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No compromise on the integrity of judges: CJI NEW DELHI, Nov 26: Asking courts to maintain the integrity of the justice dispensation process, Chief Justice of India V N Khare today firmly declared ......more Campaign
into last NEW DELHI, Nov 26: As electioneering in Delhi enters the last lap, political parties are poised to unleash their star ...more Battle
on, Hindutva NEW DELHI, Nov 26: With the battle cry of Hindutva reduced to a faint murmur in the national capital, the ruling ...more Ceasefire
will help RAIPUR, Nov 26: Defence Minister George Fernandes today expressed hope that ceasefire along ...more |
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Development overrides other issues in MP BHOPAL, Nov 26: Madhya Pradesh, dubbed as one of the Bimaru states, is for the first time in recent years witnessing a different phenomenon with ....more Intense
battle for NAGPUR, Nov 26: The story doing the rounds in this Jat heartland of Rajasthan is that that the tilt of "Baba"’s cap decides fate of ruling Congress ....more MARVAHI (CHHATTISGARH), Nov 26: This non-descript village in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh has suddenly assumed prominence but the only sign .....more ‘Speaker’s seat’ mangawan to witness tough BJP, Cong contest MANGAWAN, Nov 26: The Mangawan assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh, which has earned the distinction of being the "speaker’s seat," ......more |
No compromise on the integrity of judges: CJI NEW DELHI, Nov 26: Asking courts to maintain the integrity of the justice dispensation process, Chief Justice of India V N Khare today firmly declared that judicial office was essentially a public trust and there could be no compromise on the integrity and impartiality of the person holding such office. Speaking at the law day function organised by the Supreme Court Bar Association in the precincts of the Apex Court, Justice Khre said "judicial office is essentially a public trust" and enumerated the fundamental principles that a Judge should keep in mind after being elevated to the post. "Society is entitled to expect that a Judge must be a man of high integrity, honesty and required to have more vigour, ethical firmness or venial influences," he said. "Any conduct, which tends to undermine public confidence in the integrity and impartiality of the Judge, would be deleterious to the efficacy of judicial process. There cannot be any compromise on these fundamentals," Justice Khare said. He said an onerous duty has been cast on the Courts to protect the integrity of the judicial process which required that stringent standards be imposed upon the administration of justice. "A Judge is always a Judge and he cannot have a split personality with different traits at different times. All actions of a Judge must be judicious in character," he added. The Chief Justice said for efficient dispensation of Justice, the Courts should not allow erosion of the public faith and the high prestige and respect reposed in them by the citizens. "For efficient discharge of the responsibilities of the courts, it is essential that the broad confidence, which people have in them, the high prestige and the freat respect that they have enjoyed should be maintained and be not allowed to be eroded in any way," he said. Touching upon various activities undertaken by the Supreme Court to ease the congestion of cases including full-computerisation, Justice Khare said holding of Lok Adalats across the country has remarkably achieved the target in bringing down the arrears of cases in the High Courts and the Subordinate Courts. Appealing for further strengthening of the relations between the bench and bar, the Chief Justice said that those of us who were concerned about the institution have to remain ever vigilant that the healthy atmosphere was not allowed to be vitiated. "Let us on this day re-dedicate ourselves to serve the poor and disadvantageous sections of the society to ensure equal justice to all and mitiagte the grievances of the weaker section of the society," he said. (PTI) |
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Campaign into last week; political parties race against time NEW DELHI, Nov 26: As electioneering in Delhi enters the last lap, political parties are poised to unleash their star campaigners in a last-ditch effort to woo the electorate. BJP, which is making an all-out effort to regain power in the national capital after five years, has taken a lead in the campaign trail, like release of lists of candidates and manifesto. The party has already held over 200 public meetings, including the two addressed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and scheduled scores of others to be addressed by the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani, party chief M Venkaiah Naidu and other senior leaders over the next week. BJP candidates have also roped in candidates who have also roped in small-screen stars including ‘bahu’ Smriti Z Irani and Aman Verma of TV soap opera ‘Kyun Ki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi’. Film-star members of BJP Vinod Khanna, Dara Singh, Shatrughan Sinha and Hema Malini are also due to add glamour to the poll campaign for the battle to capture majority in the 70-member Delhi assembly. Congress was not only late in releasing the names of its candidates but also in issuing its manifesto and launching campaign in full steam. The party is yet to announce the campaign schedule of its chief Sonia Gandhi for Delhi although she has been addressing rallies in the other three states going to polls. Even as poll projections favour congress, BJP is seeking to corner the ruling party by highlighting its alleged "failures" particularly in power, water, education and healthcare sectors. "We will be highlighting the corruption in the Government about which we have already presented a chargesheet before the people," BJP general secretary V K Malhotra said. Agitated by the surveys, Delhi BJP president and party’s Chief Ministerial candidate Madan Lal Khurana even threatened to take "political sanyas" if these were proved correct. BJP, which lost power in 1998 due to onion crisis, is seeking to present itself as the one which "understands the problems of delhiites". It is raking up the issue of outbreak of dengue recently in Delhi and the infamous ‘Tandoor’ murder case in which a former Delhi youth Congress leader Sushil Kumar Sharma was sentenced to death for killing his wife. Congress, on the other hand, is projecting its "good governance and development" as its main plank to retain power. "We remind the people about the work we did in the last five years. People have seen and felt development undertaken by our Government," says Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit. Arguing that the "work which we started is not finished yet", she is asking voters to elect her party to power again if they "wanted Delhi’s development to be taken forward to make it a city of international standards." The Congress and BJP are vying with each other to take credit for developmental projets in Delhi. Dikshit lists the Delhi metro rail, construction of flyovers to ease traffic snarls and shifting of public transport from polluting diesel to environment-friendly cng as some of the achievements of her Government. Countering Diskhit’s assertions, Khurana asks her to "name only two works which you have initiated and completed." He maintains that the metro rail plan had been conceived during the tenure of BJP Government between 1993 and 1998 as had been the project of flyovers and CNG. The two parties, however, have similarity of views on the issue of full statehood for Delhi to end multiplicity of authority, although BJP accuses Congress of delaying it. The issue of unuathorised colonies is yet another subject on which both parties agree that these should be regularised. Both Congress and BJP blame rise in population due to continued influx of people from other parts of the country for sprouting of unauthorised colonies.(PTI) |
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Battle on, Hindutva plank reduces to faint murmur in capital NEW DELHI, Nov 26: With the battle cry of Hindutva reduced to a faint murmur in the national capital, the ruling Congress and main opposition BJP are vigorously drumming up the twin issues of quality of governance and overall development or the lack of it to woo the electorate for the December 1 elections to the 70-member Delhi assembly. Unlike in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, where elections are also scheduled for December 1, the plank of Hindutva in Delhi has been substantially marginalised despite the presence of 26 candidates of the (Delhi unit of the) Shiv Sena, which behave almost like a sworn enemy of the BJP. Instead corruption, development and quality of governance have emerged as the major issues which will determine the fate of the two major political formations at the hustings. That development is a major issue in the Delhi poll was underscored by none other than Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee himself who slammed the Congress Government in the city for depriving its people of fruits of development and lagging behind in infrastructure growth, especially roads and power. "Roads in Delhi are so shabby that even trucks break down while these are absolutely top rate in neighbouring Chandigarh and Jaipur. There is also shortage of power and drinking water, Mr Vajpayee told a BJP election rally, exhorting the electorate to vote for his party. Echoing similar feelings, BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu says development is the party’s plank not only in Delhi but also in Mizoram, where voting had already taken place, and the three other states. "We appeal to the people to compare the five years of achievements of the NDA rule at the Centre with 47 years of the Congress performance of broken promises, betrayal, misgovernance, corruption and failure on each and every front." Mr Khurana, a former Delhi Chief Minister credited with breathing life into the dormant Delhi BJP, also harps on corruption. The Congress should be dubbed as the Tandoor party , says Mr Khurana, in an apparent reference to former youth Congress president Sushil Sharma, who has been awarded capital punishment for killing his live-in partner Naina Sahni and stuffing her body in a hotel’s oven. Mr Khurana, a sitting MP who never fails to address Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit as his younger sister, however emphatically says that corruption, misgovernance, price rise, rising crime rate against women and erratic power and water supply are the issues for the BJP. The party manifesto promises setting up of an inquiry commission against some of the ‘corrupt’ deals, including power distribution contracts to private compare echoing similar feelings, BJP president M Venkaiah Naidu says development is the party’s plank not only in Delhi three other states. A combative Sheila Dikshit, known for her political astuteness and survival instincts, has not only trashed the BJP’s charges of corruption but is also flaunting the overall development in the city and introducing ‘a responsive and transparent administration.’ Slugging it out with Mr Khurana under media glare’ both Ms Dikshit and the BJP leader have fiercely fought each other during their eyeball to eyeball encounters on TV channels, the Chief Minister has been parading a slew of developmental works, privatisation of power supply, improved availability of potable water, world class flyovers, CNG-powered transport fleet and the metro rail. ‘The Congress Government, if given the mandate for the next five years, will strive to make the national capital a world class city and fight for full statehood, says the party’s manifesto, while trumpeting the Chief Minister’s pet project of Bhagidari bringing people closer to officialdom. Says Delhi Congress publicity committee Chief Vishwa Bandhu Gupta: ‘In the 1998 elections, it was the scarcity of onions that brought tears to the BJP and upset their applecart. In this election, the metro is most likely to benefit our party in a decisive manner. I have five trump cards to show: A public transport system running on CNG, the unveiling of the metro system, the construction of a large number of flyovers, the pegging down of pollution levels and the enhancement of women’s empowerment, Ms Dikshit says. She refuses to share credit for the metro with Mr Khurana, former Delhi Chief Minister. ‘The metro was Jawaharlal Nehru’s dream. The blueprint for it was prepared by Rajiv Gandhi and the Congress Government of Delhi has made it a reality.’ Both Ms Dikshit and Mr Khurana have led the campaign of their respective packs by filing defamation suits on the issue of corruption. Smarting under the BJP leader’s allegation that she had received Rs 15 crore for releasing Rs 105 crore to the private power distribution companies, the Chief Minister has filed a defamation suit against the former, seeking a token compensation of Rs 101. Sticking to his charges, Mr Khurana has struck back, but not against Ms Dikshit. He has served a legal notice of defamation on Delhi Congress president Prem Singh for alleging that he (Khurana) had collected huge money from traders and industrialists for his ‘Parivartan yatra . To counter the Naina Sahni murder episode, Congress leaders argue that the BJP should not be oblivious of the,Judeo bribery scandal, which has ripped the fagade of the party with a difference.’ On the other hand, the Shiv Sena, which drew a blank in the last elections, has blamed the BJP for its ‘betrayal and failure to address the Hindutva issue.’ The outfit’s Delhi unit president Jai Bhagwan Goyal says the BJP is only paying a lip service to the ayodhya issue. He is also critical of the BJP s’ policy of appeasement towards Pakistan. ‘We are not at all convinced by the Delhi BJP’s promise of an anti-conversion law in its manifesto.’ In the 1998 polls, the Congress secured an absolute majority by bagging 53 seats while the BJP could manage a niggardly 14. (UNI) |
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MARVAHI (CHHATTISGARH), Nov 26: This non-descript village in Bilaspur district of Chhattisgarh has suddenly assumed prominence but the only sign that Marvahi is the constituency of the newly-carved state’s first Chief Minister Ajit Jogi is that it is well connected to neighbouring villages with asphalted roads. The former bureaucrat-turned-politician appears to have a larger-than-life profile being in the news continuously, at times may be for wrong reasons, but faces a stiff challenge from BJP’s senior leader Nand Kumar Sai, the leader of the opposition in the 90-member assembly, in December 1 assembly polls. The entry of State Women’s Commission Chairperson Hemvant Porte of NCP into the fray has made it a triangular contest in a field of seven where BJP is making corruption and conversion as its main poll planks. Porte may be considered a political lightweight compared to Jogi and Sai but the fact cannot be ignored that her late husband Bhanvar Singh Porte had won from this constituency on previous four occasions—thrice on Congress ticket while as a BJP nominee once. The Dilip Singh Judeo controversy, behind which BJP alleges Jogi’s hand, does not appear to find any mention. If Porte, who commands a considerable influence on the tribal population, secures 10-12 thousand votes, then she is likely to wreck Jogi’s chances, local pollsters say, in this constituency of 1.38 lakh voters. However, Jogi is unfazed. He is not campaigning here. "If I have done any developmental work in this village, then people will ensure that I romp home victorious", Jogi told his followers after filing nomination at Bilaspur, the district headquarters, on November 12. And Congress workers are not worried either that their leader is not campaigning. "We feel that Jogi should not come for canvassing. The people and party workers will ensure his victory", party’s district general secretary Gyanendra Upadhyaya, who is handling the campaigning, told PTI at the Congress’ election office in Marvahi. Sitting along with the partymen, Upadhyaya rubbishes aside Porte’s candidature saying "Jogi is not going to be affected by it". Though villagers say that her presence would necessarily bring down Jogi’s victory margin of 51,000 votes in the by-poll, he contested in 2001 after assuming the reins of the state. Ask about cash-on-camera controversy involving former Union Minister Dilip Singh Judev and both Congress and BJP workers skirt the issue. "It is a non-issue, conspiracy hatched by Congress", I P Tiwari of BJP says and with Amit’s name being dragged into the controversy, the Congress workers are keeping discreet silence over the issue. "The tapes have exposed the BJP which always claims of probity in public life", Upadhyaya said. And this is not the first contest between Jogi and Sai. The BJP leader had earlier lost to Jogi in 1998 Lok Sabha elections from Raigarh constituency. "Jogi will repeat his performance this time with an emphatic victory", Congress workers say and they are banking on the history of the constituency while making the claim. Since 1952 polls, Marvahi has elected Congress for a record nine times while favouring BJP only on two occasions. Most Congress workers sarcastically say that to remove Sai from the race of the Chief Ministership, he was asked to contest against Jogi at the last moment. But Porte, who incidentally had canvassed for Jogi in the by-poll, says her fight is against the "corruption and suppressive rule of Congress Government. I want to do justice to the tribals of the region and work for their uplift." Sai is fighting on the issue of corruption and conversions and at the same time questioing the "tribal status" of Jogi.. But Upadhyaya says the matter of Jogi’s caste certificate is being raised by the opposition merely to "divert" the people’s attention from the real issue of development. Since Jogi became the Chief Minister, he has ensured road connectivty to Marvahi, solved the electricity and water scarcity on war-footing and improved health and education facilities, Upadhyaya claimed. However, BJP’s I P Tiwari says that despite being the Chief Minister’s constituency, Marvahi has not developed in the last three years under Jogi’s rule. Development is lacking in the villages and poor tribals and downtrodden are sufferring since the Government has "failed" to do anything for their welfare. The mood in the BJP camp is upbeat following a public meeting of Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani and filmstar-turned-Union Minister Vinod Khanna. "You will witness a big upset after the results are announced", Tiwari says. NCP state unit chief Vidyacharan Shukla and senior leader Arvind Netam have canvassed for Porte. But while BJP and NCP bigwigs are visiting Marvahi, there is not a single big leader from Congress touring the village. Amit Jogi, the son of the Chief Miniser, visited the constituency a week ago to oversee the capaigning and since then monitoring the developments only on phone. Referring to senior BJP ad NCP leaders visiting Marvahi, Ajay Choube, a block president of the local unit of the Cogress, sarcastically remarked that only after Jogi decided to contest from here these leaders are worried about the development of the village. "In previous elections not a single worth his name from any party visited Marvahi." The Congress workers are also terming Sai as an "outiider" since the BJP leader has been getting elected from Tapkara to the state assembly. "How can he belong to the people here? it is Jogi, who knows the issues concerning tribals, a true representative of Marvahi," a Congress loyalist said. Jogi’s posters, banners and graffiti have virtually overshadowed Marvai. Not a major house, strategic point and public place is without his poster. Both Sai and Porte are lagging behind on this front. Most of the posters only mention Sai’s name but have a photograph of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Similar is the case with Porte on whose banner Shukla features prominently along with the party’s symbol. (PTI) |
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‘Speaker’s seat’ mangawan to witness tough BJP, Cong contest MANGAWAN, Nov 26: The Mangawan assembly constituency in Madhya Pradesh, which has earned the distinction of being the "speaker’s seat," seems set to witness a tough fight with the BJP mounting a determined challenge to defeat assembly speaker and senior Congress leader Srinivas Tiwari, who has represented the constituency in the house since 1990. Though there are eight candidates in the fray, the electoral fight will be a straight contest between Mr Tiwari and the BJP nominee, his old political rival Girish Gautam. In the last elections, Mr Tiwari had defeated Mr Gautam, who contested the polls on a CPI ticket, by a slim margin of 294 votes. Part of Rewa district, the Mangawan assembly constituency is a Congress bastion and the party has lost only two elections — 1952 and 1972 — from here. The constituency, in the Vindhya region of the state, was recently in news for the deletion of 21,000 names from the electoral rolls by the Election Commission of India. The ECI had said names of those people, who did not exist, had been included . Both the candidates have been associated with the constituency for more than a decade. Though development is the main issue in the assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, the Congress candidate is raising the elimination of names from the electoral list as his poll plank. "The BJP conspired with the Election Commission to get the names of my supporters deleted from the list.... This is a strategy of the BJP to cut down my vote share," he alleges. "I am amazed at how the BJP candidates’ family members’ names have replaced the deleted names on the list. It also includes an absconding criminals name," Mr Tiwari adds. However, Mr Tiwari expresses confidence about his victory. "I will win this election because the people are with me.... They will send me to the assembly again," he asserts. On the other hand, for Mr Gautam, who contested the 1993 and the 1998 polls on a CPI ticket, neglect of the constituency and lack of development are the main issues. "How can the Congress shirk its responsibility. This area has not seen any development.... They have to be accountable for their non-performance," says Mr Gautam, who will be in a direct electoral contest against Mr Tiwari for the third time. But political observers say for the more than 1,80,000 electorate in the constituency caste of the candidates will be a decisive factor in deciding the victor. The constituency has the Brahmins and Thakurs as the majority community followed by the Dalits. The observers say since Mr Gautam is a Thakur and Mr Tiwari a Brahmin, it will be a close contest with an interesting third angle added by the candidature of the BSP candidate Pradeep Singh Patna. "Dalits will obviously favour Mr Patna. The BSP will reduce the vote share of the two major parties, and by what percentage that will be interesting to see," they add. The observers also predict that intra-party rivalry within the Congress might create hurdles for Mr Tiwari, as senior Congress leader Arjun Singh, who hails from the Vindhya region, has had his differences with Mr Tiwari. "It is a well known fact that both the leaders have had differences. Mr Singh’s supporters might work against Mr Tiwari and and effect his electoral fate," the observers said. People vocally express their resentment against the lack of development and infrastructure. "Politicians are seen only when they require our vote. They promise us the moon but after the elections they simply vanish," says 48-year-old Guna. Electioneering is at its peak here, with campaign material seen all around and all the candidates aggressively campaigning in the constituency. Polling officers in all the 184 booths in the constituency will from other districts. The Election Commission has deployed 1500 officials from Bhopal, 1500 from Jabalpur and 3000 from Satna for polling duty in Rewa. (UNI) Vajpayee’s visit to enthuse political activity LUCKNOW, Nov 26: The day-long visit of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee tomorrow to his Parliamentary constitutency is expected to enthuse political activity in Uttar Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections next year. Although, Mr Vajpayee would reach here around 1145 Hrs, he would attend the first official function at 1630 Hrs where he will release a stamp on late poet Hari Vansh Rai Bachchan. During his four-hour long hiatus at the Raj Bhawan, he is likely to meet senior BJP, RSS leaders and other delegates. District authorities said the time between 1200 and 1600 Hrs was ‘reserved’ for the VVIP. This is the first time the PM would visit his Lok Sabha constituency with an opposition Government in the state after the Samajwadi Party led Government took over from the BSP-BJP coalition on August 29. The visit is ‘critical’ since the PM would have to skip election campaigning for a day in the four states, which are going to polls on December 1. A BJP source said the PM would discuss the political situation in the state with party leaders and could also finalise strategy for for the Lucknow Parliament seat, which he represents. Even though details of his meeting with BJP leaders had not been disclosed, sources said party leaders including close-confidante of Mr Vajpayee and BJP legislature party leader Lalji Tandon would hold a close-door meeting with Mr Vajpayee on forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. The Prime Minister would attend’ an Eid Milan’ function at the NBRI lawns in the evening. During this programme, Mr Vajpayee would meet Muslim clerics. This would be the second ‘Eid Milan’ function that he would attend after the official one at New Delhi. BJP sources said he would also review developmental programmes under his MP lad fund in the state capital. This would be the first time, PM would not inaugurate any development project in his constituency. During his last visit here in may he had inaugurated over 1,000 developmental projects worth over Rs 2,000 crore. Sources said the PM would also hold parleys with Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav, who would request him to announce special financial package for the state. (UNI) Expelled Bhati a threat to BJP in Bikaner, Shekhawati region BIKANER, Nov 26: Expelled BJP leader Devi Singh Bhati, who has converted his outfit Samajik Nyaya Manch (social justice forum) into a political outfit, could spoil the prospects of the saffron party candidates in Bikaner and Shekhawati region. Bhati, a Rajput, who is contesting from Kolayat, a seat he won in 1998 on BJP ticket, may find it difficult to retain his place in the assembly but may make situation favourable for the ruling Congress in atleast 15 assembly seats. In a district of about 11 lakh voters, Rajputs have significant presence and in absence of any known leader on its side belonging to the community, BJP could suffer a setback as Bhati is working against it. The manch’s presence in the polls could hurt BJP in about 15 of the 22 assembly seats in the region comprising Bikaner, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh and Churu districts. However, infighting in Congress, as is evident from sitting MP Rameshwar Lal Dudi working against his own party candidate and MLA Rewat Ram Panwar in Nokha gives some cheers to BJP. Panwar’s campaigner and office coordinator Hanuman Prasad told PTI that the MP was openly opposing the party candidate for "personal reasons". "There is no question of patch up with BJP", manch secretary Akhtar Hussain said. On Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s announcement that a decision would be taken after the polls on providing reservation to upper castes on economic basis, the issue on which Bhati revolted, Hussain said "we are not satisfied with PM’s attitude. If they had decided something before the elections we could have talked". Campaigners of manch which has not fielded a single Jat, however, feel that support of about 36 castes would give the new organisation a significant presence in a coalition government as the elections were heading for a hung assembly. A prominant Congress rebel Gopal Joshi who jumped into the fray on manch’s ticket is posing a big threat to sitting BJP MLA Manik Chand Surana in Lunkaransar, although he is considered to be on a strong wicket. However, BJP has made inroads in Nokha and Dungargarh where Congress rebel Malaram has virtually finished the ruling party’s chances. Bereft of any party wave the electorate are generally evaluating the performance of sitting MLAs many of whom, they feel, were facing corruption charges. A cross section of voters, including some of BJP supporters, admit that Government had done rather well in managing drought relief works. However, they wonder if it will be enough for the ruling party to sail through. (PTI) Raje exudes confidence of becoming first woman CM of Rajasthan BAYANA (RAJASTHAN), Nov 26: Exuding confidence that BJP would win majority seats in the assembly elections in Rajasthan, party’s Chief Ministerial candidate Vasundhara Raje today said her royal background and being woman were working in her advantage, rather then otherwise, in the poll campaign. "I don’t believe that my royal linkage would be disadvantageous. Being a woman is definitely helping me in communicating with people, particulaly women in rural areas," Raje told PTI on-board a helicopter during her campaign tour in Bharatpur and Dholpur areas. To a question as to how she feels being projected as the first women Chief Minister of Rajasthan in "male dominated" BJP, she said there were many areas that were male dominated and BJP cannot be singled out for that. Asked whether she took inspiration from Indira Gandhi irrrespective of party considerations, Raje said "I take inspiration from my mother late Vijaya Raje Scindia who taught us how one should be generous and courteous with every human being irrespective of ones’ status. Denying reports that some senior state leaders of BJP were considering her as an imposed leader and not cooperating with her, Raje said all were working united for the success of the party at the hustings. Considering her open mindedness as her real strength, Raje said her weakness was that she cannot make false promises to people standing on public platforms. Asserting that there had been no change in the people’s mood against present Congress Government, that was witnessed during her parivartan yatra two months back, Raje regretted that "casteism was being spread by Congress and it was like dividing brothers for petty political gains." Rejecting reports that Rajasthan was heading for a hung assembly, she said "people have decided to vote BJP to power this time." However, she refused to speculate the number of seats her party would garner in the December 1 polls. Raje said she had already visited 55 assembly constituencies and was going to many others before the campaigning ends. About Rama Pilot, widow of senior Congress leader Rajesh Pilot, who is opposing her from Jhalarapatan, she said, had she been fearful of her rival "I would have been stuck up in my own constituency and I would not have been here." "Rama Pilot is no factor," she claimed. Raje, who addresses seven to eight elections meetings daily to canvass for her party in different parts of Rajasthan conceded that BJP’s senior state leaders like Hari Shankar Bhabhara, Lalit Kishore Chaturvedi and Ghansyam Tiwari were busy in their own constituencies and cannot find time to campaign in other places. However, she said, leader of opposition in assembly Gulab Chand Kataria is campaigning for party candidates in Udaipur region. "All of our MPs, including Union Ministers, Jaswant Singh, Subhash Meharia and Kailash Meghwal, are intensely campaiging for the party," she said. "I myself wanted to visit more areas to canvass for my party candidates but time constraint is there," she added. Raje said that she had been communicating with people at the grassroots wonderfully but less with media. "But I don’t regret it. My direct communication with people is much more helpful for me and my party." (PTI) CHAMBA, Nov 26: A handkerchief is normally not the best piece of cloth to be viewed or presented but in this town on the banks of the Ravi, this piece of cloth is perhaps the best present that one can offer to a tourist or visitor. Popularly known as ‘Chamba rumal’ is a piece of artistry and is the pride of the people of the area. The ‘rumal’ is avaliable in different sizes and is a depiction of the beauty of the Chamba valley as well as of the religious belief’s of the area. Perhaps it would be apt to describe this piece of artistry in the words of the famous Pakistan ghazal singer Ghulam Ali who in one of his famous ghazals spoke of the beauty of the women folk of the area. ‘Chambe Diye Bandh Kaliey Thnue Kere Vele Rab Ne Baniyan’(when did God make the bud of Chamba). The rumal is indeed a depiction of the beauty of the women folk who weave this piece of cloth,which is much sought after by those who know about it.Unfortunately not many tourists coming here are aware of the ‘Chamba rumal’. The rumal is quite akin to a ‘Pahari’ painting on a peice of cloth. However the gentle hands that weave sceneries and other figures on this peice of cloth use needles and thread and not water colours. According to the weavers it takes about one month to produce figures on a rumal of two feet in length and width.Stories of Radha-Krishna, Ram-Sita, Rukhmani Haran and other religious stories are woven on this piece of cloth. The scenenic beauty of the area is also woven on ‘Chamba rumals’. Unlike the normal handkerchieves, the ‘Chamba rumal’ has to be framed on the sides so as to make a decorative piece. One ‘rumal’ costs between rupees 100 depending on the size and could even go upto Rs 10,000. The cost also depends on the embroidary work on the cloth. According to a few historical facts avaliable,the erstwhile ruler of Chamba state,Bhuri Singh (1904-19) took many pieces of embroidered cloth to Delhi and presented these as gifts to the British rulers. Since then these came to be known as ‘rumals’ or handkerchief’s. However the art of embroidery existed in the area long time back and the history of this rumal goes back to over two hundred years back. Mrs Lalita Vakil, a third generation of crafts-person for whom the art has been passed-on from her mother and grand-mother, is sad that the art is slowly dying away. She is trying to revive this art and has opened a centre where she trains girls in embroidery. Unfortunately even the Government has neglected this traidional art over the years. Mrs Vakil herself learnt the art of stitching from the late Maheshwari Devi, a recipitent of the President’s award of master craftsman won in 1965. She herself has won many awards at the national level for her embroidery skills. (UNI) |
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