in land acquisition Alleged favours to big corporate in the shape of large land holdings for special economic zones Nepotism in government jobs

Chandigarh, August 20
Haryana Chief Parliamentary Secretary Rao Narender Singh, MLA Naresh Selwal, Jarnail Singh and Ram Niwas Ghorella did not get any relief from the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the CLU case.

Justice K Kannan disposed of the petition by asking them to place their demands before the Lokayukta. Justice Kannan made it clear that the matter of jurisdiction too was to be decided by the Lokayukta. The petitioners had contended that the Lokayukta had no jurisdiction to hear this case.

Chandigarh, August 20
The Haryana government today issued transfer and posting orders of three IAS and 13 HCS officers with immediate effect.

Among the IAS officers, Arun Kumar Gupta has been given the additional charge of Director General and Secretary, Transport Department.

Amna Tasneem has been posted as Subdivisional Officer (Civil), Ratia, Dhirendra Khadgata has been posted as Subdivisional Officer (Civil), Ellenabad.

Among HCS officers, Anju Chaudhry has been posted as Additional Director (Admn), Medical College, Nalhar, Mewat, against a vacant post.

Mahavir Kaushik, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as Additional Chief Electoral Officer against a newly created post; Surinder Singh has been posted as Managing Director, Cooperative Sugar Mills, Sonepat, against a vacant post. Mukesh Kumar, awaiting posting orders, has been posted as Subdivisional Officer (Civil)-cum-Additional Collector, Bawal.

Subhash Sheoran has been posted as Secretary, Regional Transport Authority, Ambala; Suresh Kumar as General Manager, Haryana Roadways, Sirsa; Partap Singh as City Magistrate, Mahendragarh at Narnaul; Umed Singh Mohan as Secretary, Housing Board, Panchkula.

Satyawan goes as Subdivisional Officer (Civil)-cum-Additional Collector, Hodal; Kamal Preet Kaur has been given the additional charge of Joint Commissioner, Municipal Corporation, Ambala, against a vacant post.

Bharat Bhushan Gogia is City Magistrate, Rewari, Surender Pal goes as Joint State Transport Commissioner (Road Safety) and Ashutosh Rajan has been posted as Joint Commissioner, MCF, Ballabgarh.

Chandigarh, August 20
In a setback to Haryana and some major realty players in the NCR area, the Punjab and Haryana High Court today stayed notification on the draft master plan, 2031.

The court stayed the notification after hearing a petition alleging mala fide on the part of the state government in hastily finalising the plan to accommodate politicians, builders and land mafias.

The directions came on a petition by Sanjeev Malhotra of Delhi and three other petitioners against Haryana and other respondents. The petitioners claimed they had reliable information that the respondents were in a mad rush to notify the final development plan before the declaration of the elections in Haryana on the basis of the draft development plan, 2013, for Faridabad notified by notification dated July 18 only with “mala fide intention to accommodate politicians, builders and land mafias”.

The petitioners said the state ought to have prepared a sub-regional plan, 2021, for Faridabad in consonance with the regional plan-2021 for the NCR. But, the draft development plan was notified on July 18. They added the notification was made speedily and secretly. The HC stayed the July 18 notification and issued notice of motion to Haryana, the Secretary and the Director, Urban Local Bodies Department, for September 16.

Rohtak, August 20
The local PGIMS, which caters to the patients from different parts of the state as well as neighbouring states, is grappling with an acute shortage of doctors and paramedical staff to cope with heavy rush of outdoor as well as admitted patients.

As per official sources, nearly 5,000 patients throng the PGIMS on a daily basis. Many of them are admitted to different wards. However, the number of doctors and paramedical staff at the institute is grossly inadequate to tackle the massive number of patients.

According to an official reply furnished in response to an RTI application recently, the authorities concerned have admitted that the posts of 67 assistant professors and 13 senior professors are lying vacant.

Apart from the consultant/faculty members, a large number of posts of senior resident doctors, who form the backbone of the PGIMS, as well as nurses, are also lying unfilled.

For instance, at the medicine department, only four of the 20 sanctioned posts of senior residents are filled, and the same is the case with the surgery department. The radiology department has eight sanctioned posts of senior residents of which merely two are filled.

While the authorities maintain that the lure of lucrative private sector prevents the doctors from joining the PGIMS, young doctors assert that bad working atmosphere prevailing at the institute, coupled with the lack of basic facilities, kept the young professionals away from it.

Subhash, the RTI activist on whose application the information was furnished, said the facts stated in the reply indicated a sorry state of affairs.

Gross shortage Posts of 67 assistant professors and 13 senior professors are lying vacant at the PGIMS At the medicine department, only four of the 20 sanctioned posts of senior residents are filled The radiology department has 8 sanctioned posts of senior residents of which merely two are filled

Fatehabad, August 20
Students today locked the gate of Government Senior Secondary School at Dhingsara village in this district to protest against the shortage of teachers.

More than 200 students assembled outside the school and raised slogans against the Haryana Government. “No teacher is coming to the school for the past three months. The students have brought the matter to the notice of the village sarpanch several times, but to no avail,” one of the students claimed. Students Sunita, Manju, Kavita and Promilla said they came to school every morning only to return home without a single class being conducted. They threatened to keep the gate closed till teachers were appointed.

Naib Tehsildar Raghubir Singh and Block Education Officer Ved Parkash visited the village and assured the students to solve the problem in a week, following which the gate was opened. — TNS

Sirsa, August 20
Two youths from Saktakhera and Jandwala Bishnoian of Sirsa were shot dead in nearby Sangria town of Rajasthan when they had gone there to support a candidate in a students’ union poll.

Sandeep of Jandwala Bishnoian village and Aman of Saktakhera were in their early twenties. The two had gone to support their friend Dinesh Bishnoi, who was contesting students’ union poll at Sangaria town of Rajasthan yesterday when they were shot at during a procession. — TNS