New Delhi/Rohtak, July 29
At this stage of the BJP’s planning for the coming Assembly elections in Haryana when “all options are open”, senior party leaders mandated with getting feedback from grassroots seem to have apprised the newly appointed party president Amit Shah of a few negotiable and some non-negotiables.

According to the leaders, breaking up with Kuldeep Bishnoi-led Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) may not be a good option, but any workable partnership formula with the NDA’s ally would be on the BJP’s terms.

The bottom line in all negotiations with Bishnoi would be that workers and leaders want the BJP to form the government led by Chief Minister from the saffron party, they said.

Keeping in mind that Bishnoi will bring on the table a critical vote share, the BJP is considering offering him a couple of take-it-or-leave-it options. One of them is lesser number of seats than what he is insisting on.

Senior leaders said the BJP may, at best, be willing to part with 20-odd seats to keep the HJC by its side. In case Bishnoi insists on more, he may be given a “couple of extra seats, provided the candidates he puts up fight on the BJP’s symbol.”

In any case, the chief ministership is definitely not a choice he will have when he sits across the negotiating table. Bishnoi, however, may be given an offer of joining the BJP, bag and baggage, in lieu of a better deal. The BJP will not go out of the way to accommodate him if he stretches us beyond a point, the leaders say.

“Bishnoi will have to settle for a lesser number of seats. He should understand that in the changed circumstances, we cannot move ahead with the 45-45 formula agreed upon prior to the Lok Sabha elections. Besides, he will have to sacrifice his ambition of becoming the chief minister for half the term in the event of the alliance coming to power in the state,” a senior party leader told The Tribune.

If the BJP parts way with Bishnoi, it will “not opt” for an alliance with the INLD. This in spite of Akali Dal’s continuing efforts to convince Amit Shah to take the INLD on board. The INLD, party leaders say, is definitely not an option.

Sources, meanwhile, say that the party will make public its choices — whether or not to approach the elections with a chief ministerial candidate and to continue the tie-up with the HJC — soon. The leaders say there is no hurry. Shah wants to take informed decision on all accounts.

According to political observers, the HJC leadership would weigh the options before it once the BJP’s decision is conveyed to it. Top leaders say that Bishnoi may find the condition of sacrificing the post of the Chief Minister a bit hard to swallow, but he may buckle under pressure in view of the limited options before him.

Nonetheless, in the coming days, the alliance partners are likely to negotiate with each other for a better deal that is mutually acceptable.

Chandigarh, July 29
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has rapped the state of Haryana for “bizarre and hard to defend conduct” in a two-decade-old service matter. Taking up a petition filed in 1992 by constable Satbir Singh after he was verbally discharged from service, Justice K Kannan also imposed costs of Rs 25,000 on the state.

“I would observe that if it were to be contended that there was an oral discharge order, it is illegal. For, a government servant cannot be dispatched out of service by such a whimsical oral discharge,” Justice Kannan asserted.

In his detailed order, Justice Kannan added: “The petitioner, who was admitted to the police service in the state of Haryana as a constable messenger on January 24, 1991, was jettisoned in a hideous way, ill-becoming of a state establishment”.

Justice Kannan added that he was stating this at the beginning only because Satbir Singh fell ill immediately after joining recruitment training centre at Madhuban in July 1991. Times to come saw him rejoin the duty, only to fall ill again. He reported again in October 1991 at the training institute, but was declined admittance on the ground that he had been discharged from the service. The order of discharge was not issued in writing. But the writ petition was filed for appropriate posting with continuity of service and consequential relief, as he was not allowed to join.

The writ petition was originally allowed in February 2001, directing his reinstatement. But the state applied for a review. The plea was allowed in September 2009, “even without the court being apprised of the fact that the petitioner had actually been reinstated and he was actually in service”.

The court at that time observed the petitioner was no longer in service and the relief sought in the petition could not be granted; and the writ petition was dismissed in May 2010.

It was again sought to be reviewed by the petitioner on the ground that he had been reinstated. Before parting with the judgment, Justice Kannan added: “I record the fact that he continued in service and his services shall be taken as continuation from the time when he was recruited and joined at the institute at Madhuban. The writ petition is ordered recording the above said facts with costs imposed at Rs 25,000 against the state for inexplicable and indefensible conduct exhibited by the state authorities”.

Two-decade-old service matter The petition was filed by a constable in 1992 after he was verbally discharged from service In his detailed order, Justice Kannan said the petitioner, who was admitted to the police service in the state of Haryana as a constable messenger on January 24, 1991, was jettisoned in a hideous way, ill-becoming of a state establishment The writ petition was originally allowed in February 2001, directing his reinstatement. But the state applied for a review The plea was allowed in September 2009, “even without the court being apprised of the fact that the petitioner had actually been reinstated and he was actually in service”

New Delhi, July 29
With Sikh politics taking the centrestage in the backdrop of the Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Managing Committee (HSGMC) turmoil in the state, the Haryana Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has suggested the central leadership a bigger role for the party in the Assembly elections.

Haryana leaders have briefed Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on the present circumstances in which the party has a direct influence on 17 seats in the state. They conveyed to him that the party was in a situation where it could even win 10 seats on its own.

Sharanjit Singh Sotha, the Haryana president of the SAD, said the party had submitted the political history of the seats along with their demographic profiles to the Punjab Chief Minister.

Last Assembly elections, the SAD had contested for the first time in alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal. It had contested two seats and won from Kalyanwali in Sirsa district.

The buzz in the SAD is that the party will continue its electoral alliance with the Indian National Lok Dal.

The Sikh community has a sizeable presence in about eight.

The SAD’s apparent high spirit regarding the coming Assembly elections stems from its good performance in the election to the Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee (SGPC).

It bagged eight out of 11 seats. Besides, the party thinks a good section of the community is on its side on the Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Managing Committee issue.

Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, a former union minister and senior national vice-president of the SAD, said the party would approach the elections in the state in right earnest.

Meanwhile, Badal had one-on-one meeting with former Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, who is on bail, in Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon a few days ago.

He is thought to have discussed Haryana politics in the wake of the Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Managing Committee.

The timing and the circumstances of the Badal-Chautala meeting has been looked askance in the political circles. Badal, who generally has retinue of party leaders during his movements here, left for Medanta Hospital in Gurgaon straight after landing.

The Akali leader’s immediate engagement after his interface with Chautala was his scheduled meeting with Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in the capital.

He met the latter all alone, which again was in a stark contrast to the fact that he is generally accompanied by party leaders to meetings.

Kaithal, July 29
The first meeting of the Haryana Sikh Gurudwara Managing Committee (HSGMC), which was scheduled to be held here at the Manji Sahib Gurdwara today, has been postponed to July 31.

Joga Singh, general secretary of the HSGMC, gave this information to mediapersons here today.

It was claimed that the meeting had been postponed owing to the death of a nephew of senior vice-president of the HSGPC Didar Singh Nalvi. However, president of the HSGMC Jagdish Singh Jhinda, and executive committee members — Sant Gurmit Singh, Avtar Singh Chakku and Manjit Singh — were present at the meeting site.

Sources said all representatives had a meeting with Haryana Minister for PWD and Industries Randeep Singh Surjewala soon after their arrival.

Faridabad, July 29
After the suspension of seven senior officials, the DHBVN authorities have issued chargesheet to another 46 officials in the pillar box scam.

The accused have been charged with releasing payment worth several crores in advance and without any work done on ground. The department had outsourced the work of construction of pillar boxes for the installation of power meters in the district last year.

Official sources said the 46 officials issued notices included 19 SDO’s, 23 junior engineers (JE) and four assistant foreman. They have been asked to submit their replies within a week.

Two of the SDOs have already retired. It is reported that the DHBVN had allotted the work to two companies in June and October last year for the construction of pillar boxes in various subdivisions. However, it is revealed that the companies awarded the contract were released payment up to 70 per cent in advance allegedly by the officials concerned.

It is claimed that the payment to the tune of Rs 65 crore was released without ensuring that the companies had procured the material and had started the work on ground.

The matter got surfaced a few months ago when the department handed over the probe to the Vigilance. The inquiry found that the money was paid to the companies in violation of the norms that resulted in heavy losses to the power discoms and this action amounted to be a scam.

Meanwhile, the authorities have appointed new officials to replace the suspended ones. These include Mukesh Gupta as new SE, and Vijay Singla and Pradeep Chauhan as XEN of Old Faridabad and NIT divisions, respectively.

Reply sought The 46 chargesheeted officials include 19 SDO’s, 23 junior engineers (JE) and four assistant foreman They have been asked to submit their replies within a week

Jind, July 29
In a hurry to lay maximum number of foundation stones before the Assembly elections, Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda has failed to get his act together in the functioning of Chaudhary Ranbir Singh University (CRSU) in Jind, which was inaugurated on July 25.

The university has not received even a penny from the government. Despite the fact that the university does not have the basic amenities, the CM has directed the authorities to start classes from August.

Under pressure to start the classes from next month, the university authorities have borrowed Rs 25 lakh from Kurukshetra University (KU) authorities to make the much-needed arrangements. It all has been happening despite big claims of Hooda to provide a grant of Rs 50 crore to this university for its needs.

The CRSU authorities have announced to start classes of eight courses from August 21. These include MBA, MCA, MCA lateral entry, MA (education, psychology, English, BPEd and MPEd. But due to lack of basic facilities, like staff, playground, outer wall, main gate, other infrastructure and accommodation for teaching staff, the task seems impossible. The university has only four teachers (two in MBA and two of MCA) and has no teaching staff for any other subject.

The university has two clerks, two attendants and one security person. All the employees were earlier working in KU Regional Centre here, which has been upgraded to university and all have been shifted there.

“We know that we do not have the required infrastructure and staff. But we are taking working hard to start classes from August 21. The CM has already announced a grant of Rs 50 crore for the CRSU and it would be released soon,” said Vice Chancellor Maj Gen (retd) Dr Ranjit Singh.

The authorities are yet to start the process of taking UGC approval and to prepare the detailed infrastructure plan.

Gross mismanagement The CRSU authorities have announced starting of classes of eight courses from August 21, including MBA, MCA, MCA lateral entry, MA The university has only four teachers (two in MBA and two of MCA) and has no teaching staff for any other subject It has two clerks, two attendants and one security person All employees were earlier working in the KU Regional Centre in Jind, which has been upgraded to university and all have been shifted

Rewari, July 29
Three days after he resigned as the Vice Chancellor of Guru Jambheshwar University (GJU), Hisar, former health minister ML Ranga said he would contest the Assembly poll from the Bawal (Reserve) Assembly segment in the district.

Interacting with mediapersons here yesterday, Ranga said, “Following the directives of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, I have resigned from the post of VC for contesting the Assembly elections from Bawal to ensure its overall development.”

He said the Bawal segment had been neglected in terms of development in the last decade due to non-serious approach of its public representatives. Despite all, the CM had done a lot for the region, he said.

Having kept himself away from active politics for several years, Ranga got active recently through a student outfit ‘Chhatra Privartan Manch’ and raised the demand of 50 per cent reservation quota for local youths in jobs of industry and private companies.

Sources said Ranga was exploring the political possibility through the campaign to return to active politics ahead of the Assembly elections. Since Bawal is developing as an industrial hub, the issue might help him muster the support of youth, as educated youth were struggling hard to get jobs in the industrial sector.

Ranga served as state Health Minister in the Chautala government after being elected an MLA from Bawal in 2000. He had defeated former minister Shakuntala Bhagwaria (Congress) by a significant margin.

He contested the elections on the INLD ticket after resigning from the post of VC of Kurukshetra University. He later quit the INLD and joined the Congress in presence of Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda at a rally in Rohtak in July 2009. 

Political stint ML Ranga served as state Health Minister in the Chautala government after being elected an MLA from Bawal in 2000. He defeated former minister Shakuntala Bhagwaria (Congress) He contested the elections on the INLD ticket after resigning from the post of Vice Chancellor of Kurukshetra University Later, he quit the INLD to join Congress in presence of Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda at a rally in Rohtak in July 2009

Kurukshetra, July 29
Hundreds of city residents visited the Science Express Biodiversity Special, a train exhibition, at the city railway station here today.

After being flagged off from the Safdarjung railway station in Delhi yesterday, the train has made its first halt at Kurukshetra.

It will stay here till August 1 and the exhibition will remain open for the visitors from 10 am to 5 pm daily.

Besides Kurukshetra, Hisar is the only location where the train will make its halt in Haryana. It will reach there on August 6 and remain for four days.

Raghav Pandey, the in charge of the exhibition, said, “The current decade has been declared as the ‘UN Decade on Biodiversity’ and the idea of the train is to create awareness among people, especially children, about the rich biodiversity of the country.”

The exhibition is a collaborative initiative of Department of Science and Technology and Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.

“This is the third phase of the Biodiversity Special Science Express. In this phase, the train has 16 coaches of which 11 are being used for the exhibition. Of 11, eight coaches are solely dedicated to showcasing the myriad biodiversity of the country,” said Pandey.

One of the coaches of the train has a kids’ zone, where children of primary classes are being involved in science and mathematics activities through games and fun puzzles. “Twentysix science educators are imparting the knowledge of biodiversity among the visitors,” said Pandey.

Journey at a glance The train will cover 57 locations across the country, about 17,000 km, in the next 194 days Since its launch in October 2007, the train has travelled over 1 lakh km and has received over 1.09 crore visitors While in the first two phases of its biodiversity special phase since 2012, it has covered 114 stations

Karnal, July 29
Akhil Bharatiya Punjabi Jagriti Manch’s president and former Haryana Home Minister Subhash Batra today demanded 25 tickets for the Punjabi community from all parties. He said whichever party gave the tickets to them, they would support it in the upcoming Assembly elections.

He has called a ‘mahapanchayat’ of the community members at Rohtak on August 10 for making strategy and dicuss the future course of action.

While talking to mediapersons at Karan Lake, the former minister said the candidate of the Punjabi community could win on 25 seats, including Karnal, Panipat urban, Sirsa, Ratia, Kaithal, Tohana, Fatheabad, Hansi, Hisar, Rohtak, Jind, Sonepat and Faridabad.

Blaming the state government over the issue of discrimination in jobs, 
the president of the manch alleged, “The state government is biased towards the Punjabi community as only 674 persons have been appointed in the state from around 1 lakh jobs given by the government.”

He said they would organise a rally in Karnal after the mahapanchayat at Rohtak.

Jind, July 29
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will start the BJP’s campaign for the Haryana Assembly elections with a rally here in August.

The venue, a ground in the city, has been chosen because of its “lucky charm”, if the previous trend is to be believed. BJP leaders said political parties that started their campaign with a big rally in the city went on to form the government in the state. And this explains the party’s choice for the PM’s rally.

Senior citizens of the city remember how in 1995, Bansi Lal had organised a state-level “Save Haryana” rally in the city and formed the government in 1996. Devi Lal had organised a rally here in 1986 and later became the Chief Minister and then the Deputy Prime Minister.

In 2000, INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala had started his campaign from the city and became the Chief Minister.

“Since Jind has remained the launch pad for all political parties, Modi wants to start campaigning from the city. The Prime Minister has confirmed that he will preside over the first rally of the BJP in August. The date will be decided in the coming days,” district BJP president OP Pehal said.

Sirsa, July 29
Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) MLA from Ellenabad Abhay Chautala today accused Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda of throwing all constitutional proprieties to the wind for appointing his favourites to plum posts in the State Information Commission and Right to Services Commission.

“A delegation of the INLD will soon meet Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki to draw his attention towards the irregularities and to demand the Hooda government’s dismissal,” Chautala told the media here.

He alleged that nepotism was associated with the Hooda government and claimed that the Punjab and Haryana High Court had observed that on several occasions. “The INLD will get inquired the appointments made during the Hooda regime after coming to power and punish those responsible for the irregularities.”

Terming the state government a sinking ship, Abhay said several Congress leaders were leaving the party after realising that the days of the government were numbered.

Chandigarh, July 29
Controversy pertaining to Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda administering the oath of office to new information commissioners refuses to die down.

The latest is senior IAS officer Pradeep Kasni charging Chief Secretary S C Choudhry of sending objectionable text messages over a file pertaining to the appointments. Kasni had raised some concerns regarding the appointments and had charged the Chief Secretary for allegedly sending objectionable SMS on Sunday night over a file pertaining to the appointments for the statutory posts.

Choudhry later dubbed these as exchanges as between “friends” and regretted that if these had caused hurt to the former.

Kasni told reporters today that the SMS were objectionable, written in bad language and in bad taste. One such message reads celebrate your new status of being a celebrity. The other messages too are in bad language and not in an encouraging tone, he pointed out.

Choudhary claimed that he has expressed regret to Kasni if any of his message has hurt the latter’s sentiments.

Kasni, however, said for him the SMS were not the main issue. We have not exchanged any messages as friends in the past,” he claimed.

“I am not going to file any police complaint against the CS. He is my boss and I have always had high regard for him,” he said.

Fatehabad, July 29
Digvijay Singh Chautala, national president of Indian National Students’ Organisation (INSO), today termed state minister Ajay Singh Yadav’s resignation from the Hooda cabinet an opportunistic move. He called upon people to discard leaders like him in the Assembly poll.

Digvijay, who was in Fatehabad today to mobilise support for the August 5 “Institution Day” function of the INSO in Panjab University in Chandigarh, said Yadav enjoyed power for almost 10 years and now, when people had decided to teach the Congress a lesson in the coming poll, he was trying to distance himself from the “misdeeds” of the Hooda government.

The INSO leader said the results of LS poll had confirmed that people of the state had made up their mind to bring the INLD to power.

Chandigarh, July 29
Western Command General Officer Commanding-in-Chief Lt Gen Philip Campose called upon Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda at his residence here today.

Lt Gen Campose, who is moving to the Army Headquarters as Vice-Chief of Army Staff on August 1, discussed issues pertaining to military stations in the state as well as other matters of mutual interest with the chief minister.

He thanked the chief minister for several welfare schemes and other financial benefits announced recently by the state government for ex-servicemen and war widows belonging to the state.

The chief minister, while appreciating the role of the Army in national security as well as disaster management, assured the Army Commander that the state government would continue to give priority to solving the problems of the soldiers.

Lt Gen Campose is scheduled to meet the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal tomorrow.

Jhajjar, July 29
Retired IAS officers Harpal Singh Malik and Kamla Chaudhary today joined the BJP in presence of Kisan Morcha national president Om Prakash Dhankar here.

Malik, a resident of Panipat’s Seenk village, superannuated as secretary of Public Health Department on December 31 last year after serving for 35 years. He served as deputy commissioner in Bhiwani, Ambala and Kaithal and additional deputy commissioner in Rohtak during his tenure.

Kamla Chaudhary is the elder sister of Haryana ex-DGP Ranjeev Singh Dalal and belongs to Bhiwani’s Charkhi Dadri town. The first woman selected to the Punjab Civil Service, she retired as secretary, Labour and Employment Department, Haryana.

The officers said they joined the BJP following the impressive policies being implemented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the welfare of all sections of the society.

Welcoming them, Dhankar said they would prove invaluable in the journey toward a ‘Congress-mukt Haryana’ (Congress-free Haryana). He claimed the people were fed-up with the Congress and had made up their mind to vote for the BJP in the coming Assembly polls. 

Karnal, July 29
The Mayor, Senior Deputy Mayor, Deputy Mayor and several councillors of the Karnal Municipal Corporation are up in arms against the “lack of decision-making powers” for the development of their wards and city.

Threatening the government with an indefinite agitation and hunger strike, they demanded powers as given to the councillors and Mayor of Delhi.

Renu Bala Gupta, the first Mayor of Karnal, said no powers had been given to the councillors. They faced many difficulties in fulfilling their duties as officials make the decision.

Krishan Garg, Senior Deputy Mayor, said they had let their resentment be known to the government via a five-day dharna in December 2013. They withdrew their protest after an assurance from Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, but no change the condition has remained the same.

Manoj Wadhwa, Deputy Mayor, said they had no power over the officers and they were often ignored by them. He said the government formed Municipal Councils for overall development of the cities, but the councils had no powers.

Karnal, July 29
Days after a woman delivered a baby on a bench while her husband went from pillar to post for an OPD slip at the Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College Hospital, a 22-year-old pregnant woman died at the hospital here today.

Family members alleged medical negligence and created a ruckus at the hospital demanding action against the staff. The hospital administration refuted the allegations and claimed Pinki was in a critical condition when she was brought in and had trouble breathing and heavy bleeding.

Pinki’s husband Vinod, a resident of Amritpur village about 15 km away, said his wife began having labour pains today morning and they brought her to hospital in an ambulance around 8.30 am. He said the doctors and staff did not treat his wife after admitting her.

Ashok, Pinki’s brother, said junior doctors and staff attended to her and they were told the senior doctors were on leave on account of Eid. “They did not tell us about her actual condition. They declared her dead around 10.15 am,” he said.

Getting information of Pinki’s death, her family members gathered at the hospital and created a ruckus. They demanded action against the staff members and doctors. Staff members managed to pacify them and family members took away her body.

“Preliminary reports revealed the woman was brought to hospital at the gasping stage. Her body was swelling up. She was suffering from a medical problem along with pregnancy. She had severe bleeding before reaching here,” said Dr Yogesh Sharma, hospital’s deputy medical superintendent.

In an earlier incident, a woman delivered a baby on a bench near the hospital’s CT Scan Centre last week. The family said doctors allegedly denied admission to her and insisted on an OPD slip. In the meantime, she delivered the baby on a bench in the open.

Karnal, July 29
Union Minister and Gurgaon MP Rao Inderjeet Singh today made it clear to the party workers that winning candidates would be preferred in the upcoming Assembly elections.

Aiming at boosting the spirit of party workers of the Karnal Assembly segment, the Union Minister today held a meeting with the party workers.

Talking to mediapersons at Shree Krishna Mandir, Sector 14, he said the BJP was focusing on the Assembly elections in the state. He said the feeling of dissatisfaction was prevailing all over the state.

Criticising the government step of appointing former bureaucrats and personals favourites as commissioners, the Union Minister said, “The working style of the government and bureaucrats is under suspicion as the government is busy accommodating its former bureaucrats. Around 50 former IAS and IPS officers have been given extension and lucrative position.”

Claiming the step of the government over the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee a vote-bank politics, he said, “The demand for a separate committee of the Haryana Sikhs is old. The Chatha committee had also recommended it around six years ago, but the government had played a vote card. It should be formed earlier.”

Earlier, he interacted with the party cadre accompanied by former ministers ID Swami and Shashipal Mehta, state general secretary Chander Parkash Kathuria, state spokesman Jagmohan Anand and district president Ashok Sukhija.

Sirsa, July 29
Three persons have died of electrocution in three different incidents in Sirsa in the past 24 hours.

Jagga Singh (19), a youth from Faggu village in the district, was electrocuted when he was taking a bath. Due to rain, electric current came in the water tap of the bathroom and the moment Jagga Singh touched the tap, he was electrocuted.

A 43-year-old woman Bimla Devi was electrocuted when she was wiping the floor.

She touched the refrigerator and was killed on the spot.

At Hebuana village of Sirsa, a 25-year-old youth Bhola Singh was electrocuted while trying to repair an electric motor. The youth ran a shop to repair tubewell motors in the village.

Meanwhile, the family of Shyam Lal, who and his mother Guddi Devi were killed due to lightning on Sunday, is still to come to terms with the reality.

Shyam Lal’s wife Kavita, who was admitted to a local hospital due to shock, is still in a state of disbelief, while her daughter Sandhya (2) is too young to fathom the loss she has suffered.

The family was working in cotton fields when lightning struck killing Shyam Lal and Guddi Devi on the spot on Sunday evening.

No government or private help has so far reached the family, whose sole breadwinner has been lost in the tragic incident.