Prime Minister as mascot in poll-bound Punjab

The ongoing political crossfire between Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress has found an unlikely victim - Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The PM’s acceptance of an invitation from the SAD to lay the foundation stone of the Mohali airport and to inaugurate the Khalsa Heritage Centre, has seen raised eyebrows in Punjab Congress which feels that the move could help their arch rivals gain political mileage at a time when assembly elections are a little over three months away.

In their meeting with Congress President Sonia Gandhi at 10, Janpath in New Delhi a few days ago, PCC President Captain Amarinder Singh and Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal apparently raised the issue. As they could not have raised it with the PM directly, they wanted Gandhi’s intervention so that the Prime Minister does not turn up for the event and according to them, give electoral mileage to SAD. Gandhi’s response remains a matter of conjecture but the fact that the matter was selectively leaked to a section of the media by the Congress leaders themselves meant that they wanted the issue to have an impact in Punjab.

It did impact Punjab politics. SAD, fighting anti-incumbency after almost five years of rule and trying to mitigate it with a series of announcements and allurement to the voters, jumped at the first given opportunity and dubbed the Congress game-plan as regressive and against the state. “He is the Prime Minister of the entire country and not of the Congress,” said an Akali leader.

While Congress obviously does not want SAD to get any advantage whatsoever in the tough battle ahead, the ruling party in Punjab wants to announce as many schemes, do as many inaugurations and give whatever it can to the state government employees before the model code of conduct comes into force. Extending invitation to the Prime Minister to inaugurate two projects fitted in the political game-plan of the Akalis perfectly. They know that the visit of the PM to his home state (though technically Singh is a resident of Assam and pays house rent to retain a Guwahati address) would raise hype and benefit them politically. More so when one of the project - the Sikh Heritage Centre at Anandpur Sahib –has religious connotations to some extent and the Gurudwara based politics of the Akalis would get a fillip if inaugurated by a Sikh Prime Minister.

The critics may say that Manmohan Singh is a Prime Minister without mass following and is not comfortable in election rallies and meetings, but he does have an appeal in Punjab and this appeal cuts across party lines and sectarian politics of region and caste. He is considered a “son of the soil” who has made it really big, an aspiration which most Punjabis and Sikhs have as reflected in their desperate attempt to migrate abroad. The Akalis may criticise the Congress and central government everyday for whatever they perceive as good or bad but they never criticise the Prime Minister, come what may. They know for sure that being critical of Singh is not good politics in Punjab and could have adverse electoral fallout. So, whenever, the Akalis mention the name of Singh, it is with awe and certain amount of reverence.

In fact, even for the Congress, the PM remains a great vote catcher in Punjab, a face on which they can bank on here. When I was reporting on the Lok Sabha election of 2009 from Punjab for the Press Trust of India, where I was working then, it was a revelation to find that the posters and banners with the picture of the PM in the publicity material of the Congress were taller than that of Congress President Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi. In some of these publicity materials, only the photos of the PM along with the local candidate were there along with the symbol of hand. Clearly, the candidates in the state knew the pulse of the people that it was Singh who was more important in the state than the two members of the Gandhi family.

When Singh, addressed an election rally in Amritsar along with Rahul Gandhi in the 2009 polls, I remember it was pin drop silence and all ears were glued for him as he spoke in Punjabi and touched both national and local issues. Gandhi hardly had that kind of impact in the city of Golden Temple. It is a different matter that Congress lost election from the seat to Navjot Singh Sidhu of the BJP even though the relatively unknown party candidate gave a tough fight to the inimitable “Guru”.

So the slugfest between Congress and the SAD on Manmohan Singh is not surprising. In a tough election where no one for sure knows the mind of the electorate even as polls are barely 100 days away, even a small gain and a miniscule swing could turn out to be decisive. None of the two principal parties want to squander this gain and allow the rival to have an advantage.

Though Punjab has never returned an incumbent government and it has been Akalis one time and Congress next time and vice versa, the situation is not that simple this time round. Even Congress knows that it is not a cakewalk and the traditional theory may not count much. The psephologists here too are not sure which way the wind is blowing even as election is knocking at their doors.

Several non-Congress governments have been repeated in states like Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Chhatisgarh, Gujarat and Orissa while Congress governments too have been repeated in Delhi, Haryana, Andhra Pradesh and Maharashtra. In fact, among the major states, governments have changed only in Kerala, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu and Rajasthan in the last three years or so. To put it simply, a government retaining power in Punjab is not a distinct possibility and Congress cannot take it for granted that the Akalis would be voted out of power simply because of a historical trend in the state to this effect.

Both Akalis and Congress have been hitting each other below the belt in the run-up to the elections with colourful slang and language, something which cannot be found in any other state. A senior journalist aptly pointed out that in Punjab politics is more brawn than brain, more so when a close election is being fought.

Though the official dates for the two high profile inauguration have not been decided yet, it is now a million dollar question whether the PM would finally approve the dates given the fact that his party functionaries themselves are critical of a seemingly apolitical inauguration.

A section of the Akali leaders are hoping that the PM would not campaign in the Assembly polls in February given his “national and international commitments” while Congress leaders are already planning to prepare a schedule of campaigning for Singh and they want him to be projected as the “star” campaigner.

It is now upto the Prime Minister to take a call. He will have to walk a political tightrope either way in the state, headed for one of the most interesting battle of the ballot. (October 30, 2011)

http://dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/16537-prime-minister-as-mascot-in-poll-bound-punjab.html

The peg that Cheers; Raise a toast to Punjab's elixir of Life

In Punjab, liquor is clearly a part of life what some would term as elixir of life. Something without which an average Punjabi finds his evening bereft of colour and excitement. No wonder the state government has realised this and the vends here practically supply booze round the clock.

You may not find any chemist shop or a kirana shop open at seven in the morning. You might find that the doctor in the nearby hospital is missing so early in the morning even if you go there for an emergency treatment. You may not find much activity and people on the road. But liquor shops religiously open early in the morning without a fail. They realise the business potential of opening shops early as some hard core veterans end their evening hangover by gulping a peg or two in the morning. Only then do they complete their morning chores.

Though the official timings of the liquor shops here is 7 am to 11 pm, those who swear by their drink would vouch for the fact that they can get it round the clock without any hitch. The liquor shops could “officially” closed by 11 pm but from under the shutter of several shops you can purchase your favourite brand anytime after that. The liquor vend employees work in multiple shifts and the night shift operator gets in action after the official timings are over.

Even the dry days here are observed by celebrating the occasion with a drink. On dry days, the shops open in the evening and the lovers of Bacchus converge in large numbers to raise a toast to the occasion be it Independence Day, Republic Day or the birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi. Munna bhai in Rajkumar Hirani’s “Lage Raho Munnabhai” could not find liquor shops on Gandhi Jayanti in Mumbai, but perhaps the Director was not aware that at sharp 5 pm, the shops opened on October 2 in Punjab and all brands were available. The friendly neighbourhood bootlegger, who does a brisk business on dry days across the length and breadth of the country, has been pushed out of business in Punjab. The poor chap in the land of five rivers has found some other business.

Prices of liquor in Punjab and Chandigarh too are very competitive, aimed to attract more people, get new converts and also to retain the loyal customers. There could be great swing in the prices of vegetables and other essential commodities but prices of liquor has practically remained constant for a long time. A bottle which could cost say, Rs 500 in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand or Delhi, could be 40 per cent cheaper in state Capital Chandigarh and Punjab.

Though there are no official figures nor has any attempt been made to do an empirical study comparing the consumption of water vis a vis liquor in Punjab and which of the two is consumed more, but some die-hard fans of alcohol say that the true devout, drinks water only when it is mixed in the drink and not “neat”.

No wonder, the state government has realised that it cannot afford to invite the wrath of these voters who simply dislike any changes in the timings of the liquor shops, more so in the election year. A Public Interest Litigation in the Punjab and Haryana High Court brought this into the fore and wanted a reduction in the timings. Facing an election, the state government filed an affidavit in the court saying that licenses have been issued to the liquor vends on a set of rules and these rules cannot be changed in the middle of the Excise year. To put it in a simple manner, the state government did not want to play with the sentiments of the people.

“The fixed opening and closing hours of liquor vends constitute a term and condition of such a license, which could not be altered between period of the year. Large revenues received from these liquor licenses by way of license fee and other levies could be put at a stake,” the state Excise and Taxation Commissioner reasoned.

Not satisfied with the reasoning of the state government, the High Court adopted a tough posture forcing the state government to convene a meeting of the state Cabinet. It decided to change the timings of liquor shops and people would get three hours less to equip themselves with the bottles of their choice. The shops would open at 9 am and close at 10 pm. But the new timings would be applicable only after the current Excise Year. This simply means that the timings of the opening and closing of liquor shops would not become a poll issue in the Assembly elections, scheduled in February next year.

I have been living in Chandigarh for over five months now and have made on and off forays in Punjab in this period, but the excitement around liquor shops and the accompanying ‘taverns’ is something which cannot be found anywhere in the country, except perhaps Goa. These drinking dens have become the hotbed of political decision and governments are made at the moment and dethroned by the intense discussions which take place.

A taxi driver who has obviously seen much more Punjab than I have, sermoned, “If you want to gauze the political temperature of the state ahead of the polls, make it a point to sit here and listen to the conversations”. I don’t know whether political journalism here seriously means baptism at a liquor outlet.

Even as markets and shops are in the festive spirit and packaging of gifts is the order of the day, liquor shops here have turned innovative. Not to be left behind in the season of profit making, they have gift packages of choicest liquor bottles. As this is the first festival season for me in the city, I simply marveled at the idea, having never seen this anywhere. Attractively packaged in baskets with decorative colours, these gifts of liquor is sure to win the heart of your booze loving boss or the government officials from whom you want a work done, say the locals.

As liquor and popular culture go together in this part of the country, I was reminded of the senior Bachchan’s (Hari Vansh Rai) immortal Madhushala. Ek Barsh me ek baar hi jagti holi ki Jwala, ek baar hi lagti baaji jalti deepo ki maala, Diniyawalo kintu kisi din aa madiralaya me dekho, di ko holi raat Diwali roz manati Madhushala. Roughly translated, “Holi comes only once in a year and so does Diwali; But come to the drinking den (Madhushala) which celebrates Holi during the day and Diwali during the night, everyday.

I may or may not agree. It does not matter.

(Sunday, October 23, 2011)

http://dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/15252-the-peg-that-cheers-.html

Knives out in Haryana Congress after Hisar defeat

Amitabh Shukla / Chandigarh

Knives are out in Haryana Congress. As the party conducts an autopsy of Hisar bypoll, rival factions in the state unit have practically come to blows, putting the blame on each other for defeat in the high-profile election, muddying the water further.

A meeting to take stock of the humiliating defeat, find reasons and take remedial measures took place here on Friday at the Congress Bhawan here. The meeting turned into a free for all with the usual blame game being played out in the presence of office-bearers of the state unit. Nothing came out of the meeting as it was the exhibition of lung power inside and outside the venue.

To ensure his political future after losing his security deposit in the Hisar by polls, the results of which has shaken the Congress at the state and national level, Jai Prakash blamed Birender Singh, an AICC General Secretary and Union Minister Selja, both having considerable influence in Haryana and considered arch rivals of Bhupinder Singh Hooda in state politics. The moment the issue came up in the meeting; there were heated exchange all around.

Without naming anybody individually, Jai Prakash said, “we will expose those Congress leaders who campaigned against the party”.

The defeated Congress candidate had earlier written a letter to party President Sonia Gandhi and other senior leaders blaming Birender and Selja for the defeat and pointed out that in their native villages, the Congress got very few votes. For Jai Prakash, it was the second consecutive loss from Hisar, having lost the 2009 Lok Sabha elections as well where he was third behind Bhajan Lal and the INLD candidate. In 2009, he managed a respectable vote count, this time, he lost his deposit. Jai Prakash is considered a party hopper in the state and he has had a stint in all the regional parties and was considered a weak candidate from the very beginning.

It is no secret that Birender wanted a ticket for his son, an IAS officer, presently posted as Deputy Commisioner, Chandigarh. Also, every Congress worker in Haryana knows that Birender and Hooda do not get along well. Birender was defeated in the 2009 Assembly polls from Uchana Kalan and he has since then maintained that it was Hooda who got him defeated to prevent him from emerging as a contender for chief Ministership.

Selja too has been taking pot shots at Hooda time and again. She has opposed the land acquisition policy of the state government, particularly for setting up an industrial park in Ambala, her Lok Sabha constituency. Both Birender and Selja campaigned in Hisar but remained indifferent as the Hooda supporters say it was a “token presence” to “mark attendance” rather than a serious attempt to canvass for the party candidate.

Birender counters the allegation of Jai Prakash saying that the trend was similar in all the segments of Hisar parliamentary constituency and in none of the segments was the party in a leading position. He maintains that it is Om Prakash Chautala who is the MLA from Uchana and he (Birender) was defeated in the last assembly polls.

Even as Birender and Selja have been targeting Hooda, Gurgaon MP and former Union minister Rao Inderjit Singh has opened another front saying the Chief Minister should accept responsibility for the party's loss. He blamed wrong choice of candidate for the loss in the high profile election.

The soft spoken Hooda has not reacted so far against his rivals in the state but has accepted responsibility for the defeat “I accept and respect the verdict of the people of Hisar Parliamentary Constituency in all humility. Being the head of the Congress Party government in the state, I do not absolve myself of the responsibility for the defeat of the party...” After the meeting on Friday, he nevertheless, said a complaint will be made against those leaders who are responsible for the poor performance and contributed to the defeat of the party.

Hooda detractors in the party have been alleging that development in the state is limited to the Rohtak belt, home turf of Hooda and his family and want an even distribution of the developmental schemes all over the state. There are other differences too. As the state gets ready for two more assembly by polls, the challenge for Hooda has only grown. (Oct 22, 2011)

http://dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/15024-knives-out-in-haryana-cong-after-hisar-defeat.html

Hisar victory ‘harbinger of change’

Amitabh Shukla / Chandigarh

The Hisar bypoll result has proved to be agony for some political players while it is sheer ecstasy for the HJC and BJP, firmly into a long term alliance in the state. Both the alliance partners now want to keep the winning momentum going in two assembly by-elections in Haryana in the next few weeks.

One person for whom the victory has come out as a personal satisfaction is Harsh Vardhan, in-charge of Haryana BJP who personally stitched the alliance with HJC even as Congress was wooing the party led by Kuldeep Bishnoi and intended to field him from the seat.

But it was deft political management by Harsh Vardhan, a former Minister in Delhi government and former state BJP President which led to an alliance and a victory, which he says is the “harbinger of change” in Haryana politics. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has got a new member and it is after a long time that the figures of the BJP-led formation have swelled with the addition of a new political party.

“I had the blessings of all the top four leaders of the party – L K Advani, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley and Nitin Gadkari when we started talks about a long term alliance. I sat with Kuldeep Bishnoi and told him that let us work like a family,” Harsh Vardhan told The Pioneer.

Asked about the role of Team Anna and whether their appeal to vote against the Congress had any role in the final outcome, the BJP leader replies in the negative. In fact, he says that the campaign of Team Anna proved detrimental to the HJC-BJP candidate as it led to polarisation of a particular caste in favour of INLD nominee Ajay Chautala.

“The moment people (Jat community) saw that Congress was on the way of losing even its deposits, they did not want to do anything with the party. They voted overwhelmingly for Chautala. Instead of helping us, the Anna factor indeed harmed us,” he said, adding that, “they (Team Anna) came to Hisar only in the last 3-4 days while from day one, people of the constituency had made up their mind”. Harsh Vardhan cited the figures from the assembly constituencies to buttress his point.

On the poor victory margin of Bishnoi, the state BJP in-charge said the alliance lost over 37000 votes by default. “One of the candidates Om Prakash, who had been put up by INLD had an election symbol (road roller) which was deceptively similar to tractor of Bishnoi. This candidate hails from Karnal and had nothing to do with Hisar but he got 27802 votes. Then, there were four candidates with the name of Kuldeep who together polled 9807 votes,” he explained.

Though Harsh Vardhan admitted that there could be a perception in the state that this alliance (HJC-BJP) is pro non-Jat communities, he said that several leaders of the Jat community are with the party. He rattled several names of state leaders from the dominant Jat community who are firmly with the BJP saying that the party was with all sections and did not believe in the parochial method of looking at politics. He, nevertheless, hinted that the state has been under successive regimes be it by the INLD or the Congress where the chief minister was from the Jat community and the non-Jats were reacting to the misgovernance.

Claiming that the alliance has gone down well with the cadres and leaders of the BJP, the state BJP in-charge said the next target of the alliance is to emerge victorious in the by-elections of Adampur (which Kuldeep Bishnoi will vacate) and Ratia which is vacant following the death of INLD MLA Gian Chand Odh. (19.10.2011)

http://dailypioneer.com/nation/14288-hisar-victory-harbinger-of-change.html

Hisar determines tenor of State, national politics

Amitabh Shukla / Chandigarh

Politics in Haryana would never be the same again after the newly formed alliance between Haryana Janhit Congress and the BJP romped home in Hisar bypolls creating a third front in the bipolar politics of the state.

This was the first election after the alliance was formed just before the polls and their long term association has got a formal approval at the most awaited test in state politics. Defeat of the Congress, though on expected lines, has created fissures in the state unit and dissidence is expected to increase in days to come. More so, when it is more than a defeat and is actually a rout as the party failed to get even 1/6^th of the polled votes and lost its security deposit.

For the INLD, there is neither any gain nor any major loss in the outcome. The party lost by a slender margin but managed to get almost two lakh votes more than its principal enemy in state politics – Congress. INLD supporters have not lost hope and some enthusiastic supporters say that the next Assembly polls could be a toss between the INLD and the HJC-BJP and Congress would be the third party in the state like the results in Hisar have indicated.

HJC-BJP candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi retained the seat which fell vacant due to the death of his father and would now move to the Lok Sabha giving another seat to the NDA and the confidence to do well in the next general elections to be held in 2014.

During campaign, Leader of Opposition Sushma Swaraj had said that BJP had tied up with INLD earlier and it was rejected by the people as it was not considered credible. She said that BJP then contested alone but that too was rejected by the people as it was not considered strong enough. “This alliance is credible as well as strong,” she said during campaigning, adding that Hisar election was not a normal election and had the potential to determine Haryana and national politics.

In the arrangement which has been thrashed out between HJC and BJP, they would contest 45 seats each in the assembly and in Lok Sabha polls, BJP would contest 8 while the HJC would contest 2 seats. A viable option in the Jat-centric politics of the state would take shape now with this alliance which has got cemented with the victory. “People have accepted the alliance and given it their blessing. It has a great future and potential to form the next government in the state,” state BJP in-charge Harsh Vardhan said after the victory.

The implication of defeat for the Congress could be manifold, both at the state level and also at the national level. The party which won only 40 of the 90 seats in the last assembly polls and could form the government only after it weaned away five MLAs of Bishnoi’s party, faces a considerably strengthened opposition in the state now.

Moreover, detractors of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda like AICC general secretary Birender Singh and Union Minister Selja would be further emboldened. They just marked a token presence in the polls and did not campaign much unlike Hooda who camped here for a fortnight even though his chosen candidate Jai Prakash lost by a huge margin. Also, anti-incumbency is now apparent in the state where Congress has been in power for almost seven years now. Hooda will be on guard now and would have to explain the reasons why the party lost to the high command despite a high pitch campaign.

As Team Anna treated the election as a referendum on the Jan Lokpal Bill and asked to vote against the Congress, top leadership of the party would now have to determine what kind of impact his appeal can have on the coming elections. It would also have to take a call whether to heed to the call of the anti-graft septuagenarian to bring a Jan Lokpal Bill in the winter session of Parliament or face an erosion of its vote base in a series of Assembly elections early next year.

In less than four months from now, Assembly elections in Punjab would be held and Congress will have to come out with a strategy to counter the impact. Even if the call of Anna to vote against the Congress influences a small percentage of population, it could well affect the chances of the party in the state where it is expecting to come to power. (18.10.2011)

http://dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/13943-hisar-determines-tenor-of-state-national-politics.html

Hisar sets the tone for political churning

Amitabh Shukla / Chandigarh

In one of the most keenly watched by-elections of the country, the Haryana Janhit Congress-BJP on Monday won the Hisar Lok Sabha seat, paving the way for a new realignment in state and national politics. Congress came a distant third, losing its security deposit and triggering a serious introspection in the state unit in the aftermath of the embarrassment which the result has caused to the party.

Congress got much less votes than it got in the last Lok Sabha polls, indicating that the campaign of Team Anna to vote against the grand old party indeed worked and from now on it cannot downplay the “Anna factor”.

The margin of the victory of HJC-BJP candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi was a mere 6335 votes as INLD candidate Ajay Chautala held on to his stronghold in the rural area. Moreover, it seems there was a complete polarisation of the Jat votes in favour of the INLD. The dominant community deserted the Congress and saw Chautala as a viable alternative in the state.

In the Jat dominated Uchana Kalan constituency, Chautala led Bishnoi by almost 35000 votes, suggesting that Jat votes favoured the INLD in a big way. Interestingly, the constituency is considered a stronghold of AICC General Secretary Birender Singh, considered a detractor of Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda in state politics. The sitting MLA from the seat is INLD supremo Om Prakash Chautala who had defeated Birender in the last Assembly poll.

But it was the performance of the Congress which was being keenly watched. This was the first election after the agitation of Anna Hazare and their decision to campaign against the Congress. The result has shown that the Anna factor affected the outcome even though there cannot be any method to determine how much. But if the voting margin in Hisar segment, a predominantly urban area, is any indicator, the factor favoured Bishnoi who led by around 34000 votes here.

Of the three main candidates in the fray, Bishnoi and Chautala pledged to support the Jan Lok Pal Bill of Hazare and gave an undertaking to this effect. It was only the Congress which refused to sign the undertaking.

Even though the Congress has sitting MLAs from six of the nine Assembly segments falling in Hisar parliamentary constituency, the party failed to lead in even a single segment. It was such a close contest that of the nine segments, Bishnoi led in five while Chautala led in four.

There was another polarisation in the election and this was of the non-Jat votes. Bhajan Lal, the father of Bishnoi, whose death necessitated the bypolls, was the first leader who had used this polarisation to his advantage and remained the Chief Minister of the state for over a decade. Now, Bishnoi, in alliance with the BJP has ensured that the non-Jat votes go in their kitty.

Bishnoi rode the sympathy wave, generated due to the death of his father and fought the election on several issues – both national and local. For the INLD it was the “poor” performance of the state and central government along with inflation while the Congress fought the election on the plank of development, both in the state and Centre and this was its mantra for the election. (October 18, 2011)

BOX: Votes polled

1. Kuldeep Bishnoi (HJC-BJP) :355941

2. Ajay Chautala (INLD) : 349618

3. Jai Prakash (Congress) : 149785

http://dailypioneer.com/nation/13935-hisar-sets-the-tone-for-political-churning.html

http://dailypioneer.com/pioneer-news/todays-newspaper/14081-in-hisar-jai-parkash-loses-face-deposit.html

Advani's Yatra could rejuvenate BJP in Punjab

The Jan Chetna Yatra of BJP’s L K Advani against corruption would enter Punjab only next month but as the state is in a poll mode with assembly elections scheduled for February next year, the implications of the party patriarch’s campaign is already being talked about.

As the 38-day Yatra has just started, I find some uncanny similarities between some of the utterances of Congress and a section of the All India Sikh Students Federation (AISSF), an organisation which was central to the disturbance in Punjab in the early 1980s. Both the parties find themselves on the same side of the divide in dubbing the Yatra as “communal”.

While Congress obviously has no love for Advani, it was strange to find that the party was using the “communal” card like the AISSF even as the yatra has nothing to do with the issue being raised by the two parties but to raise the broader issue of corruption in the wake of Anna Hazare’s countrywide anti-graft movement. Also, Advani was the first who pointed out that black money stashed in the banks abroad, an issue later hijacked by Baba Ramdev.

Sometime ago, I was having a discussion with a senior politician. He told me a story which goes like this which explains how Congress and the faction of AISSF find themselves having similar views.

A particular sect was anti women and forbade its members from having any truck with women. The sect was so strict in following this norm that it took tough disciplinary action against its members if they were found interacting with women or had anything to do with women. It so happened that a new convert to the sect and his elderly guru were standing on the banks of the river. Much to their horror, they saw a woman, who was trying to cross the shallow river on foot, fell down. She started drowning as she could not judge the depth of the river.

The senior sect leader just kept watching and did nothing. He was a hardened member of the sect and this forbade him from touching women, even for the purpose of saving them for a sure death. The new convert to the sect saw the woman drowning and immediately jumped into the river to save her, forgetting the clause of the sect and saved her from drowning. He was immediately rebuked by the senior Guru. When they arrived at their headquarters, the head of the sect had gone to some other place for preaching. When the head returned after a few days, the senior Guru apprised him about the episode and explained how the young follower had violated the tenets and needed to be expelled from the sect.

“I have forgotten what I did. I do not remember anything. It was a momentary decision which I took. But you (the senior Guru) are carrying it forward. You will never leave it,” said the young follower.

This is perhaps what has happened to the Congress. BJP might no longer be interested in any issue which has communal implications and never highlights it but the Congress is carrying forward a tradition which says dub the BJP communal, come what may. Whatever the situation, be it a Jan Chetna Yatra on corruption or may be a cricket match organised by the BJP, it has to be communal. People now ask, “Will the Congress look beyond communalism and secularism, the two words which have lost their vote catching ability long time back? Wasn’t it time to focus on the basic issues which the aam aadmi (common man) wants – end of corruption, accountability of ministers, employment, infrastructure development, health and education? All sections, be the “communal or secular” of the Congress variety, of this or that caste, belonging to one or the other community want these aspects. I am not sure how many people are bothered on the communal-secular debate any longer.

No wonder, the situation has come to such a passé that Congress now finds itself on the same page like the AISSF (Peer Mohammad). The gentleman Karnail Singh Peer Mohammad, head of Peer Mohammad faction of AISSF who says that his organisation will not allow the Rath Yatra to enter Punjab because of Advani’s history of spreading communal disharmony and provoking violence against religious minorities during his previous Yatras. No one might be listening to the extreme views; nevertheless it has been made and will continue to be made by the fringe elements.

Coming on to Advani’s Yatra in Punjab on the issue of corruption, it would be pertinent to point out that five months ago, BJP, an alliance partner of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has to face a severe embarrassment on the same issue on which Advani is undertaking the Yatra. All the ministers from the BJP quota were asked to resign and there was a Cabinet reshuffle in which three new faces were brought in. The names of two ministers had figured in the CBI probe. While a section of the BJP dubbed the entire allegations as “Congress inspired” and said CBI was an extension of the ruling party at the centre and this was merely to defame the party, another section went into introspection mode to curtail the damage.

Five months down the line, the damage has been largely contained with hardly any one remembering the episode but the aftershocks remain. Three BJP ministers — Manoranjan Kalia (industries and local government), Mohan Lal (transport) and Swarna Ram (social welfare), had been left out of the Cabinet then leading to a resentment of sorts. There is infighting in the state BJP and leaders now hope that Advani’s Yatra would provide the healing touch to the warring factions of the state BJP and unite them for the larger cause.

BJP had won a staggering 19 seats in the assembly polls in 2007 and for the first time, the Akali Dal did not have a majority of its own. Urban areas voted for the party in large numbers and this is where BJP would like to retain the numbers for the 2012 elections. The strains between the alliance partners too has been worked out by the SAD by creating new municipal bodies and announcement of a package for urban areas, the core support base of the BJP. (October 16, 2011)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/13555-advanis-yatra-could-rejuvenate-bjp-in-punjab.html

Hisar poll to feel nation's mood

HISAR BYPOLL

Amitabh Shukla / Hisar

The political heat and dust has settled down and all the players have retired after a hectic electoral campaign for the most eagerly watched by-election in recent decades. The outcome of Hisar has the potential to change the way politics is played out in Haryana and the country in the run-up to the 2014 elections.

Voters of the nine Assembly segments, falling in the constituency, would line up in the morning on Thursday and are set to create an electoral history, whichever way they vote.

Being held in the shadows of the anti-graft movements of Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev and the UPA government facing a crisis in credibility due to scams and ministers and MPs finding a new home in Tihar Jail, the election would be a sort of mid-term appraisal of the Manmohan Singh government.

“We are treating it as a referendum for the Jan Lokpal Bill,” said Arvind Kejriwal of Team Anna in a series of meetings addressed over a week. He loudly proclaims, “Congress ka haath, bhrashtachar ke sath” (The hand of Congress is with the corrupt) and appeals the voters to teach Congress a lesson of its life by defeating it so badly that it is forced to bring the Lokpal bill in the next session of Parliament.

While Team Anna hogged the limelight in Hisar, Team Baba (Ramdev) worked silently. The Bharat Swabhiman Trust of the Baba, who has a considerable following here, has appealed the voters to go out in huge numbers and vote against black money. Team Baba has termed their campaign as “voter awareness programme” but the message is not lost as all the issues which the saffron clad Baba raised during his protest in Ramlila Maidan in Delhi are being raised and clearly one party is at the receiving end - Congress.

Team Baba does not have a face here but the collective strength and Yoga training and Ayurveda centres which have mushroomed here, are providing a new dimension as they have become a potent tool to expand Ramdev’s philosophy and there is only one villain, the ruling party in the Centre which “rained lathis” on the peaceful satyagrahis singing Bhajans and doing kirtan in Delhi leading to the death of a follower, a fellow Haryanvi and that too a woman.

As both Kejriwal and Baba belong to Haryana, their appeal has found sympathetic response from the people in this belt which is obviously not a Congress stronghold. Hisar was the only seat in the state which the Congress lost in the last Lok Sabha elections to no other than Bhajan Lal, whose son Kuldeep Bishnoi is the Haryana Janhit Congress-BJP candidate. Sympathy factor, alliance with BJP, clean image compared to rivals, campaign of Team Anna and Team Baba and polarisation of non-Jat votes has made Bishnoi a favourite.

As the electorate is largely looking at the by-election with a national perspective rather than a narrow, regional or caste perspective, Indian National Lok Dal candidate Ajay Chautala seems to have lost out here. The party is focusing on state level issues without a vision for the future, something which is not being appreciated in a high pitch election at which the nation is watching.

Congress is fighting with its hand tied at its back. Battling anti-incumbency of almost seven years in the state, suffering crisis at the national level due to a range of issues from corruption to infighting amongst ministers to the mishandling of the Anna Hazare and Baba Ramdev protest, the staunchest party supporters do not see a chance in this election. It came third in the 2009 polls, the candidate Jai Prakash is seen as “weak” and even the illegal betting trade for the result has written off the party and said it would be a distant third. (13.10.2011)

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Hisar prepares for larger-than-life bypoll

HISAR BYPOLLS

AMITABH SHUKLA / HISAR

It is a battle between the tractor, spectacles and the hand. It is also a battle between Yellow, Green and saffron-white-green combo. Another important player does not have any colours. It is not contesting but building public opinion. The battleground is Hisar, where the campaigning for the polls ended on Tuesday.

The election symbol of Haryana Janhit Congress is the tractor and the party chief Kuldeep Bishnoi is asking the voters of this agricultural belt to swear by the main machine used in their farms and vote for him. His party colour is yellow which his supporters sport on their vehicles and have even got turbans made of the same colour. The BJP colour of saffron and green is also there but not as prominent as that of Yellow.

Indian National Lok Dal’s Ajay Chautala swears by the colour green and the party symbol spectacle. His party has put up hoardings all across the city and the constituency urging people to root out Congress which they say symbolises corruption. “C for Congress, C for Corruption,” youth brigade of the party were seen tutoring the voters in the constituency which has nine Assembly seats. While the youth wear green caps, the seniors in the party wear the green turban, made famous by Chaudhary Devi Lal, the grandfather of Ajay and former Deputy Prime Minister.

For the Congress, hand and tricolour flag go together. But for the party, the “real” candidate is Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda and not Jai Prakash who is contesting the polls. Party insiders say that never had Hooda worked so hard for a bye-election. “In fact, the effort he has put in one constituency is unparalleled. It is as if he is in the fray himself,” a party leader said. He said Jai Prakash could be the candidate but the effort behind him is entirely of Hooda who has made it a prestige issue to come out with flying colours.

The fourth player in the heat and dust of Hisar is Team Anna. They do not have any symbol, except waiving the national flag at the venues which are being addressed by Arvind Kejriwal, Kiran Bedi, Manish Sisodia, amongst others on a makeshift mini truck. They do not even have a colour to boast of like the three main parties but youth wearing Jeans and red-colored T-Shirts with India Against Corruption printed on them, are distributing publicity material and urging the people to vote against Congress so that Jan Lokpal becomes a reality in the Winter Session of Parliament.

For the cynic, If Congress wins; its tally would improve by one in Parliament but would make no difference to the UPA government. If the INLD wins, it will get its first member in the Lok Sabha and if the HJC-BJP wins, it would carry forward the legacy of Bhajan Lal, the master tactician of Haryana.

But the people of the constituency know that the outcome could well determine the course of politics in Haryana and country. Intensive campaign by all the four players has ensured that each and every voter knows the importance of his ballot.

For Team Anna, it would be a grand victory if Congress is defeated as they would feel emboldened to carry forward their campaign in the states where assembly elections are due early next year – Punjab and Uttarakhand four months away. Congress is hoping to gain on anti-incumbency in these two states but if Team Anna emerges victorious and Congress is defeated, pollsters could well start calculating the outcome afresh in these two poll bound states.

Even if Congress is defeated due to its inner contradictions coupled with factors like anti-incumbency of Hooda, sympathy for Bhajan Lal whose death necessitated the by-election, past electoral behaviour of the constituency, performance of UPA government and corruption, Team Anna would flash the “V” sign and perhaps try to become a fulcrum for political movement in the run-up to the 2014 elections.

HJC-BJP’s victory would mark a new chapter in regional alliance with which the BJP has been experimenting for a while. It had so far tied up with the two “Lals” of Haryana - Devi Lal (and his son Om Prakash Chautala) and Bansi Lal in the past. Now it has tied up with the third “Lal” of Haryana politics – Bhajan Lal’s son Bishnoi. Victory would ensure a long life for the alliance in Haryana and an enduring NDA in which HJC would become an important player in the North.

“Green” party INLD’s victory would spell trouble for Hooda as it would be emboldened to intensify its campaign in the state. In chaste Haryanvi, Chautala tells the voters, “yo aakhri jota aur maar dayo, pher thara raaj pakka” (Vote for us and your government will be formed).

Locals say that whoever wins, politics of the state would never be the same again. Some others stick their neck out and point that the outcome would set in motion the political churning for the 2014 general elections. (October 12, 2011)

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Anna, Baba stack up odds against Cong

HISAR BYPOLLS

AMITABH SHUKLA / HISAR

The constituency headed for one of the most important bye-elections in recent years, is witnessing a campaign unheard of in a Parliamentary election. Team Anna and Team Baba (Ramdev) working for the same cause – defeat of Congress.

This is perhaps the only election where a group is campaigning to vote against the Congress, without specifying whom to vote. Team Anna members have intensified their campaign and held as many as six meetings in different parts of the sprawling constituency on Monday. They have only one agenda – Vote against the Congress and defeat it so badly that it repents its omission and commission on Jan Lokpal and corruption.

Baba Ramdev too has become a poll issue in the election with members of Baba’s Bharat Swabhiman too campaigning vigorously, albeit in a silent manner. Though members of “Team Baba” are not saying whom to vote or against whom to vote, the message is clear. They have mobilised all their supporters and they are reminding the people about the midnight crackdown at Ramlila Maidan, where Rajbala had dies and scores of people injured.

As both Rajbala, who died two months after the security forces forcibly evicted her and thousands of supporters and Baba Ramdev are both from Haryana, their appeal has found many takers. They are leaving nothing to chance and the issues of black money, corruption ad a strong Lok Pal Bill which they are raising are clearly against the Congress.

The saffron surge of Baba Ramdev is supplementing the efforts of Team Anna and they have succeeded in creating a strong anti-Congress wave which is sweeping the constituency where a triangular fight is on.

Team Anna decided to foil the impact of the political parties by holding a late night meeting at a venue, just opposite the Government college which has so far witnessed rallies by the HJC-BJP and the Congress so far and another is planned by INLD on Tuesday.

Amidst war cry of “Bharat Mata ki jai” and “Vande Mataram” Arvind Kejriwal reminded the people that Hisar was the “karmabhoomi” of Lala Lajpat Rai and he also hailed from the same area. “We have started the second phase of our campaign from this place…Defeat Congress so badly that it is forced to pass the Jan Lokpal Bill in the Winter Session of Parliament,” he said, amidst applause, flag waiving and war cry of the slogans again.

Using popular lingo, he said, “We used to go to the forest (for toilet)…You know, a roll of toilet paper costs Rs 22. For the Commonwealth Games, it was bought for Rs 3700…This is your money. This is our money. Will you allow the loot to continue?” he asked as the crowd of around 1500 people shouted back “No, No. Shame, Shame”.

He explained the Jan Lok Pal Bill to the people and described it as an instrument which will end such practices. Kejriwal said that they would continue to campaign in every Assembly election against the Congress if the Bill were not passed.

It is here that he brings Baba Ramdev, clearly a popular figure in this part of the country. “What was Baba’s fault? He was against black money but what did Congress do? They sent police and rained lathis on innocent people…Would you like this to happen again?” he asked, as the involved audience thundered back, “No”.

Just 500 metres away, Baba’s supporters had formed a chain at the roundabout of one of the most busy traffic junctions of Hisar, a few furlongs away from the Bus stand. They were not blocking traffic but merely passing on the pamphlets to the pedestrians, cycle peddler, drivers and anyone passing by. They appealed the people to vote 100 per cent and described the election as a ‘Mahasangram” (a big war). The “Team Baba” supporters wanted black money stashed abroad to be declared as national asset and wanted it to be brought back to the country. They demanded a case of murder to be registered against those who indulged in violence on satyagrahis leading to the death of Rajbala and a strong Lokpal amongst other demands.

The coming together of the two streams of anti Congress thought (Team Anna and Team Baba) is creating a strong undercurrent in which the HJC-BJP seems to be clear beneficiary. (11.10.2011)

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Cong on the hustings misses Rahul

HISAR BYPOLLS

AMITABH SHUKLA / HISAR

Voters here looked for AICC General Secretary Rahul Gandhi and thought he could land at the last moment to campaign for the beleaguered party in the crucial bye-election. He did not turn up. The scion of the Gandhi-Nehru family preferred to go to Gopalgarh in Rajasthan which was rocked by communal clashes instead of the high pitch bye-election which could prove to be a turning point for the Congress in the run-up to a series of Assembly elections next year and the Lok Sabha elections in 2014.

“Almost all top leaders from all parties have campaigned, except of the Congress. We thought Rahul could counter the barbs of Team Anna in a better way. But this was not to be,” said, Sunil, the manager of Hotel Om, just opposite the Government college, where three back to back rallies of all the contenders will conclude the campaign for the polls to be held on October 13. While the young manager of the hotel is supporting the HJC-BJP candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi, his boss and the owner has the photographs of Congress leaders at the reception, clearly suggesting his political preferences.

The voters here count only three top leaders in the Congress – Party President Sonia Gandhi, Rahul and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. None of them have campaigned for the party or are expected on Tuesday, the last day of campaigning.

“Rahul going to Rajasthan and not coming here indicates his political preferences. No one wants to be associated with a losing cause. Even Rahul realises this,” said a disgruntled Congress leader, who did not want to be quoted. The party workers here realise the importance of the bye-election, the first which would test Anna Hazare’s call to vote against the Congress. Some of them, however, felt that the party should have done more to neutralise the threat of Anna by roping in the three star campaigners and also Union Ministers.

Sipping a sweet, milky tea in INLD district office, an office-bearer said that we only have two star campaigners – party candidate Ajay Chautala and his father Om Prakash Chautala and both are camping in the constituency ever since the election campaign started. In fact the entire Chautala clan, including Ajay’s brother and MLA Abhey and son Digvijay, are camping here.

BJP had a galaxy of leaders to campaign for their alliance partner HJC. This included Party chief Nitin Gadkari, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, cricketer turned commentator turned party MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, Haryana BJP in-charge Harsh Vardhan, small screen actress Smriti Malhotra, cricketer Chetan Chauhan and a host of state leaders.

Congress campaign for party candidate Jai Prakash is being led by Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda who has been camping here for almost a fortnight now. AICC general secretary in-charge of the state B K Hariprasad remains the only senior leader to campaign. On Monday Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit and film star turned MP Raj Babbar gave a helping hand to the Congress on the penultimate day of the campaign. Another AICC General Secretary Birender Singh only made a “guest appearance” and so did Union Minister Shelja, suggesting that it was only a half hearted effort on their part. If the Congress candidate wins, Hooda will walk away with the credit and this is what his detractors like Birender and Shelja do not want.

Team Anna is also in the fray, not to win the election but to ensure that the Congress candidate gets defeated by a huge margin. While Arvind Kejriwal is riding a mini truck with a raised platform to show Anna Hazare’s message on a 32-inch TV screen, supporters wearing red T-shirts with India Against Corruption written on them, distributing pamphlets and CDs of Anna and Kejriwal speech to the people. They urged voters to re-distribute the CDs and wear the badge which said, “the candidate who does not support Jan Lokpal would not get my vote”

Kejriwal has said that had Rahul Gandhi wanted, the Jan Lokpal Bill would have been passed without a hitch, given his clout in the Congress. Many attending his meetings and clearly none of them are Congress supporters, questioned the absence of the Amethi MP from the battleground Hisar.

“By campaigning and winning Hisar, Rahul could have shown his political mettle. An opportunity has been lost,” said a Team Anna supporter. He was perhaps not aware of the Bihar Assembly elections where an intensive campaign by Rahul saw the party returning with its poorest figure after 1947. (11.10.2011)

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Major parties confident of making poll history

AMITABH SHUKLA / HISAR

The strict directions of the Election Commission might have robbed the dusty city of the carnival-like atmosphere that precede elections but the campaign of the three contending parties has convinced the people that they will make history, whichever way they vote.

If the people of the constituency go with Anna Hazare's call to vote against the Congress, they have HJC-BJP candidate Kuldeep Bishnoi and INLD's Ajay Chautala to choose from. "I just want you to vote for the candidate who is clean and honest. I do not want to say anything else...You know Ajay Chautala was summoned by a CBI court in Delhi recently in a case of disproportionate assets. You also know, in how many cases Jai Prakash (Congress candidate) is facing," Bishnoi reminds voters in his election campaign in the constituency.

He insists that only the honest would survive this test.Terming it as a historic election, Bishnoi, son of former CM Bhajan Lal, says that this election would determine who forms the next Government in Haryana and the Centre.Congress candidate Jai Praksh is not that popular in the constituency but Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda definitely is. Hooda has made the election a prestige issue and is camping in Hisar and has so far visited almost every segment of the vast constituency. His cabinet colleagues are in toe for what is being seen as the first major political test for the Congress post Anna's fast at Ramlila Maidan in Delhi.

The CM is citing the achievements of his almost seven year old Government in the State claiming how different sections of society have benefited, a claim ridiculed by the HJC-BJP and also the INLD.As corruption is indeed a poll issue, Hooda said that he would leave politics if any instance of misdeed or corruption could be provided against him. "On the contrary, Opposition leaders have been charge sheeted and charges have been framed against them in different cases. Number of cases are pending against them in various courts of the country", he charged.

Ironically, it is the INLD candidate Ajay Chautala who is hard pressed for plausible issues in the elections. Chautala is reminding the voters what the Government did when it was in power seven years ago, something which the young voters do not even remember. INLD is also criticising Hooda for its alleged acts of omission and commission terming it anti-farmer.

INLD might not have issues to boast of, nevertheless, it is hoping for a lion's share of the 4.5 lakh strong Jat community votes, which forms the single largest chunk here. Party leaders claim that if they manage to get the community's votes, they would sail through.If the traditional methods of mobilisation are used and the caste card works out, the 2.4 lakh Dalit votes would play a crucial role as Congress has lost is clout in this section of people following the Mirchipur incident in which two Dalits lost their lives at the hands of the dominant Jat community. Mirchipur falls in this constituency and the message has not been lost. As BSP is not contesting here, the votes could go to Bishnoi, given the fact that HJC is not considered a Jat dominated party.Also the non-Dalit and non-Jat votes that form almost 40 per cent of the constituency's strength would be crucial. It is here that the contesting parties are using the local satraps and caste leaders to influence public opinion and get votes. (October 10, 2011)

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BJP stokes anti-UPA fire

Swaraj, Gadkari launch blistering attack on Cong

Amitabh Shukla / Hisar

With corruption becoming the only major poll plank in Hisar by-election, top echelons of the BJP joined the campaign on Sunday saying that the election had the potential to change not only the course of politics in Haryana but also at the national level.

“This is not a regular election. It is decisive in nature... This will decide the course of future politics in Haryana and the nation,” Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj told an impressive gathering. Swaraj, along with BJP president Nitin Gadkari and other party leaders, addressed a public meeting here in support of Kuldeep Bishnoi of Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC). The BJP has entered into a long-term alliance with the HJC and has even decided the number of seats each will fight in the Assembly and Lok Sabha polls.

Swaraj, who was feted as the ‘daughter’ and ‘sister’ of Haryana, said she was happy that Team Anna was present in the constituency “to ensure the victory of Kuldeep Bishnoi”.

Launching a blistering attack on the UPA Government, Swaraj said, “Inflation has led to its (UPA) unpopularity and corruption has made it lose all credibility.”Referring to the Centre’s role in the Commonwealth Games scams, the 2G auction controversy and dubious Navy deals and the Air India purchases, she said, “They are looting the country with both hands… They have looted the earth, ocean, sky and the airwaves. They are not even ashamed to say that a person earning more than Rs 26 in rural areas and more than Rs 32 in urban areas is rich. They do not want to know the truth. And those who show them the truth like Baba Ramdev face the lathi,” the Leader of Opposition said in a no-holds-barred attack on the Government.

Party chief Gadkari attacked Prime Minister Manmohan Singh over the twin issues of inflation and corruption saying he knew about everything taking place in the Government.“If you cannot control inflation and corruption, leave the post… go to Haridwar or Rishikesh on a pilgrimage.You can even go to the Golden Temple and sing kirtan there,” he said. Pointing at Amritsar MP Navjot Sidhu, Gadkari said that he could arrange it if the PM wanted to go to Amritsar for kirtan.

“Can one person (Raja) be in a scam worth Rs 1.76 lakh crore? The PM and Chidambaram both knew. Why was he (PM) silent when Raja sent the file to him?” he said.Referring to Team Anna members Arvind Kejriwal and others campaigning against the Congress in the by-election here, Gadkari said the BJP was for a strong Lokpal. “We want to remove corruption… You have the opportunity to make history now,” he said.As Hazare’s call to vote against the Congress has become an issue, Bishnoi said his rivals — Jai Prakash of Congress and INLD’s Ajay Chautala — were actually campaigning for him as they are asking to vote for the cleanest candidate.“Chautala is fighting several cases of corruption. The Congress candidate faces several charges… Can anyone point out even one case against me involving corruption?” he said.

As the seat fell vacant due to the death of Bishnoi’s father Bhajan Lal, he also played the sympathy card, asking the people to remember what the former Haryana CM had done for the area. “I see the image of my father in you (public). I know you will not disappoint me,” he said.The size of the first rally after an alliance was forged between the BJP and HJC clearly indicated that the marriage of the two had been received well by the people of the State. While the colour yellow dominated the proceedings, saffron too made its presence felt with flags of the respective parties fluttering at the rally venue and also at many places in the constituency. (October 10, 2011)

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