Chandigarh, September 10
In a twist to the controversy over the sale of ‘Raxil 2DS’ fungicide, the Centre today said the matter was fit to be handed over to the CBI.

Appearing before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, senior panel counsel for the Union of India Ranjana Shahi said there was a nexus between the Haryana Government and the company concerned and it was a fit case to be handed over to the CBI.

Bayer Crop Science India Limited had earlier defended the sale of the fungicide, saying it had the approval of IAS officer Ashok Khemka.

Khemka, former managing director of the Haryana Seeds Development Corporation (HSDC), was transferred out in April last year after he questioned the efficacy of the fungicide. The company said it had no role in the decision-making process and a high-level purchase committee of the Haryana Government had decided to purchase it.

The assertion came on a petition filed in public interest by Bhiwani Sudhar and Vikas Samiti through its president Pawan Kumar Anchal.

The PIL is seeking a CBI probe into the alleged scam in the purchase of the fungicide worth several crores. The fungicide was purchased by the Haryana Government for treatment of wheat seed.

The petitioner (organisation) is also seeking directions to appoint an independent investigating agency, CBI or a special investigation team, to unearth the role of senior officers, middlemen, and businessmen in the arbitrary purchase and recommendation of the fungicide for treatment of wheat seed and “Karnal Bunt” disease in violation of Insecticides Act, 1968.

It was submitted that the fungicide was purchased at exorbitant rates from the grants provided by the Union government by officers of the Haryana government.

Directions were also sought to recover the embezzled public funds and cost of damages from the authorities concerned, company and persons who embezzled and recommended the purchase of the fungicide.

According to the petitioner, on October 6, 2010, at a meeting under the chairmanship of the Haryana Chief Minister, the decision to use the fungicide was taken without supporting scientific data.

The use of RAXIL 2DS was made compulsory for control of Loose Smut, Flag Smut and Karnal Bunt diseases in wheat seeds, before the seeds could be certified by the state seed certification agency.

Sirsa, September 10
Of the plethora of issues at play in the Haryana assembly elections, the demand for abolition of interviews in recruitments for government posts is one of the most discussed topics.

Ever since former minister Venod Sharma, president of the Haryana Jan Chetna Party, has advocated the abolition of interviews for recruitment to jobs in view of its misuse by the government in power, the issue is being widely discussed by political observers as well by people in general.

“Massive corruption prevailing in the interview system of government jobs in Haryana. The practice of interviews in government jobs is full of loopholes and is keeping the deserving candidates out,” Venod Shrama told The Tribune.

There have been widespread allegations of favoritism and nepotism being practised during interviews in the recruitment process.

The Jan Chetna Party’s commitment on this issue can be gauged from the fact that on July 2, Sharma along with his supporters were arrested when they were protesting at the office of the Haryana Staff Selection Commission in Panchkula.

A television advertisement released by the Jan Chetna Party attacks the interview system where a son tells his farmer father that he will have to sell his four acres of land if he is to clear an interview for recruitment.

Captain Ajay Singh Yadav, a minister in the Hooda Cabinet, too has alleged favourtism in recruitments though he has not commented on interview system.

Allegations of favouratism and nepotism in recruitment are not new as complaints of this nature were there during the previous regimes too.

The Indian National Lok Dal has assailed the Bhupinder Singh Hooda government several times accusing it of favouratism in the selection process.

The party has on more than one occasions released lists of candidates selected for the HCS and allied services even before the lists were officially released.

Dushyant Singh Chautala, INLD MP from Hisar, said abolishing the interview system was not a solution.

The party, instead, would introduce a scaling system prevalent under the UPSC interviews and would bring in place a system where by a candidate scoring 80 per cent in the written examinations is not given lower than 70 per cent in interview.

Fatehabad, September 10
The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) will cancel the proposed nuclear power project at Gorakhpur in Fatehabad. This will be the party’s first decision after coming to power in Haryana.

INLD candidate from Fatehabad Balwan Singh Daulatpuria and former MLA Ran Singh Beniwal stated this here today while addressing people in Khajuri, Kajalheri and other neighbouring Bishnois-dominated villages. They said their party considered this plant a potent threat to the safety of this area.

Daulatpuria said the project had come to Fatehabad as the government was inimical to this area.

“Development projects, such as AIIMS, medical colleges, universities and flyovers, have been given to Rohtak and Jhajjar, but a project “capable of mass destruction” has been thrust upon people of this constituency,” Daulatpuria said.

He said farmers of this area had to carry out a prolonged agitation against this plant during which three farmers lost their lives.

He said farmers’ voice was suppressed by use of force by the government.

Daulatpuria and Beniwal maintained that INLD leader Om Prakash Chautala had opposed this project from the very beginning and he had categorically announced that the nuclear power plant would not be allowed to come up at Gorakhpur. He said the party would set up this project in some other thinly populated area where enough water was available for the project.

Beniwal said all norms had been bypassed by the state government to set up the plant here in Fatehabad, as the project could not be established in a densely populated area and fertile land could not be acquired for this purpose.

Jind, September 10
Known as the Jat stronghold and for its high-stake poll battle of stalwarts, the Uchana Kalan constituency may witness clash of women candidates of politically influential families during the forthcoming Assembly polls.

The BJP has taken lead in breaking this men’s domain by announcing the ticket to Prem Lata Singh, wife of Chaudhary Birender Singh, who recently parted ways with the Congress and joined the BJP last evening.

There are reports that since INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala along with his elder son Ajay Chautala have been in jail in connection with the JBT case, the main opposition party may also give the ticket to a women from the Chautala family to get sympathy of voters of this constituency.

“All were expecting that Chaudhary Birender would fight, but the announcement of his wife as a candidate has surprised not only his supporters but also his opponents,” said Sumer Singh, an elderly man.

Details show that in the recent general elections, INLD Hisar candidate Dushyant Chautala got 87,243 votes from here, while the HJC-BJP got 36,254 and the Congress came third with 13,070 votes. In the 2009 Assembly elections, INLD candidate Om Prakash Chautala got 62,669 votes, while Chaudhary Birender from the Congress secured 62,048 votes and lost with only 621 votes.

However, Prem Lata and her husband Chaudhary Birender could not be contacted for comments. Sadan Sheokand, nephew of Birender, said Prem Lata was not new to politics as she had been playing the main role in all campaigns of her husband, who has won five elections from this constituency.

“She has been regularly conducting meetings of her supporters and recently organised a yatra in the constituency,” he said.“In the absence of her husband, my aunt looked after all constituencies and she will win with a huge margin,” Sheokand said.

Sources said most likely the INLD supremo would contest the election from Uchana, but if there was any legal problem, the party might give the ticket to his wife. “Our MP Dushyant has already clarified that our party supremo’s wife may contest from Uchana if there is any legal problem,” said INLD MLA Dr Harichand Middha.

Chandigarh, September 10
The BJP has attempted to break away from its non-Jat urban identity and tried to make inroads into rural Haryana riding piggyback on the Jats in its first list of 43 candidates released yesterday for the upcoming assembly elections. The party seems to have said goodbye to dynastic politics with no ticket being given to any kin in its first list. Sources said of the 43 names declared by the party, the BJP has given representation to Jats, Haryana’s dominant community, in 15-odd seats of which many are semi-urban pockets. This is a shift from the BJP practice of concentrating on the trading community as also the Brahmins and Punjabis who form the party’s traditional vote bank. Sources claimed that the party was still to announce 47 candidates of which a number of them would be from the Jat-dominated belt of Jind and Bhiwani where more Jats could get representation.

The party’s “shift” is a seeming departure from its conventional politics only because this is the first time the party is going it alone and fielding candidates from all 90 seats, party leaders claimed. Since it had contested all other elections as an alliance partner of a regional Jat-dominated party, the non-Jat urban seats have usually fallen into its kitty.

While women have been given the ticket from seven seats, adding up to just about 15 per cent, sources maintain that of the two Congress stalwarts who have joined the BJP, the first round has gone to Union Minister of State Rao Inderjit Singh who has been able to “manage“ the ticket for his key men in the Ahir belt of south Haryana who joined the saffron party with him. Birender Singh, on the other hand, has so far only been able to get the ticket for his wife, Prem Lata, from Uchana Kalan that he contested and lost in the 2009 elections by a narrow margin. However, his supporters are hopeful of “catching up” in the next list since the BJP is yet to decide its candidates in Jind.

Sources said the party’s decision to field district unit president Dr Kamal Gupta instead of media baron Subhash Chandra against Haryana minister and Congress candidate Savitri Jindal has toned down the battle in the Hisar seat. Chandra had staked claim for the seat and was keen on contesting against Jindal on the BJP ticket.

While no relative of a BJP leader has been given the ticket so far, the party, as a rule, has decided against fielding any kin of BJP leaders though there is immense pressure from within the party by some sitting MPs who want to retain an assembly seat each for members of their own families. With the party staunchly advocating its aversion to dynastic politics, it remains to be seen if the MPs finally manage to prevail since the seats of their choice are still awaiting candidates.

Sirsa, September 10
The BJP has named two Congress turncoats from Assembly constituencies in the Sirsa parliamentary segment in its first list of 43 candidates released yesterday.

They are Sunita Setia and Jagdish Nehra from Sirsa and Rania, respectively. BJP veteran Subhash Barala has been fielded from Tohana and is the third candidate to be named from the Lok Sabha seat.

The party is yet to announce its candidates from Dabwali, Ellenabad, Kalanwali, Fatehabad, Ratia and Narwana Assembly segments.

Setia, former chairperson of the Improvement Trust, Sirsa, was sure to get the Congress ticket, but she quit the party to join the BJP last month.

Nehra, who served as a minister during the Congress regime twice, was in the Kumari Selja camp before he switched over to BJP last month.

Karnal, September 10
Furious over being “ignored” by the BJP’s Karnal unit in the process to select probables for the Assembly election, several key members of district and block units have shot off a letter to national president Amit Shah.

Asking him to intervene, they wanted the state leadership to consult the district unit, former district presidents and other prominent leaders before confirming the candidates.

Rohtak, September 10
Rohtak, the hometown of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, has been the target of Opposition parties for cornering the lion’s share of progress ever since he took over the reins of the state.

The Hooda camp assumed power on the slogan of Rohtak’s “chaudhar”. Several ambitious development projects were sanctioned for the area and it did get a network of good roads, flyovers and reputed educational institutes.

Total voters 1,65,807
Men: 86,882
Women: 78,925

I have tried to address the concerns of residents in every nook and corner of the constituency. The town is now connected to neighbouring towns with six-lane roads. Apart from building good roads and flyovers, we have beautified the town by developing parks and installing streetlights. Rohtak now boasts of reputed educational institutes and commendable civic infrastructure.

Bharat Bhushan Batra, Congress mla

Karnal, September 10
Clearing the first hurdle by securing a ticket from Karnal, BJP national executive member Manohar Lal Khattar said Karnal’s development was his topmost priority and he would do his best to make it an ideal city of the state, after winning the election.

Interacting with the mediapersons he said, “Karnal has the potential for various industries such as footwear, agriculture implements, dairy, rice, pharmaceutical and many more. I will try to make Karnal an industrial hub, which will create job opportunities for the youth.”

Replying to a question about being an outsider candidate, Khattar said, “Now, I am one of you and not an outsider as I have been working in Haryana since 1980.”

Highlighting the conditions of several key projects like the Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, domestic airport, Panipat-Jalandhar six-lane project, facility for the residents on the other side of the railway track, he said, “These projects are very crucial for the development of the city, but are hanging fire because of the lethargic attitude of the government.”

Khattar was accompanied by former state Home Minister ID Swami, former Industry Minister Shashipal Mehta, district president Ashok Sukhija, state spokesman Jagmohan Anand, Mayor Renu Bala Gupta.

Talking about the vision of his party for the state, Khattar said, “Security of women and education is our party’s major concern. Development and jobs for all without discrimination and surplus electricity are also in our consideration. We will coordinate with the hill states for all hydroelectricity projects.”

On being questioned about the absence of some district leaders and ticket aspirants in the press conference, he said, “Nobody resents the party’s decision. All workers are united and are with me.”

Ladwa, September 10
Resentment and infighting has started brewing, after BJP announced its first list of candidates on Tuesday night.

Unhappy with the candidature of Pawan Saini for the Ladwa assembly constituency, BJP state working committee member Jatinder Singh Khurdban today, said, “The party has let me down once again. I was first ignored in the Lok Sabha elections and now they have ignired me in the Assembly poll too.”

Khurdban has called a supporters’ meeting to discuss the future course of action and he would announce his decision on Friday after the meeting.

Panipat, September 10
MLA Krishan Lal Panwar, who won the last Assembly elections as INLD candidate, is trying his luck from the Israna segment again, but on the BJP ticket.

No one dreamt until the INLD released its first list of candidates on August 1 that Panwar would contest on the BJP ticket. His name has figured in the BJP’s first list of candidates released yesterday.

Earlier in the first list of INLD candidates released on August 1, the party had declared Balwan Singh Balmiki as its candidate from Israna. Subsequently, Panwar held a meeting with his supporters and served a seven-day ultimatum to the party leadership to reconsider its decision. After the completion of the ultimatum, he faxed his resignation on August 11 from primary membership and the political affairs committee of the INLD.

Even currently INLD MLA, Panwar joined the BJP during the Vijay Sanklap rally in Mahendragarh on August 14 in the presence of party’s national chief Amit Shah.

Talking to The Tribune, Panwar said, “I have worked honestly for the welfare of Israna public as I was elected from here since 2009. I am confident that people of Israna will again ensure my victory.”

Responding to various queries, Panwar justified his decision of quitting the INLD with which he was associated for over three decades. “Actually, it’s not me who left the INLD, but it’s INLD which ignored me by giving ticket to a novice, Balwan Singh Valmiki, from Israna.”

Panwar said, “Had the INLD given ticket to any other worker of the party, I would have not even thought of leaving the party. But it chose Balwan Singh Valmik who had worked against me by openly supporting Congress candidate Balbir by presenting him a garland of currency notes of Rs 21,000 to him during the 2009 Assembly elections.”

Having associated with the INLD for 35 years, Panwar won four out of five Assembly elections fought since 1991.

Chandigarh September 10
Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Shrikant Walgad has said that accounts for parking charges of aircraft or helicopter during electioneering would be maintained in the assembly elections in Haryana. The amount for calculation of expenditure of the candidate would be charged as per actual amount paid or payable at airports for this purpose.

Walgad said the parking charges at commercial airports would be obtained from the Airport Authority of India or the private airport operator for calculation of parking charges of any aircraft. For parking at other places, the actual charges paid by the operator or candidate for parking or aircraft would be taken into account, he added. — TNS

Yamunanagar, September 10
Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) chief Gopal Kanda today listed out tasks his outfit would undertake in the district if it was voted to power in the Assembly elections.

Kanda reiterated that the state government discriminated against the district on the education and industrial fronts. “People of this district have been denied basic amenities, and employment opportunities,” he said during a public meeting organised by Kuldeep Singh Malli in Radaur town of the district today.

He said every year, floodwater of the Yamuna river wrecked havoc in villages of the district, damaging crops. If the HLP is voted to power, it will draw up a master plan to save farmers from the damage caused by flood.” — OC

Resentment over BJP’s choice for Ladwa
Ladwa: Unhappy with the candidature of Pawan Saini for the Ladwa, BJP state working committee member Jatinder Singh Khurdban on Wednesday, said: “The party has let me down again. I was first ignored in the Lok Sabha elections and now they have left me out in the Assembly poll too.” — TNS

MP:BJP allotted 20% tickets to women
Badli: BJP spokesperson Meenakshi Lekhi said the party had been working on women’s empowerment, and it had allotted around 20% tickets to women for the Assembly polls in Haryana. Lekhi was addressing a public meeting organised by BJP nominee from Badli, OP Dhankar, on Wednesday. — TNS

Anil Vij hopeful of retaining his seat
Ambala: Ambala Cantt MLA Anil Vij is banking on his work during the past five years to retain his seat. He was named in the BJP’s first list of 43 candidates released on Tuesday. Vij said he had been raising local issues in the Assembly, but the state government had always ignored the concerns of Ambala residents. He was confident of the BJP forming the government in the state. — TNS

Deepender accuses BJP of selling tickets
Karnal: Rohtak MP Deepender Hooda on Wednesday accused the BJP of selling tickets like it did in the Lok Sabha elections. “The BJP has given tickets to turncoats. In contrast, the Congress will field candidates that have a high chance of winning,” he told the media at an aviation club here. — TNS

Kaithal, September 10
The Revenue and Disaster Management Department, Haryana, has ordered a special girdawari to asses loss to crops due to drought .

The respective tehsildars and naib tehsildars will submit a report to the district administration after girdawari about loss to crops under their jurisdiction. Deputy Commissioner NK Solanki said necessary instructions had been issued. — OC

Kaithal, September 10
Twentyone persons from five families of Kaithal are stranded in Srinagar following the worst floods in Jammu and Kashmir in nearly 60 years.

According to Jai Pal, the father of Parveen, a local electronics dealer, the families left Kaithal for Srinagar on a three-day visit on September 5. They boarded the flight from Chandigarh and were to return on the evening of September 8, but got caught in the flash flood.

Parveen called up Jai Pal on September 7 and told him the water had entered their hotel, but they were safe. He said communication lines were affected and it may not be possible for him to call. There was no communication with the families on September 8 and 9.

However, Parveen today called up Jai Pal from a PCO. “My son said he had walked a few kilometers to make the phone call. He said the families were safe but stocks of food and water had been exhausted. They were facing hardships, especially women and children, and were waiting for rescue teams to evacuate them,” Jai Pal said.

The families, which include five women and 11 children, are stranded at Hotel Holiday Inn near the Dachigam National Park. Those stranded are: Parveen of Jind, his wife and two children; Sunil his wife and two children, Sanjeev Chaudhary, his wife and two children; Rajiv his wife and two children and Brij, his wife and three children.

Faridabad, September 10
The police have arrested four persons in connection with an online gambling racket here. Though this is the second set of arrests this year, some incidents related to such an activity have already surfaced in the city.

The police raided a cyber café in a shopping plaza in the NIT area here after a tip-off that some persons were operating online gambling. They used to lure visitors, especially youths and students, to play the game for instant money.

According to details, the accused would ask the customer to put money on a selected number or colour that would be displayed on a roulette wheel, similar to that in a casino, on the computer screen. The wheel would then be spun and the result would be out in 45 seconds. The customer was given the money if he won.

Four local youths — Yogesh, Pankaj, Tathagat and Ashwini – were arrested and five computers, 12 laptops and Rs 37,000 was seized. They had been operating a similar casino from spot elsewhere, before shifting to this cyber cafe some months back, it is learnt.

It is alleged that such gambling spots were operational in some villages, including Dayalpur, Chandwali and Machhgar. Police Commissioner AS Chawla said a special cell under the supervision of the ACP (Central) had been set up to check online gambling.

Kaithal, September 10
The court of Additional Sessions Judge RS Chaudhary here today sentenced a man to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 30,000 for murdering his brother and destroying evidence by secretly cremating his body in the courtyard of his house.

The court held that if the convict failed to pay the fine, he would have to undergo a further one-and-half-year imprisonment.

Police spokesperson Roshan Lal said Rana of Harigarh kingan village in the district allegedly murdered his brother Darbara, but was acquitted following a trial. Rana’s third brother Subhash suspected he had murdered Darbara.

On the night of September 16, 2013, Subhash had offered drinks to Rana at his house and strangulated him. He then prepared a pyre in his house the same night and cremated the victim. The police got information about the crime and arrested Rana the following morning. — OC