Rampal never understood Kabir and his teachings

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

Pothi padh padh jag mua, pandit bhayo na koye dhai aakhar prem ke, padhe so pandit hoye (So many in the world died reading books, none became any wiser. One who reads and understands love, becomes wise).

This is one of the most popular couplet or doha of Kabir, written centuries ago, triggering a wave of thoughts and philosophy, enriching Indian spirituality.

Now in 2014, we find someone who claims to be a follower of Kabir but forgot the language of love which the great mystic poet and writer espoused. While peddling his ware in the spiritual market of the country, Sant Rampal, now in custody, simply forgot that it was only through love and compassion that takes you far not violence, bloodshed and a luxurious lifestyle.

It was surprising and rather sad to see a self-styled godman and Sant in police custody, holding on to the iron bars of the small barrack. His photographs inside a police lockup in Panchkula, flashed all over the world, were a poor testimony to the techniques and methods which he adopted to take on the might of the Indian State. I sometimes wonder how Rampal managed to have so many followers, spread in several States, if his understanding of Kabir was so misplaced and if he did not even have the basic understanding of how a Government functions.

Rampal himself blamed it to “bad luck”. But surely, it was not bad luck. It was a bunch of law-breakers holding the Indian State to ransom. Had Rampal presented himself to the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the contempt case for which he was summoned in the first place, he would have got bail. This is what ultimately happened when he appeared in the court as he was given bail in the contempt of court case for which the non-bailable warrants had been issued. But his wisdom went for a toss as he decided to test the might of the Indian judiciary and the State Government for several days.

Now, Rampal says that he was held “captive” by his followers and did not know that the police were looking for him... That he was meditating... so on and so forth. What kind of a leader, religious or spiritual, you are if you do not know what is happening around you and do not guide your followers and supporters?

In the entire episode, imagine the plight of the average person who had faith in Rampal. He must be shattered to know that the person whom he considered his God and supreme turned out to be an offender, did not even have common  sense, was surrounded and guided by criminal minded people and was hellbent on destruction. The faith of the simple, common devotees would be shattered forever and this crime is unpardonable. This shakes the very belief of an average devotee and is there a bigger crime against humanity than this?

Here I would quote the great poet Rahim, rahiman dhaga prem ka matt todo chhitkay toote se phir na jure, jure ganth padh jaaye (Do not ever break the thread of love. If it breaks, it cannot be the same again. Even if it joins, there would be marks). Clearly, Rampal has broken the faith which his disciples had in him and this will haunt him for the rest of his life whether it is spent in jail or even if he comes out of it after a few years.

If one goes through the information for disciples on the official website of Rampal, I am sure many would be impressed. It is a different matter that the 63-year-old junior engineer in Haryana Government turned preacher, hardly practiced what he preached. In his 20 odd instructions to disciples, I hardly find one or two objectionable as the rest is prescribed by all spiritual leaders for austerity and discipline.

He strictly bans consumption of all intoxicating substances which in a way is good for the society. Going to places of pilgrimage was prohibited by Rampal perhaps to cater to the sentiments of the lower strata and poor people who thronged his ashram and to save them from pangs of guilt. He also banned visits to temples which most people find objectionable and was one of the reasons why Arya Samaj followers attacked his ashram in Karontha in Rohtak district a few years ago. Instead he himself assumed the role of God, something clearly abhorrent. But he also said that God is omnipresent and is present in every article — a thinking outlined by several Indian philosophical thoughts.

Rampal also prohibits worship of pitras (ancestors), worship of any other God or Goddess and asks followers to obey his orders instead. This led to blind faith amongst his followers, something which led to the defiance of the police, courts and the State Government for several days at the Barwala ashram in Hisar. He bans various rituals associated with birth and death in families and instead favours austerity.

Rampal also prohibited adultery terming it a heinous crime saying one should look upon other women as mother, daughter and sister. Another direction was to prohibit indulging in criticism and hearing it, particularly of the Guru. Consumption of meat prohibited by Rampal and described as a heinous sin if violence is directed against living creatures. However, he never seem to have followed his own philosophy as he was accused of murder previously and now he faces a series of fresh criminal cases, including that of murder and treason.

Gambling and playing cards were also prohibited along with singing and dancing. Similarly practicing untouchability was prohibited and so was giving and accepting dowry. If any devotee did not follow these orders, his initiation as Rampal’s disciple came to an end, said the website.

I have taken all these from the website of Rampal to illustrate what his thoughts were and what his philosophy was to deconstruct the mystery of the self-styled godman. The website quotes Kabir almost everywhere who was the supreme though now everyone knows that the teachings of the medieval mystic saint was practiced more in defiance even though that remained the avowed philosophy. Food and stay was available free of cost to the devotees and there is no charge for initiation. That perhaps explains how around 20,000 devotees, most of them poor, stayed in the 12-acre ashram most of the time. 

A detailed empirical study is needed to understand why deras flourish in Punjab and Haryana in such large numbers and why almost every village in the two States has a dera for the spiritual succour of the people. They have enormous political and financial clout and come handy during elections when their directive helps political parties and contesting candidates.

There is a lesson for everyone in the Rampal episode — for the common devotees who repose their faith in such saints, for the police and administration for overlooking the excesses of the deras over a period of time and for the politicians and the political parties who try to woo them and through the heads, get votes of their supporters. We have seen this happening over the years and I am sure that despite the Rampal episode, no one would learn the lessons. It was time the episode is taken as a case study and appropriate lessons learnt. (November 24, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/rampal-never-understood-kabir-and-his-teachings.html

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/2014-11-23-73540.html

Over to national Capital Delhi again

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

A lot of water, or rather sewage, has flown down the Yamuna in the last one year. Despite the constant of the Yamuna, rapid political changes have taken place in the national Capital and a new political dispensation is firmly in place.

The only constant perhaps is political uncertainty regarding the State Government as many pundits argue that the results of 2013 polls would be replicated again. Last year, the people of Delhi gave a hung House after throwing out the Sheila Dikshit Government. In a few weeks from now, they would be voting for a fresh government and the votaries of stability argue against a similar mandate and hope for a clear verdict this time round.

Delhi will be an interesting case study for pollsters this time again. Many find it difficult to explain the rise of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) as a regional player in the national Capital, taking over the vote base of the Congress. The few remaining Congress loyalists, on the other hand, still can’t pin point the reasons for its political humiliation at the hands of AAP in Delhi and its decimation all over the country by Narendra Modi-led BJP.

Congress continues with its infighting, dynasty worship, lack of a big idea, sycophancy, defending the indefensible, and its refusal to introspect and accept the ground realities. There is little or no reason to believe that it will bounce back unless it reassesses and reinvents itself. It is difficult to imagine Congress doing that in the short run. So it is safe to write off the Congress from the political space of Delhi, at least in the Assembly polls, expected in another two months.

That makes the Assembly polls a straight contest between a resurgent BJP and a defensive Aam Aadmi Party for the 70 seats of Delhi. Bucking the trend of smaller states of giving unstable governments, Delhi always gave a clear mandate ever since the State Assembly came into being in 1993. The only exception, of course, was the 2013 polls which threw a hung House after Congress was decimated and AAP substituted it effectively. This was also the first time in two decades when the monopoly of two parties was effectively broken.

As the entire focus and energy of AAP is now limited to Delhi, it has tried to reinvent itself and move away from its corruption, Jan Lokpal, bijli and paani (power and water) issues. As the threat of BJP wiping away all the gains of AAP and reducing it to a fringe player is always there, Kejriwal and his team is trying to become more accommodative. It has now launched a five-point programme for students and youth of Delhi ahead of the ensuing Delhi Assembly polls. It may not be getting the media attention as it got last year but as a part of its Delhi vision, the party has announced education loan for every student in Delhi after Class XII for a period of six years, including one year for job start and setting up of 20 new Delhi Government colleges in outer Delhi in partnership with villages.

The Modi effect was also visible in the announcement of “Delhi Skill Mission” through which it hopes to create five-seven lakh jobs in five years. Whatever the motivation, AAP has tried to reinvent itself and has used the medium of youth. It knows that every family has a youth in Delhi and they influence the decision making of the family. This is clever politics ahead of the polls. So when AAP leader Yogendra Yadav challenges BJP and the Congress to spell out their agenda for the youth, he has struck the right notes.

Skill development and income generation is another focus area of the party that has chalked out a well-thought out roadmap for the same. To bridge the skill-gap in the national Capital, the party will not only promote vocational education and skill development in schools and colleges, but also create innovative and private start up accelerators to provide support to entrepreneurs.

Apart from spelling out its agenda, AAP is first off the blocks to declare its list of candidates, giving them enough time to prepare for the polls. The remaining names would be declared anytime now and if there are changes, it can be made in the run up to the polls.

Clearly, Congress and BJP are far behind as of now. For AAP, Delhi Assembly polls are a matter of life and death. If it does well, it survives politically; if it doesn’t the epitaph writers are ready.

Basking in the glory of Modi, BJP hopes to do well and form the Government on its own by crossing the magic figure of 35. However, unlike the last time when Dr Harsh Vardhan was the chief ministerial candidate, the party has refrained from announcing any names. A section of the party believes that after the ENT specialist from Krishna Nagar, Dr Harsh Vardhan was divested of the Health Ministry and given a lighter charge in Modi Cabinet, he could well be brought in as the chief ministerial candidate again.

This will obviously give a fillip to the party’s campaign as he is acceptable to all sections in the party. Besides, this, BJP will also have to come out with a specific agenda for Delhi and not limit itself to the vision of Modi alone as local factors do play a significant role in the final outcome. To give a leg up to the preparations, BJP’s different morchas and cells are organising workers’ meetings in different areas and ongoing membership campaign is being intensified. But obviously, the trump card remains Modi and BJP has decided that the work he has initiated after coming to power in May would be made into a poll issue.

Coming back to the Congress, clearly it is nursing its wound, inflicted everywhere. It will take time for the party to recoup and martial its resources. Even the staunchest Congress supporter admits this. Sheila Dikshit, who lost last year, was just a symptom of the disease plaguing the party. She obviously can’t be the face of the party for the assembly polls. Ajay Maken would also prefer to remain in the AICC as General Secretary rather than head for the Assembly polls where a defeat is certain.

I earnestly hope that Congress organises a brain storming session spanning over several days where free and frank opinion is exchanged within the party and it comes out with ideas and strategy to suit the changing times in all States and the country.

It is too early to predict the outcome of Delhi polls. A lot of water will flow down the Yamuna in the next few weeks when the campaign picks up; a lot of dirty linen will be washed publicly. Several strategies will be drawn and then redrawn. Many skeletons will come out of the cupboards. For BJP, Delhi is no longer as important as it was in 2013 and will only cement its base for forward march, for AAP it’s a question of political revival and survival; and for Congress it will show whether it still has the spirit to fight or has even lost that. (November 17, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/over-to-national-capital-delhi-again.html

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/2014-11-16-72741.html

Older than history, legend and tradition, Benares needs a Facelift

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

The last I went to Varanasi or Kashi was a little over a year ago when it was not yet the parliamentary constituency of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. I go there again and again for one simple reason — getting overawed and mesmerised by the feeling of religiosity all around and to see the faith which the common devotees have for Lord Shiva and his city unfold in myriad hues.

My conviction in Sanatan Dharma and in the cycle of life and death grows stronger whenever I watch the evening ghats of the ancient city from a boat in the middle of the Ganga — preparation for the grand evening aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat and the rituals of cremation after death at the Mani Karnika Ghat, both on the same side of the holy Ganges.

That was my fourth visit to Benares, the name I prefer for the holy city where I enjoy every moment, watching the pilgrims and soaking in their faith, watching stray cattle harmlessly roaming on the streets and looking at ancient traces in a rapidly growing modern city. In fact, becoming a part of the crowd and doing what they do gives immense pleasure and you never feel out of place anywhere, whether at the temples, ghats, monuments in and around the city or the numerous bazaars all around.

However, despite all this diversity and religiosity all around, what is striking here is the litter and filth all over the place, even near the ghats, temples and frankly everywhere. Stray cattle roam on the popular Dashashwamedh Ghat right down to the steep steps leading to the Ganga. There was cow dung all around and the stench of cow urine enveloped the ghat. Like Millions of Hindus in this country, I too consider cow a sacred animal but I could not and did not want to sit on the ghat in the daytime as the stench from cowdung and urine was overbearing.

Of course, Ganga in Benares was suffering due to the manmade crisis also. The river was extremely polluted, there was hardly any flow in the month of March and the riverbank was full of garbage thrown in the still waters. All types of used puja material, stale flower and leaves, was thrown carelessly in the river even as boats of all hues made it a sort of parking mess in the Ganga and there was utter chaos all around. This diluted the feeling which one had towards the city and the river to some extent. The realisation soon dawned that the entire chaos, litter, garbage and pollution was manmade and if one started with a zeal, there wouldn’t be a holy city like Benares in the entire world.

Much water had flown down the Dashashwamedh and Mani Karnika Ghat since then. Narendra Modi is not only the MP from the holy city but also the Prime Minister of the country and most importantly, he has taken a pledge for Swachchh Bharat. Modi was also on a two-day visit to his parliamentary constituency, which was his first after the thanksgiving visit soon after the victory in the Lok Sabha polls in May.

I have not been to Benares after Modi won in the Lok Sabha polls. But due to sheer curiosity, I called an acquaintance who is a regular visitor to the city to find out if any changes had taken places after the results of the general elections. At least my acquaintance did not find any except that the people were talking about Swachchh Bharat campaign though it was hardly being implemented on the ground in the city. He talked about some NGOs running cleanliness campaign near the popular ghats but hasn’t yet noticed a permanent solution.

It will be in fitness of things if I write on cleanliness on the ghats and in and around the temples only after a visit to Benares. I will do that soon. But surely as an avid lover of whatever Benares represents — the culture, the continuity, religion and spirituality — there could be a few suggestions thrown in due to my experience of four visits in the city, considered older than civilisation itself in mythology.

Modi often talks about the Narmada riverfront in Ahmedabad in his speeches and in fact, all those who have been there, have a word of appreciation in the way it has been transformed. People in Benares are waiting for a similar transformation.

Why can’t corporate houses take over the maintenance and cleanliness of the ghats? They can put up their signboards and even advertisements free of cost if they provide funds, manpower, energy and ideas for the purpose. I don’t see any reason why they shouldn’t given that it is the constituency of the Prime Minister and it would be beneficial to be in his good books.  Also, the kind of footfall Benares and its ghats has, the message would spread far and wide that so and so corporate house is supporting the project and it is sure to build the brand value of their product and further strengthen it. Several NGOs, banks etc have come forward to clean the ghats but no one is yet thinking of finding a permanent solution —building a corpus and a vision for the next 10-20 years to start with.

Then you have the problem of stray cattle, flooding the streets of Benares. To me the solution is simple. Build enough cowsheds in and around Benares either through Central funds or rope in NGOs, charitable organisations or corporate houses. Manage these cowsheds well, get all the stray cattle here and see the result on cleanliness of Benares. I am sure, once the stray cattle go to the cowsheds from the narrow streets, a lot of problem of cleanliness would automatically be taken care of. I have seen efficient, well-managed cowsheds in Chandigarh and other places. People line up to feed the bovines for religious reasons; they get enough donations and are generally self-sufficient. The model can be replicated in Benares easily and there is no rocket science involved here. You only require an administrative acumen to do this and appointment of a good officer would easily take care of that.

Cleaning of river Ganga is, of course, a multi-pronged and time-consuming exercise as there are several culprits. Too many people and industries are guilty here, there are multiple agencies involved and the geographical area spreading pollution is wide — from Hardwar to Kanpur and then Allahabad to Benares. Build sewage treatment plants wherever feasible, fine and punish those who are releasing toxic waste and poison in the holy river, get experts on board to find ways and means to increase the water flow... Get all the stakeholders on a common platform, form a committee, look for the problem and solution in the same meeting. Make it Mission Mode, target-oriented with single-minded purpose of making Ganga clean.

Another aspect which the Prime Minister can look into is to make the visit of the lakhs and crores of pilgrims from all over the country more comfortable. During my last visit, I found each and every inch of space in the railway station compound occupied by the pilgrims, speaking all languages of the country. It was practically impossible even to walk on the railway platforms and the huge railway compound in the evening hours. The situation was similar in practically all the vacant public space in the city like the bus stands.

I hope the Government will look into the modalities of constructing mega halls and hygienic open spaces with clean toilets to facilitate the poor pilgrims of the country. If the Government cannot do it on its own, rope in whoever is needed, provide land and infrastructure and get this done. Whoever takes the initiative and does this will never be short of blessings of the poor pilgrims.

I am sure Modi must be looking at all these issues and much more. He wielded the broom when he launched the Swachchh Bharat campaign and now the spade during his two-day Benares visit. He perhaps realises that through symbolism you can create a consciousness about cleanliness in the psyché of an individual.

There is a plan to infuse a massive funding for the facelift of the city and it may be launched by the end of the year. But for me, the success of the plan would be when I don’t see any filth and garbage on the ghats, there is illumination on the riverbank, the stray cattle live peacefully in cowsheds and the traffic in the city becomes orderly during my next visit.

I also want to see better flow in the still waters of the Ganga, development of the eastern banks of the holy river and aquatic life back in the water during my next visit. Hundreds of millions of Indians like me who have faith in Benares, Sanatan Dharma and Indian civilisation would cherish that day. (November 10, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/2014-11-09-71886.html  

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/older-than-history-legend-and-tradition-benares-needs-a-facelift.html

Why ailing Congress is in the sick bed?

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

Though it was widely expected that Congress will lose both Maharashtra and Haryana after three and two terms of governance respectively, the resounding defeat has triggered a fresh round of debate on the survival of the party under a dynasty which has clearly been caught in the law of diminishing returns.

It would indeed be sad if the fortunes of Congress continue to slide the way it is happening all over the country. India needs a robust democratic set-up and if Congress vacates even the opposition space so easily, it does not bode well for parliamentary democracy. In both Haryana and Maharashtra, Congress remained in the third position. BJP may be going gung-ho with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s slogan of “Congress-Mukt Bharat” but I am sure, even Modi would like an electoral and parliamentary challenge. At the national level, only Congress has the history and ability to do that.

Now you have Assembly elections in Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir. In both States, Congress had been a part of the ruling coalition and has broken off from their alliance with Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and National Conference. Given profound anti-incumbency in both the States, a divided anti-BJP Opposition and a resurgent BJP under Modi, it is a foregone conclusion that Congress will again bite the dust. I am not sticking my neck out to say who would win in the two states, but surely I can safely say that Congress would lose.

But the Lok Sabha polls, followed by Haryana and Maharashtra Assembly polls, are merely the symptoms of the disease plaguing Congress. I will explain one — the approach of Congress towards social media.

The party has become a butt of jokes on the social media, Rahul Gandhi has become a punching bag on Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp and there is no plan or strategy to counter that. Remember, it was the social media which contributed in making the image of Modi. Forget the number of users though it is huge by any standards; remember the cascading effect of such message filtering down to the lowest common denominator in electoral politics. This is a classic case of Congress running away from reality, like an animal closing its eyes in case of danger. Ask a party person about the visibility of Rahul and the party on the social media and the standard reply is that these things do not get votes and their voters do not use social media. What a rubbish argument! When you are not up to the challenge, cannot comprehend change, you simply start blaming everyone and everything except yourself. This is what is happening with the grand old party.

There are no two opinions that Congress is facing its worst crisis ever since it came into electoral politics after Independence. Whatever the Congress spokespersons say about the ability of vice-president Rahul Gandhi and his so called vision, disappointment has spread far and wide in the party rank and file. An average Congress worker knows that a reluctant person is being pushed for the mantle of leadership even though he himself is hardly interested. Congress under the 44-year-old Gandhi has lost one election after the other. He has accepted defeats after defeats, all his political strategy or lack of it exposed in one election after the other.  Using accounting terminology, he has nothing to show in the column of “credit” while the list of “debit” is increasing with every election. How can the average Congress worker get enthused with Rahul Gandhi if he continues to preside over one defeat after the other?

It was a comic relief to find AICC general secretary Digvijay Singh saying Rahul should take the charge of the party from Sonia Gandhi. Come on, Mr Singh. You are an astute politician and two-time Chief Minister. You know for sure that Rahul is running the party and not Sonia Gandhi. Why don’t you introspect and look for the real issues and causes which have led to the terminal decline of Congress. These are merely superficial, diversion tactics which won’t help the party at all. After al,l sycophancy of the Congress variety for the dynasty has been one of the greatest enemies of the party. It was time, Congress realises that and stop rewarding rootless wonders like Digvijay Singh.

Congress spokespersons and hardcore supporters continue to argue that electoral reverses which began in the Assembly polls in December 2013 (Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Delhi) and peaked in Lok Sabha elections in May and continues unabated (Haryana and Maharashtra) is a temporary phenomenon and party would bounce back. They continue to remind you of 1977,   1989 and then in 1999 when party was on back foot due to electoral reverses. But they fail to point out that the challenge this time round is far more severe and robust. They also do not comprehend the Modi factor in entirety, his sense of timing, political understanding, symbolism which he encompasses, his charisma and the way he seems like a fresh breeze to a large number of people who are not even BJP supporters. They fail to understand that the contrast with the previous Congress regime is so sharp that even after coming to power, Modi and BJP has only increased its support base. While the base of BJP under Modi is expanding that of Congress under Rahul and Sonia Gandhi is declining rapidly. Comprehending the problem is always the first step for finding a solution. Here, Congress does not even want to have a grasp of the problem, leave alone looking for reasons for solution.

The economic ideas of the Congress in 2014 too seem to be a straight lift from the socialist ideas of Jawaharlal Nehru which were themselves inspired by the then Soviet Union. Times have changed, ideas have changed, generations have changed but Congress continues to bank on poverty for making electoral gains. Heavy subsidies, food to poor, doles to the rural population etc, cannot be the substitutes for economic growth. Such ideas need a thorough re-look as it has lost favor now, being half a century old. Congress has to look beyond poverty and food and speak about the aspirations of the people in this millennium. The days of “rights” based economic policies are over.

Besides, Congress politics based on entitlement and birth, simply put dynastic politics, is simply out of tune with the present realities where aspirations and meritocracy is being talked about. You have a Modi who was a tea seller, you have a Manohar Lal Khattar who ran a shop, you have a Devendra Fadnavis who has risen from the ranks… You have countless others. Then you have a Rahul Gandhi whose great grandfather, grandmother and father were Prime Ministers and whose mother practically ran the country for 10 years. This may not be a fault of Rahul but surely the young, restless youth find fault with this entitlement of dynasty. No wonder despite being almost two-decade younger than Modi, Rahul hardly has any support base amongst the youth of the country. The youth think that if they join politics, they have a chance in BJP but stand no chance in Congress where all positions are occupied by those who had a father or grandfather in politics.

All is not lost. Congress still has the support base to spring a surprise if it reinvents as per the changing times and match BJP step by step. Obviously this cannot be done with the kind of economic policies it pursues, the kind of leadership it wants to impose and keeps a blind eye to the changes taking place all around. In May, Congress still had 20 per cent of the electorate supporting it, suggesting that time was for a thorough review and introspection to hold on to its base and consolidate from thereon. But the party neither learnt any lessons from the drubbing nor wants to. It continues the way it has been for years and decades. That, of course, is the sign of terminal illness for a political party and terminal decline. (November 3, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/why-ailing-congress-is-in-the-sick-bed.html

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/why-ailing-cong-is-in-sick-bed.html

Khattar scripts history, Haryana set for a revamp

VIEWPOINT

AMITABH SHUKLA

On Sunday, Manohar Lal Khattar became the first BJP Chief Minister of Haryana, scripting a new political history for the small State, known for its agricultural prowess ever since the Green Revolution.

Apart from being the first BJP chief Minister of the State, what makes Khattar, the low profile, non assuming, humble man of organisation from RSS, different from run of the mill politicians is the fact that for the first time in recent years, someone contested his first election and straight away was elevated for the top job of chief minister. Except one, all his Cabinet Ministers are first timers and this will certainly help the new government take bold and innovative measures for rapid development, something which run of the mill politicians cannot take.

Haryana boasts of relatively high per capita income and infrastructure. Now it would be natural for the people of the State, who voted for the BJP enthusiastically, to expect that the new Government headed by 60-year old Khattar would do another Gujarat or perhaps emerge better than it in tandem with the vision of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

For the small State, it is time to take off. It was time to rewrite the script of economic growth and prosperity. It was time to show to the country that it can excel not only in wrestling, boxing and other sporting events but also become the role model for the economy by combining tradition (agriculture) and modernity (Industries) to produce outstanding economic indices.

It has all the natural advantages to become the most developed state of the country though lopsided policies in the last ten years prevented it from taking off to that stage. Located next to Delhi, it has geography as the most significant advantage along with hard working and industrious people, decent infrastructure and a set up which can facilitate high rates of growth. Many in the state now see it as a test case laboratory experiment for rapid development by the joint efforts of both Modi government at the Centre and Khattar government in the state. Some BJP supporters are even arguing that it could become another Singapore or Taiwan in terms of economic development and per capita income in the next decade or so if right impetus and direction is provided by a selfless, committed and transparent government. They see Khattar in that role and hope that there would be a complete transformation in the way one looks at government and there would be visible change in the next few months.

Ironically, in the last 10 years, in fact almost last two decades, the focus of the governments was only to promote real estate and the most common scam was that of Change in Land Use (CLU). Simply put, this was a gross misuse of the discretionary powers which the government had. Fly by night operators sought and got help from the state government, floated residential colonies and commercial space and used location advantage of being close to Delhi to their own benefit. Robert Vadra-DLF deal was just a symptom of the disease plaguing the state. The disease has spread far and wide and it should be the first priority of the Khattar government to check this.

Whatever Industries came to Haryana was due to its proximity to Delhi and was limited to the Gurgaon-Manesar belt. This belt also saw offices of Multinationals, Call Centres, software companies and automobile industry. In fact, over 60 per cent of revenue which the state gets, come from this area alone. Not surprisingly, not only the opposition but even those in the ruling Congress accused the previous government headed by Bhupinder Singh Hooda of creating two different Haryana—one was the prosperous one in Gurgaon-Rohtak belt and the other was the backward one in the rest of the state, except a small pocket of development in Ambala-Panchkula belt. Khattar will have to break this and ensure that the rest of the state too develops at par with Gurgaon-Rohtak belt. 

For sixty-year old Khattar, this is his first brush with administration and governance in his 40-year long political-social career and one challenge for him will be to overcome the general perception that he is an “outsider” in the political system. He may be an outsider in the sense that he has not held any government post in the past but this is likely to help him and not become an obstacle as he would not be conditioned by pre conceived notions and bias which a seasoned politician has. Also, he will not have many people to please and compromise his governance as he is new to the political system of Haryana.

That Khattar is close to his benefactor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, is well known now.  Both have worked together in the organisation not only in Haryana but also other parts of the country as well. The moment BJP Parliamentary Board announced his name to contest from Karnal, party insiders and those in state Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) knew that he was being sent to become chief minister of Haryana if the party got a majority. This is what happened. Never before in recent history had a political script gone as accurate as in Haryana. What Prime Minister Modi and BJP President Amit Shah visualized and planned, got executed on the ground. This rarely happens in politics but it actually did.

Given Khattar’s grassroots level work over the years in Haryana, albeit silently, he is aware about the caste realities in the state where the Jats dominate the social and economic milieu. For a non-Jat leader, one challenge would of course be to assuage the sentiments of the dominant Jat community, comprising 25 per cent of the population and used to the psychological factor of one amongst them being the Chief Minister ever since the State was created 48 years ago. For almost two decades after Bhajan Lal, the State had a series of Jat Chief Ministers-Bansi Lal, Om Prakash Chautala and Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Khattar will have to accommodate not only Jats but other communities also in governance and ensure that there is no sense of being left alone or out of power.

He made an effective beginning in this direction by inducting two Jat leaders in his Cabinet—Capt Abhimanyu and Om Prakash Dhankar. As state BJP President Ram Bilas Sharma has also been inducted in the Cabinet, there would be a new chief soon. The new name could be from the dominant Jat community as the party wants to outgrow the perception that it was only the consolidation of non-Jats which led to the victory in the Lok Sabha polls followed by the Assembly elections.

The Cabinet formation has settled some of the political issues, but Khattar would also be facing some administrative challenges as well. Just before being voted out, the Hooda Government had blatantly played communal card and stirred up a hornets’ nest by passing a Bill for creation of separate Gurudwara management committee for Haryana. This was strongly opposed by BJP’s ally Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab. Though the legality of the issue is in Supreme Court, demands are already being made to call back the passage of the Bill and make it null and void. The new government will have to take a call on the issue and if Sikhs in Haryana are opposed to it, it may get a fresh amendment bill passed in the assembly, annulling the previous one passed by the Hooda government to get votes of the Sikh community.

In addition, there are several disputes pending with neighbouring Punjab for decades, which includes sharing of river water, controversial Hansi-Butana canal, transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab along with the Punjabi speaking areas of the state etc.  As Congress was in power in Haryana all these years, these issues were always kept under the carpet. Now that BJP is in power, it will have to reassess the situation and take a call. There would also be pressure from Akali Dal-BJP Government in Punjab on Khattar to expedite some of these long pending issues. Though Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son and Akali Dal President Sukhbir Badal campaigned in Haryana against BJP as they had an alliance with INLD, the senior Badal attended the swearing-in ceremony of Khattar, indicating that the past is behind them and it was time to look ahead.

Khattar has made a good beginning in his first meeting with officers after taking over. His no nonsense and businesslike approach towards governance is being talked about in the bureaucratic circles. Here, too he will have to make a sharp departure from the previous government which was heavily dependent on bureaucracy for everything on one hand and at the same was punitive towards it by frequent transfers. Keeping bureaucracy on its toes would be the right way to go along with using its expertise rather than being over dependent on a select few which was the approach of the last government.

With Prime Minister Modi, several union ministers and BJP chief ministers attending the swearing-in of Khattar, he seems to enjoy the support of rank and file of the party, from top to bottom. It was time to make the dream a reality. (October 27, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/dehradun/2014-10-26-70295.html

Outsider tag a challenge for non-Jat Khattar

  

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

When Manohar Lal Khattar takes over as the first BJP Chief Minister of Haryana on October 26, he will be face to face with administration and governance for the first time in his 40-year long political-social career and the most important challenge for him will be to overcome the general perception that he is an “outsider” in the political system.

Like his benefactor, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who had never been a legislator or Minister before becoming Chief Minister of Gujarat, Khattar too has never been an MLA or Minister before. Like Modi, he was deputed by the RSS in the organisation and worked his way up before being surprisingly selected to contest from Karnal. The moment his name was announced from the seat, it was clear that the top BJP leadership had a political script written for him if the party wins the Assembly polls.

BJP sources say that lack of administrative exposure would be an asset for Khattar rather than a handicap as he will assume office without a conditioned mindset about governance. “This is where he will score and provide an administrative set up which will not only be new for Haryana but also unique in several ways,” said a source, associated with the process of selecting the new chief minister of the state.

For a non-Jat leader, one challenge would of course be to assuage the sentiments of the dominant Jat community, comprising 25 per cent of the population and used to the psychological factor of one amongst them being the Chief Minister ever since the State was created 48 years ago. For almost two decades after Bhajan Lal, the State had a series of Jat Chief Ministers-Bansi Lal, Om Prakash Chautala and Bhupinder Singh Hooda. Khattar will have to accommodate not only Jats but other communities also in governance and ensure that there is no sense of being left alone or out of power.

BJP leaders have indicated that Capt Abhimanyu, who was in the race for chief ministership and is a Jat face of the party and MLA from Narnaund, could become the new Haryana BJP president in the changed scenario. He has been a national spokesman of the party and has also worked in Uttar Pradesh and Punjab. “It is necessary to keep the dominant community of the state in the loop and a part of the party and Government in a big way for consolidating the gains of the assembly polls,” a party insider said. Another possibility, which was being discussed, was to make him Deputy Chief Minister. But this would create two centres of power and the leadership does not want it. If Capt Abhimanyu becomes the BJP president of the state, present president Ram Bilas Sharma could get an important department in Khattar’s Cabinet.

Chaudhary Birender Singh, the grandson of tallest Jat leader of his time, Sir Chhotu Ram, who joined the BJP from the Congress before the Assembly polls, could get a berth in the Union

His wife Premlata was the giant killer in Assembly polls who defeated Hisar MP Dushyant Chautala from Uchana Kalan. Presently, both the representatives in the Modi Cabinet from Haryana-Rao Inderjit Singh and Krishna Pal Gurjar-are non-Jats and a section of BJP believes that sending him to Centre makes political sense at this point. With the help of Capt Abhimanyu and Chaudhary Birender, the BJP plans to make inroads in the rural hinterland and Jat belt of the State from where it did not perform well in the Assembly polls.

Besides the political issues, Khattar would also be facing some administrative challenges. Just before being voted out, the Hooda Government had stirred up a hornets’ nest by passing a Bill for creation of separate Gurudwara management committee for Haryana. This was strongly opposed by BJP’s ally Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab. Though the legality of the issue is in Supreme Court, demands are already being made to call back the passage of the Bill and make it null and void.

In addition, there are several disputes pending with neighbouring Punjab for decades, which includes sharing of river water, controversial Hansi-Butana canal, transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab along with the Punjabi speaking areas of the state etc.  As Congress was in power in Haryana all these years, these issues were always kept under the carpet. Now that BJP is in power, it will have a reassess the situation and take a call. There would also be pressure from Akali Dal-BJP Government in Punjab on Khattar to expedite some of these long pending issues. (October 23, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/outsider-tag--a-challenge-for--non-jat-khattar.html

Backroom boy comes upfront: Manohar Lal Khattar

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

Sixty-year old Manohar Lal Khattar, a bachelor, will be the first BJP Chief Minister of Haryana. Specially brought in from the organisation and given a ticket to contest the Assembly polls, Khattar has a four-decade old association with the RSS. He was chosen by the newly elected BJP legislators as their leader in the presence of central observer M Venkaiah Naidu and Dinesh Sharma.

BJP insiders said that the moment he was given ticket from Karnal, it was a foregone conclusion that he will be the Chief Minister if the party were voted to power, a senior party leader said.

“I have been given a big responsibility. I assure you that we will work for the welfare of the people of Haryana,” Khattar, the CM-designate said, soon after the announcement. He added, “My Government will be transparent and there will be no discrimination with any area.” He was referring to charges of regional discrimination in the last 10 years of the Congress rule.

Looking at carving a non-Jat political platform in the State on the patterns of the experiment which Bhajan Lal did over two decades ago, the BJP chose a non-Jat leader from the Punjabi community for running the State. Most of the 47 seats which the BJP won in the polls came from areas where the non-Jats are influential. Sources said that in a bid to further consolidate this section, which comprises 75 per cent of the population of the State, the announcement of Khattar’s name was a mere formality.

Being close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi was an additional advantage for the Karnal MLA. In 1996, when Modi was BJP in-charge of the northern States before becoming Gujarat Chief Minister, Khattar worked closely with him in Himachal Pradesh and Haryana. This perhaps explain how he was chosen for the job despite being a first time MLA at the age of 60 and having no administrative experience or exposure to the working of the Government. Khattar’s four-decade old association with the RSS and his two-decade stint as as organising secretary of the BJP’s Haryana unit swung the pendulum in his favour.

Known as a key strategist, he held the post of the chairman of the party’s campaign committee for Haryana in the Lok Sabha elections in which the party won seven of the State’s 10 seats. That Khattar was close to the Prime Minister is also reflected by the fact that  the PM had made him in-charge of 50 wards in his Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency.

Given the importance of the occasion as the BJP occupies centre stage in State politics for the first time since it came into existence in 1980, the swearing-in ceremony of Khattar and the ministers is likely to take place at the sprawling  Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula on October 26.

Though Central observers had been sent to elicit the opinion of the MLAs on leadership, sources said there was complete unanimity on the name of Khattar in the meeting of the BJP legislature party. Word had spread previous evening that he would be the Chief Minister and no other leader came forward to contest the popular choice of the MLAs and that of the central leadership of the party.

However, outside the venue of the meeting, supporters of a few leaders were hopeful that there could be some change at the last minute. Slogans too were raised in favour of some leaders but the moment Khattar’s name was made public, there was no opposition whatsoever from any quarters.

BJP Observer Dinesh Sharma said, “The name of Khattar was proposed for Chief Minister by Haryana BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma and election was unanimous.” Soon after the meeting, the BJP submitted a letter to Haryana Governor Kaptan Singh Solanki staking claim to form a Government. Following the constitutional procedure, the Governor invited Khattar to form the Government.

In the 90-member Haryana Assembly, the BJP has a simple majority of 47 MLAs. It vanquished both the ruling Congress and the main Opposition INLD to romp home in a remarkable performance, following a similar success in the Lok Sabha polls.  (October 22, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/backroom-boy-comes-upfront.html

BJP to name Haryana CM Today

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

The suspense over the name of the new Haryana Chief Minister is expected to be over by Tuesday afternoon when the newly-elected BJP legislature party meets here to decide who would be their leader. As the BJP went to the polls without announcing any chief ministerial candidate, the doors are wide open with half a dozen aspirants lobbying for the top job in the State where the party has a simple majority of 47 MLAs in the 90-member Assembly.

Manohar Lal Khattar, the first-time MLA from Karnal and having deep roots in the RSS for four decades, is being considered a front runner. He is believed to be close to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has worked in the organisation for long, and is non-controversial and a hard taskmaster. State BJP chief Rambilas Sharma too has strong RSS connections and is a non-Jat aspirant for the top job. Ambala MLA Anil Vij, the face of the party in and outside the last Vidhan Sabha, is the third aspirant from the non-Jat group. But if the party prefers someone from the dominant Jat community, only two names are being considered Capt Abhimanyu and party’s Kisan cell president Om Parkash Dhankar.

In Delhi, all these aspirants on Monday queued up at the BJP headquarters to plead their cases before party chief Amit Shah, who was busy handling Rs hotlineRs  from Maharashtra. BJP general secretary JP Nadda was closeted with Shah while Haryana  election in-charge Vijayvargiya and  deputy-election-in-charge Anil Jain too were part of the consultations process.

Sharma, who came out after his meeting with Shah understandably did not say anything about his being the choice for the top post, saying the name will be out on Tuesday morning. He, however, offered ‘laddos’ to people around. Capt Abhimanyu too offered sweets but claimed that he was not aware as to who would win the race for the CM. Abhimanyu, a Jat, did not buy the argument that only non-Jats have voted aggressively for the BJP. There are around half-a-dozen BJP Jat candidates who won elections.

All the potential CM candidates denied that there was any particular non-Jat focus in the BJP’s scheme of things. Haryana Prabhari Jadgish Mukhi went on to say that the BJP has raised its politics above cast identifies. Then came the turn of Rao Birender Singh to arrive at the party office. When asked about the possibility of a non-Jat wearing the CM’s hat, Sigh candidly said “non-Jat hi Banega”.

The BJP parliamentary Board on Sunday deputed Union Minister and former BJP president Venkaiah Naidu as the central observer. He will preside over the meeting of the legislature party to get the opinion of the MLAs. Naidu will be assisted in the job by party vice-president Dinesh Sharma and Haryana in-charge Jagdish Mukhi at UT Guest House. Party sources said if the meeting remained inconclusive and there is no unanimity amongst the MLAs, the decision could be left to the BJP Parliamentary Board.

The name of the new Chief Minister could either be announced after the MLAs meeting or later in the evening in New Delhi by the central leadership. The party would stake claim to form the Government on Tuesday evening and the State could see a new Chief Minister before Diwali, top party sources said.

As the BJP got unprecedented support from the areas dominated by non-Jats, it is expected that the party would prefer someone from these areas as the Chief Minister. Given that the party was never a strong political player in the State with only four MLAs in the last House, it hardly has any experienced face to choose from.

There is little possibility of a Union Minister from Haryana being chosen for the Chief Minister’s post. The reason is simple. There is no legislative council in Haryana from where they can get elected, and secondly with 47 members in the House the party cannot afford to ask a MLA to resign to accommodate any Union Minister. However, in the pool of possible names, there are two Union Ministers from Haryana in Modi Cabinet - Krishna Pal Gurjar from Faridabad and Rao Inderjeet Singh from Gurgaon. They, however, do not fulfill the caste equation in the new political realities of the state post the Assembly polls.

After winning the polls for the first time on its own, BJP leaders are now talking about the agenda before the new government. On top of their priority is freeze in the liberal policy on Change in Land Use (CLU) which helped Robert Vadra and hundreds of small and big builders of the state mint money in the last 10 years of Congress rule. (October 21, 2014)

 http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/bjp-to-name-haryana-cm-today.html

http://www.dailypioneer.com/state-editions/chandigarh/2014-10-20-69827.html

BJP scripts history in Haryana with ease

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

Riding a Modi wave in the backdrop of the anti-incumbency factor against the ruling Congress, the BJP swept Haryana and will form the Government for the first time alone. The BJP Parliamentary Board on Sunday evening decided to send Parliamentary Affairs Minister Venkaiah Naidu and BJP vice-president Dinesh Sharma to Haryana as the party’s observers to consult the elected candidates and local leaders to decide on the next Chief Minister of the State.

Haryana BJP chief Ram Bilas Sharma, BJP Jat face in the State Captain Abhimanyu and Manohar Lal Khattar, a 60-plus former RSS man, who won from Karnal, are among the hopefuls for the Chief Minister’s post, in addition to Anil Vij, who is four-time MLA from Ambala Cantt and leader of BJP legislature party in the outgoing Assembly.

Winning 47 seats in the 90-member Assembly, the party had fought the polls without projecting any chief ministerial candidate opening a flood of possibilities for the State leaders vying for the top job. In the 2009 polls, the BJP had won only four seats, indicating the groundswell of support and splendid performance in the polls. 

Bogged down by anti-Congress sentiments, infighting within the party, refusal of the voters to buy the developmental plank of the party, lack of vision for governance, series of scams pertaining to change in land use and the infamous Robert Vadra-DLF deal, Chief Minister Bhupinder Hooda was fighting a losing battle from the beginning. As soon as the results became clear, he accepted defeat, went to the Governor and resigned. He has been asked to continue as a caretaker Chief Minister till a Government takes over.

A beaming Kailash Vijayvargiya, in-charge of the BJP’s election in Haryana said: “People of Haryana wanted a change. Our party cadres and leaders worked very hard. The credit for our success has to go to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah.”

When a record 76.54 per cent electorate came out to vote on October 15, the writing was on the wall for the ruling Congress. This was a positive turnout and a vote for change. The rise in vote share of the BJP was a stupendous 24 per cent, catapulting it to power with 33.2 per cent of the votes. Last minute support of the influential Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda helped the party close some seats. This was the first time the BJP fought Haryana polls alone without any alliance.

All of the BJP’s chief ministerial candidates won. This included Manohar Lal Khattar from Karnal, State BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma from Mahendergarh, Capt Abhimanyu from Narnaund and Anil Vij from Ambala Cantt.Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda retained the family bastion of Garhi Sampla-Kiloi while Kiran Chowdhury, daughter-in-law of former Chief Minister Bansi Lal retained her Tosham seat.

INLD’s Abhay Singh Chautala, son of jailed party chief Om Prakash Chautala also won from Ellenabad and so did Naina Chautala, wife of jailed leader Ajay Chautala from Dabwali.Kuldeep Bishnoi Haryana Janhit Congress chief and son of former Chief Minister Bhajan Lal won from the family stronghold from Adampur, a seat which his father represented on several occasions. His wife Renuka Bishnoi also won from Hansi.

In the BJP wave, the most prominent loser was sitting MP from Hisar, Dushyant Chautala who tried his luck from Uchana Kalan on INLD ticket. Ajay Singh Yadav, the five-time Congress MLA and Minister in the Hooda Cabinet lost from Rewari in what is known as the Ahirwal. Despite aggressive campaigning, Geetika Sharma abetment to suicide case accused Gopal Kanda of Haryana Lokhit Party lost from Sirsa. Venod Sharma, the chief of Jan Chetna Party who had an alliance with HJC led by Kuldeep Bishnoi lost from Ambala City. Bishnoi’s brother, and former Deputy Chief Minister Chander Mohan who sought political rehabilitation after his conversion to Islam, second marriage and them reconversion from Nalwa also lost.

For External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, the biggest setback was loss of her sister Vandana Sharma  from Safidon. Contesting on a Congress ticket, the country’s richest woman Savitri Jindal too lost from Hisar. In the Lok Sabha polls, her son and coal scam tainted Naveen Jindal had lost from Kurukshetra.

Now BJP is spoilt for a choice. It would be tough for the party to decide who would be the Chief Minister of the State. The election was fought in the name of Modi and collective leadership.

The names doing rounds include RSS activist Manohar Lal Khattar, state BJP president Ram Bilas Sharma, BJP spokesman Capt Abhimanyu, Legislature party leader in the outgoing House Anil Vij, besides two Union Ministers who did not contest. Party sources, however, indicated that it could be one of the MLAs who would be the chosen for the top job. A decision is likely to be taken by the BJP Parliamentary Board on Monday. (October 20, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/bjp-scripts-history-in-haryana-with-ease.html

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Will ‘Exit’ signal for Cong hold true?

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

Change is in the air in Chandigarh, the joint capital of Haryana and Punjab. Not only is there a change in weather but winds of political change blew across the State in the run-up to the Assembly polls.

All exit polls suggested the rout of the ruling Congress. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, who had an extended run of almost 10 years, is all set to bid adieu, if the exit pollsters prove to be on the point.

The sentiments of employees of the State Government are perhaps a true indicator to gauge the mood of the people and the way political wind is blowing. Employees of the Haryana Civil Secretariat in Chandigarh have already written the Congress off.

“It now remains to be seen whether Congress would be reduced to single digit or gets into double digits or a dozen seats,” said a Director level officer. The official and other employees in the Secretariat are waiting for the next Government to take over.

In a political masterstroke, BJP in Haryana dumped the baggage of its ally Kuldeep Bishnoi led Haryana Janhit Congress and fought on all the 90 seats alone. Emboldened by the Modi wave, induction of top leaders from Congress and anti-incumbency sentiments against the Hooda Government, BJP hopes to form the Government alone for the first time.  Last minute support of the influential Sirsa based Dera Sacha Sauda, tilted the scale in its favour.

INLD gave BJP a run for its money in the run up to the polls with its chief Om Prakash Chautala getting benefit of a sympathy wave and attracting substantial crowd in his rallies. However, INLD failed to make an impression in the urban areas and lacked a direction with two of its top leaders-party chief himself and his son Ajay Chautala in jail. It was no match to the aggressive, business like approach of the BJP where Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah addressed over a dozen rallies each.

Hooda looked jaded and out of touch with the ground realities. A series of pre poll sops failed to cut ice as big ticket corruption (Robert Vadra-DLF land deal) rocked the state. Though he put a brave face forward against heavy odds, he is fighting more for the post poll arithmetic in state Congress rather than for forming the Government.

Given the realities, Hooda cannot even hope to become Leader of Opposition as INLD is set to bag the Number two position in the State.However, Hooda’s Cabinet had passed a note giving several perks to former Chief Ministers a year ago. He is set to enjoy those perks after the polls even if he is not the CM or the Leader of Opposition.

Political observers say the massive turnout of 76.54 per cent, surpassing the 47-year old record of 72.65 per cent in 1967 indicates change. “People voted against status quo,” said a Haryana watcher at Panjab University.BJP sources expressed confidence of a clear majority and already informal lobbying is on for the top post. Sources indicated that even if the party falls marginally short of the majority it has no dearth of “friends and well-wishers” in smaller parties like HJC and Jan Chetna Party of Venod Sharma. 

 Election department officials said that a clear trend would emerge in an hour of counting and by two hours, people would know who is forming the next government of the state. (October 19, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/sunday-edition/sunday-pioneer/nation/will-exit-signal-for-cong-hold-true.html

Dera swings balance ar 11th hour

Amitabh Shukla | Chandigarh

For the first time in Haryana, there would be two firsts — a serious three-cornered contest and the BJP emerging as a contender for power without any alliance. Opinion Polls may suggest a hung Assembly but the support extended by influential Dera Sacha Sauda to the BJP at the last minute has helped it significantly. The 90-member State Assembly could see a close contest between the BJP and the INLD with the ruling Congress effectively pushed to the third slot.

Issues and Factors

Robert Vadra-DLF land deal: This has become the bugbear of the Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government. Despite Congress’ spirited defence, the issue is stuck with the electorate with the BJP going hammer and tongs against it. The public perception that Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress president Sonia Gandhi, benefited immensely and minted money has gone too deep in the electorate to shake off whatever logic the Congress invented to justify the deal.

Policy on Change in Land Use (CLU): Anyone familiar with the State and who has been in the hinterland would be aware how CLU was used to benefit the chosen ones. Hooda himself was the Minister concerned of Town and Country Planning Department that decides which land should be converted from agricultural to residential or commercial, for over nine years. In urban Haryana CLU has become synonymous with favouritism and corruption and the BJP has used it to good effect. The BJP highlighted how brokers, property dealers and builders benefited during the two terms of Hooda.

Reservation for Jats: The dominant community of the State, comprising around one fourth of the population, was declared OBC even as only a section demanded it. This ate into the benefits of other OBCs in the State who have reacted rather strongly. While Jats, now OBCs, are least bothered whether they are counted as OBCs or not, the other genuinely backward communities have made it a poll issue.

Khaps: As always, they are divided on political lines with some supporting the INLD, others the Congress and now even the BJP has made inroads into them. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a word of praise for them, bringing smiles on the Khap leaders, who have been wrongly maligned over the years for supporting honour killings.

Dera Sacha Sauda: The last minute announcement of the influential Sirsa-based Dera led by the colourful Baba Gurmeet Ram Raheem to support BJP is expected to help in achieving the “Mission 60 Plus” of the party. The Dera, hitherto known to have a soft corner towards Congress, has a massive following in several parts of the state, particularly in the belt touching Punjab and its support base cuts across caste lines though the marginalised, poor and Dalits are its mainstay.

Parties

BJP: A resurgent BJP led in 52 Assembly segments in the May Lok Sabha elections as compared to four segments in the outgoing Assembly, triggering a wave of optimism in the party. With Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing over a dozen meetings in the State, the party hopes to form the Government on its own. In the GT Road belt and the urban areas of the State, there is a groundswell of support for the party. The party has also tried to forge a non-Jat caste alliance for the first time after Bhajan Lal. “There is a massive pro-BJP vote in the State and that is why we have given the slogan of Mission 60 plus,” said State party president Ram Bilas Sharma.

INLD: Riding a sympathy wave due to incarceration of its chief Om Prakash Chautala, the main Opposition party hopes to form the next Government with the support of smaller parties and Independents. Chautala’s rallies, before being sent back to Tihar Jail, saw a good response in the Jat belt of the State and elsewhere. In the rural areas (Bangar belt) and Jat hinterland, the party is expected to do well.

Congress: Double anti-incumbency in the State as well as the Centre has taken the sheen out of the Congress and the Hooda Government. A series of high profile desertions in the run-up to the polls, opposition within the Government by Ministers and factionalism in the State unit of Congress has made the matters worse for the ruling party. Except the Deswali belt (Rohtak, Jhajjar and surrounding areas) from where Hooda has support base intact, the party’s base has eroded significantly. “There is no anti-incumbency. We have performed and done something for every section of society,” said Hooda, putting on a brave face.

HJC, HJCP and HLP: The smaller regional parties like Haryana Janhit Congress led by Kuldeep Bishnoi, Jan Chetna Party led by Venod Sharma and Haryana Lokhit Party led by Gopal Kanda have tried to make it a three and a half way contest. They hope that in case there is a hung Assembly, like that of 2009, they will be able to play the kingmaker. “We will extend support to like minded parties if there is a hung Assembly,” Bishnoi said.

Caste combination: The Jats dominate the political landscape of the State with a population of 25 per cent. Their support is divided but the INLD seems to be their favourite except the Rohtak belt. Dalits comprise 20 per cent of the population and this time their support is divided between the BJP, the INLD and the Congress. Sikhs comprise around 7 per cent and despite the Congress bringing a Bill for separate Gurdwara, they are supporting either the INLD or the BJP. Punjabis are around 6 per cent and their support for the BJP is visible on the ground along with that of the Vaishya community which has a five per cent population. Ahir community (5 per cent) in south Haryana has shifted their allegiance to the BJP after Rao Inderjeet joined the party along with the Gujjars who comprise 4 per cent of the population. Others include Meo Muslims (3.5 per cent) who are divided between the INLD and the Congress, Sainis, Rajputs, Rors, Kumhars and others. (October 15, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/dera-swings-balance-at-11th-hour.html

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BIWI DO, VOTE LO! JIND BACHELORS TIE CANDIDATES IN KNOTS

Amitabh Shukla | Jind

When contesting candidates go to their  constituencies seeking votes, they expect demands of employment, opening of industries, water for irrigation, 24-hour electricity, health and educational facilities. But the extremely skewed gender ratio in this part of Haryana has changed dynamics of electoral demand with bachelors saying that their votes would go to the candidates or parties whoever promises to arrange brides for them.

An organisation called Kunwara Union (Bachelors’ Union) has sprung up in Jind. Its sole purpose is to ensure support for their cause. Their cause is simple — contesting candidates and parties should help them get married and settle in life of domestic bliss. “The candidates do not know how to respond to them or promise them as this is practically impossible,” said an office-bearer of Indian National Lok Dal (INLD). In the run-up to the polls, BJP Kisan Morcha chief OP Dhankar had given a controversial statement on the issue and since then politicians are maintaining a studied silence.

People no longer laugh at the demand of the Kunwara Union as the list of males above 40-years, who are yet to get brides, is growing longer. All of them have only one demand — wedding bells for them. Interestingly, most of them have turned champions of fight against female foeticide.

“We may not have exact figures of the unmarried males in their 30s and 40s but I am sure every village in Jind district has a house where there are unmarried males in this age group. This has disturbed the entire social balance. We are suffering and are forced to remain bachelors but our campaign against female foeticide would ensure that the next generation does not suffer,” said Ompal Singh, an office-bearer of the Kunwara Union. Ranvir, one of his associates in the organisation, says that several bachelors in the area have been duped by the so-called “Marriage Bureaus” who promise brides in arranged marriages but flee with the money after registration.

As campaigning came to an end for the Haryana Assembly polls, the skewed sex ratio in Jind and the surrounding areas has become a poll issue. There are 843 females to 1000 males in the district as per the 2011 census; one of the lowest and that explains why organisations like Kunwara Union have become important for the parties.

Hari Chand Middha, the sitting MLA of the INLD, said poor sex ratio was God’s wish. He avoids the issue in his meetings fearing electoral reverses but many in his entourage agree that the issue indeed is important. Supporters of the INLD said the party in its manifesto has promised to solve the acute problem of female foeticide.

Not surprisingly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who addressed a rally here two days ago, blamed female foeticide as the main reason for the skewed sex ratio in the State. He said that the nine worst affected districts of the country were in Haryana, stressing on the need for safety for women. “In Haryana, for every 1,000 males born there are only 875 girl child births. This is not god given that this is happening because we are committing a crime of killing the girl child before its birth,” Modi said while adding that development is the only solution to this problem.

Modi’s recognition of the issue has gone down well with the Kunwara Union. “You cannot turn a blind eye to the issue…Out vote is with the BJP,” said Pardeep Singh of the Union, who has been highlighting the issue at various forums. Surinder Singh Barwala, the BJP candidate from Jind, too talked of development to end female foeticide and the end of the woes of the bachelors of the next generation. His slogan is development, which he says, will solve the issue of skewed sex ratio. Several Khaps too are gradually speaking against female foeticide and have been proactive with the cause of the Kunwara Union. Though cosmetically, some of them are demanding brides for votes, they know the solution is long term and lies in improving the sex ratio. (October 14, 2014)

http://www.dailypioneer.com/todays-newspaper/biwi-do-vote-lo-jind-bachelors-tie-candidates-in-knots.html

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