Chandigarh, October 2
The BJP today released its “please-all” manifesto for the Haryana Assembly elections in a bid to woo voters across all age groups.

While the Congress government has cleared Rs 1,500 per month as old age pension from November 1, the INLD has announced to keep it at Rs 1,200, the BJP has taken a leap and promised to facilitate Rs 2,000 per month as old age and disability pension if voted to power.

Releasing the manifesto, BJP national spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, accompanied by Haryana in charge Jagdish Mukhi and state unit chief Ram Bilas Sharma, announced the implementation of policies in the BJP-ruled states of Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

The BJP promised food grain at Re 1 per kg for poor on the lines of the scheme in place in Madhya Pradesh. The party has also committed to regularising daily wagers, contract and ad hoc employees of Haryana.

“Under the cleanliness drive launched on Gandhi Jayanti, the misrule and scams of the Congress should also find a way into a dustbin. We guarantee good governance and equitable development,” Naqvi said.

A scheme pertaining to free pilgrimage to senior citizens, loans between Rs 10 lakh and Rs 1 crore to unemployed youth to set up businesses and a subsidy of Rs 3 lakh on government guarantee are among other promises.

The BJP proposed to set up a university in the honour of Guru Gobind Singh and promised to name the road from Nada Sahib in Panchkula to Kala Amb after the tenth Guru.

Kalka, October 2
HJCP chief Venod Sharma today made backwardness of the Kalka constituency an issue for the ensuing Assembly elections.

Venod was addressing a gathering to seek votes for his wife, Shakti Rani Sharma, an HJC-HJCP candidate from the Kalka seat, at the local grain market. This was the first rally organised by the HJC-HJCP in the constituency.

Even after over two decades of former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s government, the Kalka areas was completely ignored by political parties. The present Congress government gave Kalka a step-motherly treatment and concentrated on development works in the Rohtak and Jhajjar areas, he alleged.

Venod alleged that malpractices prevailed in the interview process for government jobs by the Haryana Staff Selection Commission. The practice of interview is full of loopholes and is keeping the deserving candidates out. He also assured to abolish the present corrupt system if the HJC-HJCP alliance comes in power. He said the Congress government had denied government jobs to youths in the last 10 years.

Talking about special industrial package for Himachal Pradesh due to which Nalagarh, Baddi and Barotiwala areas of Himachal Pradesh had attracted scores of industrial units, Venod said, “We are not against the facilities to Himachal Pradesh, but we also need them, so that educated and skilled youth get jobs.”

He said the HJC-HJCP would get the area declared backward and revive the existing industrial units such as HMT, Pinjore.

He blamed sitting area MLA and INLD candidate Pradeep Chaudhary for misleading the people of the area and said he was an expert at manipulating facts. He claimed that the HJC-HJCP alliance will win 35-50 seats and form the next government in Haryana.

Shakti Rani Sharma, a candidate of the HJC, while addressing the gathering, said, “The government has done nothing for the development of Morni and other remote areas on the inter-state border. Some of the villages in the Morni area do not even have electricity and pucca roads,” she claimed.

Karnal, October 2
Haryana has the dubious distinction of giving Indian politics a rather pejorative term ‘Aaya Ram Gaya Ram’, where politicians switch loyalties at the drop of a hat. Even after the imposition of the Anti-defection Law, leaders in the state are switching loyalties for political rehabilitation.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, some prominent leaders, including Rao Inderjit, Dharambir, Ramesh Kaushik and Charanjeet Rori, won after switching loyalty. Even ahead of the Assembly elections, political parties have given ticket to turncoats by neglecting local leaders.

The BJP has given ticket to more than 30 turncoats, including Subhash Sudha, Jai Bhagwan Sharma, Krishan Panwar and Jitender Malik, ignoring party loyalists.

Three-time MP Arvind Sharma, who won twice on a Congress ticket from Karnal, deserted the party and joined the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) a few days ago. Contesting from Yamunanagar, Sharma has been named the BSP’s chief ministerial candidate. Another Congressman Sohan Lal Gupta quit the party and joined the BSP. He is contesting from the Gharaunda Assembly segment on a BSP ticket.

The Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) also fielded two turncoats — Ravinder Rawal and Arjun Singh — who joined Kuldeep Bishnoi’s party on Thursday after being denied a ticket by the Congress.

Former MP Birender Singh, who was associated with the Congress for four decades, joined the BJP on August 16. He managed to get the BJP ticket for his wife and supporters.

Five HJC’s MLAs — Zile Ram Sharma (Assandh), Satpal Sangwan (Charkhi Dadri), Vinod Bhayana (Hansi), Rao Narender Singh (Narnaul) and Dharam Singh Chhokar (Samalkha), joined the Congress after winning the 2009 elections on the HJC ticket.

Former AICC member and Birender Singh’s loyalist Suresh Gupta Matlauda, who recently quit the Congress and joined the BJP, filed his nomination paper as an Independent. He was vying for a Congress ticket from Karnal.

Former Congress leader Jai Prakash Gupta from Karnal, who contested the 2009 elections on the HJC ticket, filed his nomination as an Independent candidate.

Switching loyalty Congress MP Arvind Sharma deserted the party to join the BSP Another Congress leader Sohan Lal Gupta also joined the BSP Ravinder Rawal and Arjun Singh deserted the Congress to join the HJC Suresh Gupta Matlauda quit the Congress to contest as an Independent Jai Prakash Gupta of HJC is also contesting as an Independent Rao Inderjit, Dharambir, Ramesh Kaushik and Charanjeet Rori won the LS elections after switching loyalty The BJP has also preferred turncoats in ticket allotment

Rewari, October 2
The prestige of four prominent political families of Ahirwal is at stake in the state assembly elections as progeny of all these families are yet again in the fray from their stronghold .

Ahirwal politics revolves around these families. Moreover, one of these families has always been at the helm of the affairs in the successive state governments formed in the past.

Haryana Irrigation Minister Ajay Yadav, Health Minister Rao Narender Singh, Incumbent Congress MLA Yadavendra Singh and former minister Rao Narbir Singh belong to these political families.

Capt Ajay, son of Rao Abhay Singh, from Rewari, Rao Yadavendra, son of Rao Birender Singh, from Kosli, Rao Narender, son of Rao Banshi Singh, from Narnaul are in the poll battle on the Congress ticket while Rao Narbir, son of Rao Mahabir Singh, is trying his fortune from Badshapur (Gurgaon) on the BJP ticket.

Rao Birender Singh had served not only as Speaker of Haryana and a Cabinet minister at the Centre but also Haryana Chief Minister.

Rao Yadavendra’s elder brother, Rao Inderjit, is also the union minister. However, he is at present in the saffron party and will campaign against Yadavendra in Kosli.

Rao Abhay Singh was also elected legislator from Rewari and Jaatusana (now Kosli) for four times while his son, Capt Ajay, has been the legislator from Rewari for the last six tenures.

Ellenabad (Sirsa), October 2
Nearly 200 men have assembled under a tent in Rupana Jatan village to listen to a party candidate who makes a pitch for his outfit, while women, many of them in veils, stand in small group at a small distance from the main pandal. Some others watch the “tamasha” from their rooftops.

A villager says women married in the village keep their faces covered, while those born in the village, whether married or unmarried, have the liberty of keeping their faces uncovered.

While leaving the village, 30 km from the district headquarters, the leader approaches the group of women. Elderly women bless him by touching his head.

In another village, a young girl keenly watches the proceedings of a candidate’s campaign from a room situated on the first floor. She chuckles as she watches the cavalcade of candidate’s vehicle stopping near her house and villagers, some of them male members of her family, welcoming him with garlands.

Soon a woman, apparently her mother, snubs the girl and closes the door of the room. She perhaps had noticed that some strangers were looking at her.

The rebuff, however, fails to dampen the spirit of the young girl, who continues peeping through the still ajar door and enjoys the unusual development outside her house.

These small instances portray the condition of women in this part of Haryana. Their participation in elections is limited to pressing the button on the EVM as instructed by the male members of the families.

Though villagers send their daughters to schools, very few continue their education beyond the senior secondary level. Many girls leave studies midway because their parents marry them off.

Of the 70 to 80 cases of child marriage detected by the authorities in Sirsa every year, most of them come from these villages in Ellenabad Assembly segment’s Chopta tehsil.

Most of the parents prefer to send their daughters to girl schools. Venturing out in village streets is a sort of taboo for girls. Women do go out to fetch water, but with their faces covered.

Juxtapose this situation to the one in Sirsa town, 25 km from here. Girls are enrolled in Chaudhary Devi Lal University and other educational institutes that have come up in recent years.

Karnal, October 2
Leaders of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) have demanded committee member Amrinder Singh Arora’s resignation for extending support to the BJP. HSGMC president Jagdish Singh Jhinda and vice-president Didar Singh Nalvi are supporting the Congress.

Arora today called a meeting of Sikhs here and questioned the authority of excommunicated leadership of the HSGMC and said the leaders who had been excommunicated from the Sikh panth could not ask for his resignation. He would act as per the community members’ decision, he asserted.

He said some of the committee leaders had sold the feelings of the Sikhs to the Congress because of their personal motives, the HSGMC member alleged.

He appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for highlighting the great sacrifices of the Sikh community in the USA.

Jhajjar, October 2
Objecting to BJP president Amit Shah’s remarks against its supremo and former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, the INLD has served a legal notice on him, seeking an unconditional public apology.

Balwan Suhag, INLD former district president and a member of its state executive, said Shah’s remarks against Chautala were grossly objectionable as the latter was not only the chief of an established party but had also served as Haryana Chief Minister on several occasions.

Addressing a gathering at Narnaud town in Hisar two days ago, Shah had said that Chautala lootata bhi hai aur peetata bhi.

“We will file a defamation suit against Shah if he does not apologise soon,” said Suhag, adding that the BJP chief had lost his mental balance following the rising popularity of the INLD in the state.

Jhajjar, October 2
Having faced the whammy of land acquisition during the Hooda-led Congress government in the state, Jhajjar district is witnessing a ‘strange’ situation as far as the fallout of land issue on the Assembly elections is concerned.

Leaders of all political parties are using the land issue as a ‘weapon’ against the government by raising it prominently during their poll campaigns. However, it has not succeeded in becoming a decisive factor in the electoral battle, as voters are not paying much heed to it.

“Instead of the land issue, voters prefer candidate’s image and party’s chance of forming the government in the state. The reason is obvious; they want to keep the momentum of development going even if the government changes,” said Krishan, a resident of Badli village.

As per estimate, over 15,000 acres were taken from farmers in Jhajjar district in the last decade in the name of development. The holdings also include such 8,000 acres which were bought directly by Reliance Company from farmers to develop a special economic zone (SEZ) here, which later emerged as a bone of contention between farmers and the government.

The issue grabbed the media attention at the national level when the farmers launched their agitation to get their land back after Reliance failed to fulfil its promise of providing the locals adequate employment and other business opportunities. The farmers’ demand has started getting louder after the de-notification of the SEZ.

Opposition attacks

Terming the government a ‘dream seller’, BJP nominee from Badli Om Prakash Dhankar said the government motivated farmers to dispose of their land to Reliance by presenting a misleading picture before them.

“It was none other than the Congress government which had shown the farmers rosy dream of getting a permanent source of handsome income by providing adequate employment avenues in the name of SEZ,” said Dhankar, adding that the government had rendered the farmers landless under a conspiracy to benefit a corporate house.

He questioned, “How can you deny involvement of the Hooda government in the land deals when it deliberately waived off the stamp duty to facilitate the corporate house for buying the fertile land as per their convenience?”

INLD nominee from Badli Sumitra Devi said the Congress could not part with the SEZ row as it had brought the proposal and also encouraged the farmers to sell their fertile and costly land at nominal rate.

Congress’ defence

Seems to be on the back foot over the issue, the Congress counters the allegations stating that there was no role of the state government in the SEZ issue. Naresh Sharma, Congress MLA, said, “The government did not make any farmer dispose of even a single inch of their land, hence the opposition leaders are misleading the people by presenting wrong information. The farmers had disposed of their land to Reliance on their own.”

Panipat, October 2
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address 10 public rallies in each of the 10 parliamentary segments in the run up to the Assembly elections. The first meeting will be held in Karnal on Saturday.

“The BJP’s central leadership is paying special attention to the Assembly elections in Haryana,” party national secretary Tarun Chugh said.

Apart from Modi, other central leaders of the BJP —Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Sushma Swaraj, Smriti Irani and Chandigarh MP Kirron Kher — would address nearly 100 meetings in the state, he said.

Chugh claimed that people of the state had made up their mind to vote for the BJP as they were fed up with the corrupt politics of the Congress government. “There’s no support for the INLD either as its leaders have been convicted in a recruitment scam.”

Karnal: BJP secretary Tarun Chugh on Thursday said at least 1 lakh persons would Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Karnal rally on October4. He appointed state secretary Chander Parkash Kathuria as the rally convener and gave the responsibility of arrangements to district chief Ashok Sukhija and Mayor Renu Bala Gupta. — TNS

Karnal, October 2
Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) president Simranjit Singh Mann has said the party cadre will oppose Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s rally in Karnal on October 4.

He said the party men were “disgruntled” with Modi over issues such as migration of around 60,000 farmers of Punjab and Haryana from Gujarat and his “staying away from his wife”. He said party workers would show black flags to Modi to express their resentment.

He asked Modi to explain his and his party’s views over “following the ideology of Mahatma Gandhi while praising Nathuram Godse”.

He asked the BJP to clear its stand on farmers’ welfare and women security as “Modi himself is not living with his wife”. He said, “The migration of Sikh farmers from Gujarat speaks volumes about the apathetic attitude of Narendra Modi and BJP towards farmers.”

Jind, October 2
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) president Ashok Arora is confident that the party he is leading will emerge as the single largest party in the forthcoming Haryana Assembly elections. In an interview to The Tribune, Arora claims that the Congress’ alleged misrule over the past 10 years would lead to its undoing. He claims the BJP too would fail to make any impact.

Q: Your have been touring the entire state. How is the response of the people to the INLD?

A: People are fed up with the misrule of the Congress government and there is a strong anti-Congress wave in entire Haryana. We will form the next government on our own.

Q: What about the BJP. Is there any chance of a post-poll alliance between the INLD and the BJP?

A: The BJP won the General Election by selling unrealistic dreams. But the party stands exposed within the first few months of its coming to power as none of the promises have been kept so far. The BJP won only because voters kept national politics in mind. But in the forthcoming Assembly elections, the people will vote while keeping state issues in mind. Since Haryana voters know that the INLD is the only party that takes care of the state’s interests, they will not vote for the BJP.

Q: Any possibility of a post-poll alliance with any other party?

A: The INLD will not need that as it will get full majority.

Q: What are the main issues during these elections?

A: The Congress misrule over the last 10 years, corruption, worsening law and order, unemployment and regional discrimination.

Q: Many have quit the INLD after being denied the ticket. Can they cause any damage?

A: No, they will not harm us as only opportunistic leaders have left our party after they were denied the ticket. All loyal party workers are still with us.

Q: Will you take them back?

A: They are always welcome to join the party.

Q: What will be your top priority if you win the elections?

A: Restoring law and order will be our main priority as crime has been on the rise since the Congress assumed power in Haryana.

Q: Have you given chance to the youth?

A: We have given 20 per cent party tickets to youngsters this time.

Q: As your leaders are behind bars, is it impacting your election campaign and will it influence the poll outcome?

A: Our leaders have been put behind bars under a conspiracy by the Congress. All Haryana voters are campaigning for the INLD and there is a strong sympathy wave for our party across Haryana.

Q: How can you allege regional discrimination with Jind and other districts as Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda claims to have sanctioned many developmental projects for these areas?

A: Just compare Jind, Sirsa and other districts with Hooda’s home district Rohtak. There is no development in these parts and many areas are still struggling for basic amenities like roads, hospital and water. Because the residents of these areas voted the INLD candidates to power, it earned them the wrath of the Haryana CM. Hooda sanctioned some projects only a few days before the implementation of the model code of conduct. Where was he during the last 10 years and why did he not take any initiative for the development of Jind and other districts?

Q: Who is your chief ministerial candidate?

A: Chaudhary Om Prakash Chautala is our CM candidate. He will come out from jail. We have full faith in the country’s judicial system.

Chandigarh, October 2
Marking a pronounced shift in its strategy and attempt at a makeover, the INLD today unveiled a peppy number by rapper Honey Singh to project a youthful look to the party.

Besides, its advertisement campaign focuses on the party’s commitment to watching the interest of farmers while ensuring security to women and assuring dignity to the labourers. Karan Chautala, son of Ellenabad MLA Abhay, told the media that the INLD was into constructive campaigning and had prepared its campaign around the promises made in the manifesto.

Accompanied by Honey Singh’s team (Honey Singh is recovering from an injury and could not make it to the programme), Karan, a fourth generation leader-in-the-making, claimed that the advertisement reflected the ideology handed down from his great grandfather and former Deputy PM Chaudhary Devi Lal. “Unemployment is a burning issue and it leads to crime and drug addiction. We will solve the problem filling up all vacancies,” he said.

The song “Tau ki party ka yoo gana, Charon oar bajewyga, Ibki bar Inelo (Hindi for INLD) ki jeet pe, Haryana bhi nachayga” by Honey Singh focuses on the first family, while Ajay is conspicuous by his absence in the advertisements. “He could not be shown in the advertisement because of some legal issues. However, the party supremo has been shown because he is the face of the party,” Karan said.

New Delhi, October 2
As the Assembly elections in Haryana draw closer, the Congress is increasingly getting to accept Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda as not just its present, but also its future face.

The party has stopped short of projecting Hooda as the chief ministerial candidate in the run up to October 15 elections with top leaders privately admitting, “There’s no doubt that Hooda is our face in Haryana.”

The realisation is critical in a state where the Congress has repeatedly been hit by tussle over leadership. Though party’s former stalwarts Rao Inderjit Singh and Birender Singh quit the Congress to protest Hooda’s alleged bias for Rohtak and other top leaders, including Capt Ajay Yadav, voicing reservations on his leadership, the party seems to have come to terms with the reality of a “future with Hooda”.

Congress general secretary Shakeel Ahmed, when asked if the Congress saw Hooda as the CM candidate, said: “In our party, there has always been a tradition of the incumbent CM leading the party into the elections and being its future face. That’s the way it has been.”

On Hooda’s alleged bias for his home town Rohtak, a senior Congress leader said, “All sitting MLAs in nine Assembly segments of the Rohtak parliamentary constituency and eight Assembly segments of Sonepat are from the Congress. So it’s natural for sitting MLAs to mount pressure on their government for initiating works in their respective areas. For instance, in Hisar, which Birender Singh represented, the Congress has hardly any legislators there. So who will seek development works from the government?”

This open defence of Hooda is a sign of realisation within the Congress that strong state leadership can no longer be ignored. The party had in the past paid the price of denying popular leaders their due. In Uttarakhand, ND Tiwari and later Vijay Bahuguna were anointed Chief Minister instead of the popular leader, Harish Rawat. And in Chhattisgarh, the Congress has not made a comeback since it started to sideline late Vidya Charan Shukla in favour of other leaders.

“There’s need to foster state leadership and back it in the face of rebellion. That’s the only way to revive (the party),” a senior party leader said.

In Haryana, too, the party has decided to back Hooda in spite of his increasing critics. That explains why he had his way in the selection of candidates. It makes political sense to back Hooda, the sole Jat face for any party in the fray. Though INLD chief Om Prakash Chautala is a Jat face, he is jailed in the recruitment scam.

Ambala, October 2
The HJC suffered a blow in the Mullana constituency (reserve) where ticket aspirant and senior leader Amarnath and office-bearers of the Mullana unit resigned and joined rival political parties.

While HJC candidate Amarnath, whose ticket had been announced recently, joined the INLD along with youth wing president Raman Sharma, the team of Mullana HJC office-bearers joined the BJP. Amarnath and his supporters met sitting INLD MLA Rajbir Barara at his residence and joined the party. — TNS

Samalkha, October 2
The Congress has emerged victorious for four times from this Gujjar dominated segment since 1967. This was one of the five seats won by Kuldeep Bishnoi led Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) in 2009.

Incumbent MLA, Dharam Singh Chhokher, later supported the Bhupinder Singh Hooda led Congress government along with four Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) MLAs. He is the party nominee from here, beating last time runner-up Sanjay Chhokhar who was also hopeful of the ticket.

BJP tally up in LS polls

While Anju Rani of the BJP had forfeited her security deposit in last Assembly elections, Ashwini Kumar of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) succeeded in maintaining a lead of 34,506 votes from this segment and won the Karnal Lok Sabha seat in 2014.

Samalkha played a significant role in Kumar’s victory as he polled 65,737 (51.24 percent) of the votes while Arvind Sharma of the Congress (who is now the BSP’s chief ministerial candidate) had to remain content with just 31,231 (24.34 percent) votes from here. .

This could be because of the Modi wave but the BJP improved its position in the LS polls as compared to its dismal performance in 2009.

Battlelines drawn

Incumbent MLA Chhokhar won on the HJC ticket in 2009 but he is now retrying his luck on a Congress ticket. The BJP has fielded Shashikant Kaushik whereas the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has chosen a woman candidate, Ram Bhateri Rawal. The margin of victory is likely to thin due to this multi-cornered contest.

Commuters face a lot of inconvenience due to accumulation of several feet high rainy water on national highway number near flyover in Samalkha in the absence of any proper disposal system. Traffic jam here is a ommon problem due to accumulation of water during rains here. The people want laying of storm sewer for getting rid of the problem once for all.

Issues that matter

The newly opened mini secretariat and judicial complex is located at Bapra village, three km away the city. The people face inconvenience in reaching there in the absence of a proper public transport system. They have been demanding the shifting of the secretariat and judicial complex and use the existing buildings for some purpose.