Bishnoi can't go on ignoring PM Modi
BJP leaders in Haryana say that Kuldeep Bishnoi is running an election campaign for the last two years projecting him as the future chief minister but so far he had never included photos of BJP leaders in his posters and banners.
BJP is so annoyed with its Haryana alliance leader Kuldeep Bishnoi that it has decided not to carry pictures of state leaders in the forthcoming Assembly election campaign posters. Kuldeep Bishnoi is known for his poster love.
BJP leaders in the state say that Bishnoi is running an election campaign for the last two years projecting him as the future chief minister but so far he had never included photos of BJP leaders in his posters and banners. But now with the Modi landslide victory BJP leaders believe things should change.
"Bishnoi should have at least included the photo of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. His campaign centres around him and his goals," says a senior state BJP leader.
As for the party's plans the BJP has in fact decided to repeat the Uttar Pradesh formula in Haryana which goes to polls in October this year. The UP formula had meant only Modi's posters. "The assembly election posters will only have the face of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. There is hardly any time to waste on the discussions about the chief ministerial candidates," BJP general secretary, Jagat Prakash Nadda said.
Haryana BJP sources said that the face of the assembly elections in the state will be Narendra Modi's and the party may not announce a chief ministerial candidate . "Assembly elections in the state will be contested under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," Haryana BJP president, Rambilas Sharma said. The BJP high command's decision to contest elections under the leadership of Modi comes at a time when as much as eight state leaders have projected themselves as the future chief minister.
Sources close to the party said the decision will also compel the state leaders to present a united face as announcing a chief ministerial candidate can spark dissidence in the state unit. Amit Shah's Uttar Pradesh formula has been a big success during the general elections. According to sources, the formula was simple. Find out places where there is less penetration of print, electronic and digital media. Take the Modi Ratha and start a poster campaign which will only have photos of Modi. Sources added that Shah, has also asked state party unit leaders to earmark rural areas where the Modi Ratha can go, and that he has also refused to accept the seat sharing formula suggested by its alliance partner Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC). This was made explicitly clear by Shah while addressing a party meeting in New Delhi. According to those present at the meeting, Shah said the BJP won't allow the HJC to contest on 45 seats and has even refused to allow HJC to contest on 30 seats which was earlier suggested to him by some BJP leaders.
In lieu of this, Haryana BJP leaders have suggested to the party high command that they break the alliance with HJC and contest elections alone. Sources said the BJP high command may consider this as they are not happy with HJC chief Kuldeep Bishnoi's election campaign which had only centred around Bishnoi and ignored Modi.
Apart from the Bishnoi factor, the party high command has asked the state BJP to start preparations for the election on all 90 Vidhan Sabha seats and has asked them to submit the report. According to Haryana BJP president Rambilas Sharma, Amit Shah has also asked the local leaders to send suggestions about the election campaigning in the state. So far, some leaders have suggested six rallies which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Other options too are being discussed.
It will be interesting to see how the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) reponds to the BJP's attitude. Kuldeep Bishnoi's eagerness to sit in the chief minister's chair is well known to local leaders, and as a result, many local BJP leaders will be happy to see the end of the alliance.
Discrimination against Dalits rampant in Himachal Pradesh
People of lower castes continue to face discrimination in Himachal Pradesh. The latest incidents were reported in two different parts of Mandi district in government schools in the state. The first incident which took place on June 23, saw Dalit students being compelled to sit on the ground and separated from other children. Food was also served to them separately by the school staff. The shocked students have registered a complaint.
Another incident was reported from Saraj valley of Mandi district when three government school teachers were humiliated by the staff of their school. The three teachers are currently employed in a senior secondary school which is located in Siraj valley. They were recently recruited in the school where they faced discrimination from the staff and then from locals in the village.
They asked the villagers for accommodation which was refused, on the grounds that they were dalits. The teachers brought the matter to the notice of higher authorities. The probe confirmed the discrimination but no action was taken against the culprits.
Call girl racket thrives in Punjab
Besides drug peddling, the flesh trade has flourished in Punjab during the last decade. Be it the industrial towns like Ludhiana and Jalandhar or the holy city Amritsar or even the towns like Ferozepur which are situated near the Indo-Pak border, call girls or sex workers are available everywhere.
Punjab has in fact become a hotspot for flesh trade and call girls from Nepal, West Bengal, and the north eastern states, and even foreign call girls from Russia and Kazakhstan have become part of the industry. What is even more shocking is that hundreds of college girls, housewives and even married women with children are also involved in the trade.
Sources say the racket is owned by the locals, who are influential people and enjoy good relations with police and politicians. Besides the local women, call girls are also hired from neighbouring states who come to Punjab on short visits and return home within a week.
Ironically, the internet and social media have proved a boon for the owners of sex racket who run portals and social media pages without any fear. Websites openly invite customers by displaying the call girl photo galleries and contact numbers. WhatsApp is also being used to reach customers.
It's not just in India. UK police in December last year shocked Punjabis by revealing that girls from the state were also being forced into flesh trade in UK. UK police had identified more than 600 girls from Punjab who were trapped in a prostitution racket there.
The writer is Chief of Bureau, Chandigarh