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Uphill task for Khattar to implement Modi’s agenda
New govt hints at judicial probe into Vadra land deals
BJP bigwigs cold-shoulder Badal
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Visitors throng venue to catch Modi’s glimpse
Cong public interaction from Nov 2
Khattar, Kamboj give Karnal twin reason to celebrate
Assocham roots for single-window clearance
Shahabad, Sonepat bag two berths
Faridabad fails to get representation in Cabinet
Sirsa, Fatehabad left out of Cabinet
CDLU’s hopes ignited with change of guard
No representation for 4th consecutive term leaves Y’nagar disheartened
After Sushma, Vij is 2nd minister from Ambala Cantt
Live within your means, minister tells babus
After Mirchpur and Bhagana, two more caste rows surface in Hisar
Cops, hospital authorities to conduct DNA test on infant
5 of family die in Hisar mishap
ITBP Jawan cremated
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Uphill task for Khattar to implement Modi’s agenda
While he will to have find acceptability within his own Cabinet and party being the first-time MLA and the party high command’s choice, he will also have a tough task at hand to find acceptability across the Jat-dominated state as he is a non-Jat and the first Punjabi to grab the top post. He would have to watch out for any deliberate or perceived attempt at neglecting Jat-dominated areas in the state. Perhaps the foremost task for him would be equitable development of the state against the backdrop of the allegations of “Rohtak-centric” development against the Hooda Government in the last decade. With allegations of rampant nepotism and corruption in government jobs flying thick against the previous regimes, Khattar would have to get the government’s act together on the recruitment front. The post-retiral rehabilitation of bureaucrats, which reached its crescendo during former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s 10-year regime, would have to be checked by the new Chief Minister. The unbridled bureaucray, which had a field day during Hooda’s tenure frustrating all attempts at transparency in administration, would need Khattar’s special attention. In the absence of firm grip on the bureaucracy, the BJP promise of providing good governance would not stand any chance of fulfilment. On the social front, the health and education sectors are passing through a crisis in Haryana. Despite pumping in a lot of money into these sectors, the results are far from satisfactory and the new government would have adopt new strategies to pull these sectors out of the crisis. In the short run, Khattar will have to take a call on the Punjab pattern pay scales to over 2.5 lakh state government employees, which were promised by the Hooda Government from November 1. This, coupled with the sops announced by the BJP in its manifesto, including Rs 2,000 pension to the beneficiaries of the social security schemes, would bleed fund-starved Haryana.Khattar would have take a serious look at the financial health of the state against the backdrop of a whopping Rs 81,000-crore state debt and a revenue deficit of over Rs 5,000 crore for the year 2014-15. The BJP-led regime will have a tough job to put the state’s fiscal situation in order as it faces a huge revenue deficit and ballooning debt in the wake of “populist” decisions taken by the previous incumbent, says an expert. It is also going to be a major challenge for the first BJP-led Haryana government to fulfil its elections promises, including raising the old age pension, providing foodgrain at Rs 1 per kg to BPL families given its “precarious” financial position, he said. “The first challenge for the new government in Haryana will be to mobilise additional resources required to meet expenditure on account of promises made by the outgoing government,” SS Sangwan, a senior economist at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), said. Tasks before the new Chief Minister
Cabinet to meet today
The first meeting of the newly formed Haryana Cabinet will be held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar at the Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh at 11 am on October 27. The CM’s colleagues Ram Bilas Sharma 60 Credited with leading the party both in Assembly as well as Lok Sabha polls. A former professor and RSS pracharak, Sharma rose rapidly till the year 2000 that saw him winning five Assembly contests from Mahendragarh. But he lost three successive elections after 2000. He was Public Health and Education Minister in 1987 and 1996 respectively. Capt Abhimanyu 46 BJP’s prominent Jat face and an ex-Army officer. Was BJP’s national spokesman. A first-timer, he contested unsuccessfully in the 2005 and 2009 Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. O P Dhankar 53 A first-timer and former RSS worker. Has been national president of BJP’s Kisan Morcha. He was picked as the national coordinator for Narendra Modi's dream project ‘Statue of Unity’. Anil Vij 61 Five-time MLA is the party's prominent face in the Assembly even when the saffron outfit had rough patch. Outspoken inside and outside the Assembly, he was the leader of the BJP Legislature Party in the previous Assembly. Rao Narbir Singh 55 The state party vice-president has successfully fought Assembly elections from Jatusana in 1987 and Sohna in 1996. Held Home portfolio in 1987. Also held Transport, Food and Supply and Cooperation portfolios in 1996. Rao became the youngest MLA in the country to occupy the office of state Home Minister at the age of 26. Unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha polls from Gurgaon in 2009. Kavita Jain 37 Youngest and only woman minister in the Khattar ministry. Was elected in 2009 and 2014 from the Sonepat seat. Bikram Singh Thekedar 44 Newcomer to state politics, the Ahir is a loyalist of Union Minister Rao Inderjit. Inderjit not only got him the party ticket, but also played a key role in ensuring Thekedar’s win against his own younger brother Rao Yadvendra Singh. Krishan Kumar Bedi 47 The first-timer is the lone Dalit face in the ministry. Karandev Singh Kamboj 53 Backward Class leader and a first-time MLA from Indri seat in Karnal district. Has been a former RSS worker.
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New govt hints at judicial probe into Vadra land deals
Chandigarh, October 26 “The new government would order a judicial probe into the illegalities committed during former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda’s regime, including alleged favours granted to Vadra, by a sitting judge of a high court,” senior minister and state BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma told The Tribune here today. Sharma asserted that the issue was likely to come up for discussion at a meeting of the Haryana Cabinet tomorrow. Sharma is the second senior state BJP leader after Anil Vij (now a minister in the Khattar government) to raise the issue of probe against Vadra for alleged favours granted by the Hooda Government. Whistleblower IAS officer Ashok Khemka had alleged that Priyanka Gandhi’s spouse received illegal favours from the Hooda-led Congress government. Sources in the Haryana Government claimed that the new government was legally competent to reverse the decisions taken by its predecessor regarding the Vadra land deals. Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had recently indicated that the BJP government in Haryana would order a probe into Vadra’s land deals. “I, prima facie, see a case where somebody starts with negligible capital, a certain amount of favours are granted to him, there are sweetheart deals as a result of which within a matter of months or years, a no-capital transaction helps him raise hundreds of crores of assets. This is not a normal course of business, it is a little out of ordinary,” Jaitley had told a TV channel recently. In the run-to the October 15 Haryana assembly elections, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made Vadra's deals a major campaign issue. Growing chorus for probe
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BJP bigwigs cold-shoulder Badal
Chandigarh, October 26 Though Prime Minister Narendra Modi acknowledged Badal’s greetings, almost
the entire BJP bigwigs, including BJP President Amit Shah, ignored the presence
of the Punjab Chief Minister. The BJP and the SAD are alliance partners in
Punjab, but the SAD contested the recent Haryana Assembly elections against the
BJP. Despite pressure from the BJP, the SAD contested the Haryana Vidhan Sabha elections in alliance with the INLD against the saffron party. The INLD contested 88 seats leaving two to the SAD. The SAD won Kalanwali seat out of the two it contested while the INLD won 19. Despite a triangular contest among the BJP, INLD and the Congress at most places, the BJP that went alone won 47 seats and emerged the largest party and formed the government today. Knowing
that Badal would be present at the swearing-in ceremony after being
formally invited, a group of BJP workers had come prepared to “boo”
the Punjab Chief Minister. Luckily there was no occasion for any
individual leader to take to the mike, so the ugly situation was
averted. But the BJP leadership and the workers seem to be nursing a
grudge against the SAD for trying to help the INLD instead of the BJP,
calling it a “violation of the coalition dharma”. SAD President
Sukhbir Singh Badal was not present at the swearing-in ceremony as he
is said to be holidaying in Rajasthan. Khattar had personally called
Sukhbir and invited him to the ceremony, said BJP sources. The strain
between the SAD and the BJP is quite apparent considering the lashing
out at “the way the Punjab Government is being run” by senior BJP
leader Navjot Singh Sidhu during the run-up to the Haryana elections. During
the swearing-in ceremony, Badal sat in one corner along with VVIPs in
the front row on the stage. The cold vibes made it apparently clear
that the galaxy of top BJP leaders that included Narendra Modi, LK
Advani, Vijayraje Sindhia, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shivraj Chuhan, Raman
Singh etc did not extend any pleasantries and the interaction with
some of them was limited to a “cold handshake” while BJP President
Amit Shah clearly avoided even that. Interestingly, when Modi was
anointed the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, Badal during Modi’s
visit to Pathankot showered choicest blessings on him and used every
adjective in his vocabulary in Modi’s praise. After the victory in
the parliamentary elections, Badal’s daughter-in-law and Bathinda
MP, Harsimrat Kaur Badal(now Union Minister), was seen touching Modi’s
feet. The BJP in Punjab has already made it apparently clear that though the BJP was a partner in the government under Badal but it did not receive the due respect and share of power. Political analysts say that the BJP ambition of going it alone in Haryana and in Maharashtra has emboldened it to repeat the experiment in Punjab. Unless the SAD-BJP differences are mended immediately, the strain in the two alliance partners may lead to further trouble in Punjab. |
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Visitors throng venue to catch Modi’s glimpse
Chandigarh, October 26 Dressed in spotless white, Modi arrived at the swearing-in ceremony without the usual fanfare associated with a Prime Ministerial visit-waved to the crowd and took his seat next to his confidant and party chief Amit Shah and other Cabinet colleagues present at the venue. However, long before his arrival, BJP supporters began pouring in and the venue began filling up much before the first of the VVIPs arrived. Local MLAs Gian Chand Gupta and Latika Sharma greeted the guests and escorted them to their seats while Vir Kumar Yadav, a senior party leader managed the stage, and ragis sang praises of then Chief-Minister designate, Manohar Lal Khattar. The arrival of a 'big' leader was marked by cheers and a round of applause. Modi certainly proved to be the most 'popular' by these standards though Union Minister Sushma Swaraj was a close second. Among the local leaders, the maximum cheers came for Ram Bilas Sharma, Capt Abhimanyu and Anil Vij, all Chief Ministerial candidates of the party and inducted as ministers in the Khattar Cabinet. While Shah, among the first few top leaders to arrive, met various leaders who queued up to greet him. Gujarat Chief Minister Anandiben Patel who was once a minister in Modi's government and senior to Shah went to the latter, who has now been elevated in rank and stature since then. Meanwhile, Swaraj, Patel and Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje Scindia utilised the time before the ceremony started to catch up with each other. At the various gates leading to the venue for the ceremony, a number of guests with invitations awaited their turn to be let in while others with no invitations managed to find their way into the various enclosures guarded by policemen. Though the regular commotion around the programme was missing courtesy the heavy deployment of cops and the crowds easily found their way out after the ceremony, many had to return disappointed after being denied entry on account of the swelling numbers. A number of them claimed to have come to hear Modi who went away without addressing the crowds since the occasion did not permit that.
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Cong public interaction from Nov 2
Chandigarh, October 26 Announcing the schedule, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said all 15 Congress legislators would hold the first and second public interaction at Sonepat and Jhajjar on November 2 and November 9, respectively. The schedule for the remaining districts would be announced subsequently. When asked about his absence from the swearing-in ceremony of Manohar Lal Khattar at Panchkula today, Hooda said he had not received the invitation. |
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Keeping it simple
Manohar Lal Khattar’s installation for the top was a big achievement for the BJP which has until now played second fiddle to regional satraps in Haryana. That’s why it was celebration time for the party’s top leadership. It was a big day for the Khattar family though the ceremony was attended only by his younger brother Charanjit Khattar, his nephew Keshav and 80-odd relatives and friends. Keeping it simple, family members of the CM and ministers watched proceedings from a separate enclosure. Abhimanyu does a Jaswant
Newly-inducted minister Captain Abhimanyu came dressed in a style typical of former Union minister Jaswant Singh. He picked an olive green shirt with shoulder flaps and pockets which he teamed with grey trousers. He was the only one to choose Western wear over the traditional kurta-pyjama-jacket combination worn by leaders big and small. Ignored CM aspirants miffed
The conflict of interest among BJP MLAs inducted into the Cabinet was very pronounced. The anointment of Khattar as Haryana’s first BJP chief minister from among half a dozen aspirants doesn’t seem to have gone down well with the others. Though they were inducted into the Cabinet on the same day as Khattar was sworn-in in an effort to “placate them”, all does not seem well if body language is any indication. Hardly any minister shook hands with the CM after being sworn in. No portfolio, Birender’s wife sulks
If the grapevine is to be believed, senior leader Birender Singh’s wife Prem Lata is sulking. A BJP source said though her name was doing the rounds for induction into the Cabinet, it was “dropped” at the last minute. It is learnt she was not keen on being Minister of State and wanted a Cabinet minister berth. Unable to convince the party top brass, Prem Lata chose to stay out. This, sources said, could translate into a position at the Centre for Jat leader Birender Singh, who is looking for a Rajya Sabha nomination. Jakhu, Neelam Kasni go ‘leader-hopping’
After the swearing-in ceremony, Khattar led the newly-inducted ministers to meet PM Narendra Modi, party chief Amit Shah, Central ministers and top leadership. Two “surprise faces” also showed up to greet these leaders — Chief Secretary Shakuntala Jakhu and Secretary to Governor Neelam Kasni broke the queue and went “leader-hopping”. Their husbands Ramender Jakhu and Pradeep Kasni are known to be close to the BJP and they did not seem to miss the opportunity. Panchkula comes to a halt
Panchkula came to a standstill with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other dignitaries visiting Sector 5 for the swearing-in. All main roads leading to and away from the venue were blocked before and after the PM’s arrival. The road separating sectors 5 and 6, Fountain Chowk and Kalka-Shimla highway towards Shalimar Ground were blocked. Cavalcades of other dignitaries such as Parkash Singh Badal, Amit Shah and Sushma Swaraj took the road dividing sectors 5 and 6. Mismanagement prevailed in the sitting arrangement. Visitors complained the police did not let them in despite passes.
— Geetanjali Gayatri & Hina Rohtaki |
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Khattar, Kamboj give Karnal twin reason to celebrate
Karnal, October 26 Hundreds of party workers and leaders left for Panchkula to attend the swearing-in ceremony early in the morning. “Manohar Lal Khattar is the fifth non-Jat CM to lead the state after the inception of Haryana in 1966. Earlier, Bhagwat Dayal Sharma, Rao Birender Singh, Banarsi Das Gupta and Bhajan Lal were the other non-Jat Chief Ministers,” said Shashipal Mehta, former minister, before leaving for the ceremony. Deepak Dhawan, BJP district vice-president, said, “Manohar Lal has a four-decade association with the RSS and the BJP. He is the first Punjabi to become state Chief Minister. It is a proud moment for the community.” Rakesh Nagpal, Improvement Trust ex-chairman, described Khattar as a CM with good vision and ideology of inclusive development. His closeness with Modi would help implement the PM’s vision in the state, he said. “The state would now witness complete development, as some regions have been neglected in the last 48 years. This is for the first time, a leader from the BJP, has been sworn-in Chief Minister, who wants to involve people of all status for inclusive development,” said Ashok Sukhija, BJP district president. Mayor Renu Bala Gupta said development would now pick-up pace in Karnal. “New development will take place in the city as well as in the state under the leadership of Manohar Lal Khattar. He is a great visionary and a target-oriented person,” said Krishan Garg, Senior Deputy Mayor. After the induction of Karan Dev Kamboj, first-time MLA from Indri, as Minister of State (independent charge) in Khattar’s team, the people of the district have got another moment to celebrate, besides being the CM’s city. Kamboj, who hails from Mandhar village in Yamunanagar, had contested from Indri and won the election by a margin of 23,875 votes. He defeated former MLA Ashok Kashyap’s wife, INLD candidate Usha Kashyap. However, the people of Assandh and Gharaunda Assembly segments were also hopeful of their MLAs being given representation in the Cabinet as Ror and Sikh communities have a sizeable number in the state, a political analyst said. In the ruling party, Bakhshish Singh Virk of Assandh is the only Sikh MLA, while Harvinder Kalyan of Gharaunda is the only MLA belonging to Ror Community. The people of their segments are hoping for their inclusion in the state cabinet, said a political analyst. As per the political pundits, people of all communities are hoping for representation in Khattar’s team. It is expected that in the second expansion, the representation could be given to the remaining MLAs belonging to different communities of the state, so that they do not feel let down. |
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Dhankar’s proximity to PM gets him place in Cabinet
Jhajjar, October 26 Dhankar got rewarded courtesy his proximity to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is the only legislator in Jhajjar and Rohtak districts, who has been inducted into the state Cabinet while the BJP grabbed three of the eight seats from the Congress in both the districts. Besides Dhankar, BJP’s state general secretary Manish Grover and newcomer Naresh Kaushik have romped home victorious from Rohtak and Bahadurgarh (Jhajjar), respectively. Hailing from Dhakla village in Jhajjar, Dhankar started his political journey with the BJP’s student outfit Akhil Bhartiya Vidharthi Parishad (ABVP). He entered the poll fray in 2009 and unsuccessfully contested the Assembly polls from Charkhi Dadri (Bhiwani). Dhankar after being appointed as national president of the BJP Kisan Morcha not only raised the farmers’ issues at the national level prominently, but also ran a nationwide campaign to get the Swaminathan Commission’s recommendations implemented for the welfare of the farmers. Keeping in view his considerable work over farmers’ issues, the BJP banked upon Dhankar to challenge sitting MP Deepender Hooda, son of Bhupinder Hooda, in the Lok Sabha election held earlier this year. Though Dhankar lost the election, but he polled around 3.25 lakh votes. It was the best-ever performance by any BJP candidate from the Rohtak Lok Sabha seat. “Since Dhankar is the only Jat leader of the Saffron party in Rohtak region, who succeeded to win the election hence his induction into the Cabinet will also facilitate the party to make hold in Jats of Hooda’s bastion,” said political pundits. Talking to The Tribune over the phone, Dhankar said the BJP government would work to ensure the overall development of the state. “We will provide pro-people good governance for the welfare of every sections of the society. Vital steps will be taken to bring reforms in public sectors,” he added. |
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Assocham roots for single-window clearance
Chandigarh, October 26 While Haryana was among the progressive states of the country, the pace of implementation of investment projects needed to pick up to ensure all-round development and job creation, said ASSOCHAM president Rana Kapoor while congratulating Khattar. With its proximity to the national Capital, the new government should create many more Gurgaon-type hubs of employment in different sectors like manufacturing, agro-processing, health and education, said Kapoor. An ASSOCHAM analysis revealed that of the pending live investment under implementation in the state, the maximum of Rs 1.69 lakh crore related to services (other than financials), followed by construction and real estate (Rs 1.23 lakh crore) and electricity (Rs 70,000 crore). “We expect the new state government to create a single-window clearance for investors, especially for real estate and manufacturing,” said the ASSOCHAM chief. Besides, a pragmatic policy with regard to labour reforms on the lines of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh would go a long way in attracting investment, Rana added. |
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Shahabad, Sonepat bag two berths
Kurukshetra, October 26 Members of the Valmiki community to which Bedi belongs distributed laddoos and thanked the BJP for the honour to the community. Bedi’s son Gorav said, “The BJP is the common man’s government and it has proved this once again with my father’s appointment.” While many were busy in the celebrations, Youth Akali leader Kanwaljeet Singh Ajrana expressed resentment with the BJP for not giving space to Sikh leaders and representatives of other minorities in the Cabinet. Sonepat: BJP activists led by office secretary Rajinder Singh today celebrated the induction of Kavita Jain as Cabinet minister by distributing sweets and welcoming the people reaching to the office. Kavita Jain is the third MLA from Sonepat assembly constituency to become a minister in the state cabinet ever since Haryana became a separate state in 1967. |
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Ahirwal region lands three Cabinet berths
Rewari, October 26 While Sharma and Rao have served as Cabinet ministers earlier too, Thekedar — an Ahir and Union Minister Rao Inderjit loyalist — is a newcomer to state politics. Sharma, a five-time MLA, was Public Health Minister and Education Minister in 1987 and 1996 while Rao Narbir, who is carrying forward the political legacy of his ex-MLA father Rao Mahabir Singh, held the portfolios of Home (1987) and Transport and Cooperation (1996). For the first time in the history of state Assembly polls, the saffron party has won all 11 seats in the Ahirwal region that includes Rewari, Mahendragarh and Gurgaon districts. People of this area were expecting the top job would be held by a candidate from area, but it did not happen. In the 2009 Assembly election, the BJP had failed to open its account in Ahirwal. The Congress romped home with seven seats
and the INLD won three while one seat was bagged by an Independent. Political pundits say by elevating one MLA each from Mahendragarh, Rewari and Gurgaon district to the office of minister, the BJP has treated all three districts of Ahirwal equally. “Having failed to secure the post of Chief Minister, we were hoping to get at least two posts of Cabinet rank, but the BJP has given us reason to cheer by inducting three MLAs into the state Cabinet,” said Praveen Yadav, a businessman in Rewari. Meet the ministers
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Faridabad fails to get representation in Cabinet
Faridabad, October 26 “Faridabad has always been represented in the state government during the last several decades. It was for the first time in 2000-2005 that none of the elected MLAs from here could get a berth in the state Cabinet led by INLD’s Om Prakash Chautala,” claimed Devender Singh, a political analyst. He said the district got into the limelight in 2005 when the Congress returned to power and MLA AC Chaudhary was inducted into the Cabinet led by Hooda. The district further got elevated when Shiv Charan Lal Sharma an Independent MLA from NIT and Mahender Pratap Singh, Congress MLA from Badkhal, were inducted as ministers in the state Cabinet. Ram Kumar another political and social analyst claimed the performance of the ruling party (BJP) in the recent Assembly polls might have played a spoilsport while deciding the district’s representation in the Khattar-led Cabinet as the BJP could win only three out of the six assembly segments from here. |
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Sirsa, Fatehabad left out of Cabinet
Sirsa/Fatehabad, October 24 The saffron party did not get much support from people in these two districts that are part of the Sirsa Parliamentary constituency. All the five seats of Sirsa district were won by the INLD-SAD combine as voters picked Naina Singh Chautala (INLD, Dabwali); Ram Chander (INLD, Rania); Abhay Singh Chautala (INLD, Ellenabad); Makhan Lal Singla (INLD, Sirsa) and Balkaur Singh (SAD, Kalanwali). In Fatehabad, the voters elected INLD’s Balwan Singh Daulatpuria from Fatehabad and Ravinder Baliyala from Ratia. The only seat in both constituencies where voters chose a BJP MLA was Tohana. Here, Subhash Barala defeated INLD’s Nishan Singh. Going by Barala’s seniority in the party — he was state Kisan Morcha president and is presently vice-president of the party state unit — people were hoping he would make it to the Cabinet. However, Barala, a Jat leader, seems to have lost out to Capt Abhimanyu and OP Dhankar in the caste combination. His loyalists hope he will land a berth in the next expansion. |
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CDLU’s hopes ignited with change of guard
Sirsa, October 24 Khattar’s assurance that his government would be transparent and without area-based discrimination has enlivened hopes among various sections who allege that the university remained a victim of bias during the Congress regime of 10 years. “Our University needs 241 new posts of non-teaching employees, but the erstwhile Congress Government always turned a deaf ear to our needs. After our persistent demands, former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda announced to
give 41 new posts, but the sanction never came,” alleged Mahender Beniwal, president of CDLU Non-Teaching Employees Association. “Sunita Setia, BJP candidate from Sirsa, and several other local party leaders, had assured us that our demands will be met once the party comes to power,” he said. Rajesh Malik, president of Chaudhary Devi Lal University Teachers Association (CDLUTA), hopes that the Khattar government would bring transparency in teachers’ selections, which was woefully missing during the previous regime. “There can be nothing more damaging to the future of a nation than to select teachers by ignoring merit,” Malik added. He said the CDLUTA hoped that the new government would order appointments to vacant posts of teachers in the university, which the Congress Government was not willing to fill due to reasons best known to it. |
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No representation for 4th consecutive term leaves Y’nagar disheartened
Yamunanagar, October 26 When the names of MLAs were being called out from the dais for taking oath, people of the district were hopeful that senior party leader and two-time MLA Kanwar Pal Gurjar would be inducted. However, their hopes dashed. “The people elected BJP MLAs from all four Assembly seats of the district. We were excited and hopeful that Yamunanagar will get representation in the Cabinet this time. But, we were left disappointed,” said Anil Kumar of Professor Colony. It was in 1996, when Haryana Vikas Party (HVP) and BJP formed a coalition government in the state, led by Bansi Lal, that an MLA from Yamunanagar was inducted in the Cabinet. Jagadhari MLA Shubham Chaudhary was made the Minister of State for Environment and Forests (independent charge). Dr Kamla Verma, BJP MLA from Yamunanagar, was the Health Minister. In 2000, when INLD government, led by Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala was formed in the state, Akram Khan, who was defeated by BJP candidate Kanwar Pal from the then Chhachhruali Assembly segment (now Jagadhri segment) was made chairman of dairy development board. In the first innings of Bhupinder Singh Hooda-led Congress government in 2005, the then Yamunanagar MLA Dr Krishna Pandit was accommodated as Chief Parliamentary Secretary. In the second innings of the Congress Government, led by Bhupinder Singh Hooda, no MLA from the district was made minister. Only BSP MLA Akram Khan, who extended support to the government, was adjusted as Deputy Speaker of Assembly. “Neither Om Prakash Chautala in 2000, nor Bhupinder Singh Hooda in 2005 and 2009 inducted any of the MLAs from the district in their Cabinets and discriminated against the district in terms of development. Now, the Manohar Lal Khattar government also did not give representation to the district. At least one of the MLAs should be included in the Cabinet,” said Karan Singh of Kharwan village. Hopes dashed
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After Sushma, Vij is 2nd minister from Ambala Cantt
Ambala, October 25 The last person from the constituency to hold a Cabinet berth was Sushma Swaraj, who became minister for Education, Food and Civil Supplies after winning the election in 1987. The constituency has seen two stints of Sushma as Cabinet minister. First, she became youngest Cabinet minister for Labour and Employment in the state government after wining the 1977 election on the Janata Party ticket, followed by her becoming minister in 1987. Locals said Ambala had since been subjected to political bias by successive state governments, but are expecting an end to the bias with Vij’s Cabinet berth. Despite being strategically located on NH1 at a short distance from the state capital, Ambala did not witness much development. Ambala also became a victim of the Hooda-Selja spats. Projects launched by either the state government or by the then sitting MP Selja were, consequently, never completed. Anil Vij has contested seven elections and has been vocal in the state legislative Assembly. Though never a minister, the veteran consolidated his political ground by remaining easily accessible to the local people. His hold over Ambala Cantonment could be gauged from the fact that no star campaigners visited his constituency yet he won with a vote share exceeding 51 per cent. Vij, leader of the BJP Legislative Party in the last Assembly, is credited with upgrade of CB School to a college, a 66 KVA and 33 KVA Power Grid, setting up Saha Growth Centre and approval for a trauma care centre at the cantonment Civil Hospital and saving Subhash Park from the land mafia among others. |
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Live within your means, minister tells babus
Chandigarh, October 26 Emerging from an introductory meeting that Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar and his Cabinet colleagues had with administrative secretaries and heads of the departments of the Civil Secretariat, senior minister Anil Vij said with the advent of the new regime, the bureaucrats should try to live within their means as the BJP government would come down heavily on any corrupt practices. “We are committed to giving a corruption-free and transparent government and the bureaucracy should change the way it had functioned till date…They should live within their means,” Vij asserted. Earlier, addressing the meeting, Khattar urged the elected representatives and the bureaucrats to work for the welfare of people. He said besides politicians, bureaucrats also shared equal responsibility to run the government. All the officers should perform their duties with utmost dedication in the interest of people of the state. Welcoming the CM and Cabinet ministers, CS Shakuntala Jakhu said the state had a competent team of officers who would work to realise Modi's motto of 'minimum government-maximum governance'. |
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Anil Vij launches campaign against drug abuse in Ambala
Ambala, October 26 Addressing the officials, the new Cabinet minister asserted that there would be no dearth of funds
to complete the developmental projects in the state which had been laying pending. He said the government officials should cooperate in getting these projects completed so that people can finally reap the benefits
of these. He said the maintenance of basic amenities such as roads, sanitation and power supply, should be taken up on priority basis and asked them to
be responsive to the public issues raised by party workers. Later, while interacting with a gathering of the party supporters he sought their cooperation in making the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narender Modi a huge success in Haryana. Vij then reached his Ambala Cantonment residence, where his family members and party supporters welcomed him. |
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After Mirchpur and Bhagana, two more caste rows surface in Hisar
Hisar, October 26 NCSC director at Chandigarh, Raj Kumar Chhanena, informed The Tribune today and said he had asked the deputy commissioner to submit a factual report and an action taken report in the incident that occurred last week when a woman teacher reportedly asked the girls belonging to Dalit community to clean the toilets in the school. The teacher reportedly stated that since the girls were getting scholarships meant for the Scheduled Caste students, they should also clean the toilets. Rajat Kalsan, a Dalit activist, said they lodged a complaint with the police after the girls brought the matter to their notice on Monday but no action had been taken so far. “There were holidays on account of Diwali that perhaps was the reason of delay on part of the district administration. But we expect a strict action on Monday against the teacher. If the district authorities failed to act, then the students have to boycott the school,” said a villager Mukesh Kumar. However, another caste clash that occurred during polling day between the Jats and the Dalits in Niyana village too is yet to be resolved as the Dalits alleged they were being pressurised to withdraw the cases against the upper caste youths. A villager Hansraj informed the police had arrested the five accused youths after registering a case under relevant sections of the IPC and the SC/ST Act, but now they were being asked to withdraw the case. “We are ready for the compromise for restoration of brotherhood between the communities in the village, but need a solid assurance from the upper caste people that no such incident would occur,” he said. With the long pending caste cauldron due to Mirchpur and Bhagana incidents are yet to die down, these two caste-related incidents have stirred fresh controversy in the district. It’s a challenge for the new government to sort out these pending issues that have created a deep rift of mistrust between the Jats and the Dalits particularly in Hisar district, said a social activist adding that caste clashes spurred by vested political interests in past has turned Hisar an epicentre of caste cauldron. A local activist Bajrang Intel, who is associated with the BSP and takes up Dalits cases, claimed the atrocities on Dalits are occurring in every district of the state, but the incidents are brought to the notice of the authorities only due to the activism by Dalits. The incident...
Last week a woman teacher reportedly asked the girls belonging to the Dalit community to clean toilets in the school. The teacher reportedly stated since the girls were getting scholarships meant for the Scheduled Caste students, they should also clean the toilets. |
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Cops, hospital authorities to conduct DNA test on infant
Sirsa, October 26 The woman, Suman’s mother, Santosh Rani alleged her daughter had given birth to a baby boy on October 21 at night and the hospital staff too had given this information to them. However, the staff later told them that Suman had given birth to a girl and the boy was in fact born to another woman, Anjali. Suman, a resident of Kutiana village, refused to accept the girl child and has not breastfed the child ever since. Santosh alleged that she was in the delivery room when the hospital staff informed her that a male child has been born to Suman. Dr Subhashini, medical superintendent of the general hospital has denied the allegations and maintained that the woman was making these allegations only because Suman had four daughters and was not willing to take home another girl child. She said the hospital authorities would approach the Child Protection Department for handing over the girl child to them and would go in for DNA testing on her for the family’s satisfaction. |
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Sirsa grain market traders pick up broom
Sirsa, October 26 Led by Surender Minchnabadi, president of Sirsa Grain Market Traders Association, and Yash Pal Mehta, secretary of Sirsa Market Committee, traders carried out a cleanliness drive in the grain market, new grain market and cotton market. “We were inspired by the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Originally, Nation Mahatma Gandhi had given this call, but now Modi has done a great job by inspiring millions of people through his appeal,” said Minchnabadi. He said the traders could not make a big difference by taking brooms in their hands, but this definitely helped in spreading a message that if everyone took care of one’s surroundings, cleanliness was possible. |
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5 of family die in Hisar mishap
Hisar, October 26 The family, which hailed from Sirsa town, was going back after attending a religious function in Hisar today afternoon. As the victims, who were travelling in a Tata Indigo, reached near Chikanwas village, the car rammed into a truck. Two of the victims died on the spot, while the others breathed their last on the way to the hospital. The deceased have been identified as Rajrani (45), her son Himanshu (20), daughter Deepika (17), father-in-law Harbans (65) and Himanshu's cousin Mohit (22). Rajrani's husband Charanjit and 12-year-old son Lakshya were injured seriously and are in hospital. 1 killed in Y’nagar mishap
Yamunanagar: One person was killed and four others injured when the truck in which they were travelling overturned after one of its tyres burst near Radaur town on Sunday. The police said Hamid Hasan, Aadil, Ayub, Mehmood and Nafish had left their village Mohammadpur in Shamli (Uttar Pradesh) in the truck to sell vegetables in the Yamunanagar mandi yesterday. The vehicle overturned after one of its tyres burst near Radaur town around 12.30 am. Hamid Hasan died on the spot. Aadil, Ayub, Mehmood and Nafish sustained injuries. They were rushed to the trauma centre at Yamunanagar where Aadil was referred to PGI, Chandigarh, due to his critical condition.
— OC |
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Ratnawali begins at KU today
Kurukshetra October 26 The festival will be inaugurated by Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki. Television actress Meghna Malik will mark her presence on the last day (October 30) of the festival. KU has been organising ‘Ratnawali’ since 1985.
— TNS |
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ITBP Jawan cremated
Kaithal, October 26 Kapil was killed in Chhatisgarh on the Diwali day while picking a grenade which exploded in his hands and he succumbed to his injuries. His body was brought by a team of the ITBP. MLA Jai Parkash assured all possible help to the bereaved family. |
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Chandigarh,
October 26
Two ministers back demand for a probe into land deals involving
Robert Vadra (in pic)
