Monday, November 16, 1998

Jha was killed as he knew secret: CBI
NEW DELHI, Nov 15 — Knowledge of the alleged deal between the Congress and JMM to save the Narasimha Rao government during the July 1993 no-confidence motion and an act of sodomy led to the murder of Shashi Nath Jha, the then Secretary to JMM MP Shibu Soren, the CBI has claimed.

Corruption, nepotism not to be tolerated: PM

TIKAMGARH (MP) Nov 15 (UNI) — Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee today said that his government would not tolerate corruption and nepotism.

Addressing a gathering at the Police Grounds here, he castigated the Congress for spreading corruption at all levels. Despite this they have not spelt any measure to root out corruption in their manifesto", he added.

Claiming that not a single case of corruption had surfaced during the BJP-led government’s eight-month rule at the Centre, he said he was ready to order an investigation if anyone raised an accusing finger at his government.

Pointing out that the Bundelkhand region of the state had remained under the "tyranny" of feudalistic elements, he urged the masses to repose confidence in the BJP to free them from oppression.

Criticising the Congress for the proliferation corruption in society, Mr Vajpayee lamented that this had impeded the percolation of development to the lowest strata of society. "The BJP is however formulating a plan to change this system and benefit the poor", he disclosed.

Referring to the damage caused to the crops of onion, potato and pulses due to vagaries of nature and their subsequent price rise, Mr Vajpayee said that the Congress’s attempt to grab power by riding on a "pile of onions" would prove futile.

"Prices of onions and potatoes have slid down", he claimed.

Admitting that the price of pulses had not yet been contained, he said a new scheme for increasing production of pulses and oilseeds was on the anvil.

Pointing out that production had a direct correlation with price, he said the farmers of the country were largely affected by the inclemency in weather. "We are working on a scheme to open cold stores on a large scale", he added.

INDORE: Mr Vajpayee said that an official Indian technical team will visit Islamabad soon to negotiate the purchase of power from Pakistan.

Speaking to reporters at the airport here this morning, before departing for New Delhi after a day’s electioneering in Madhya Pradesh, Mr Vajpayee described the resumption of dialogue between both countries as a constructive step.

Dismissing that the recently concluded talks were a failure, he said the very fact that Pakistan had agreed to continue talks at the official level without insisting on the inclusion of the Kashmir issue was "definitely" a sign of change in Pakistan’s attitude.

Two rounds of talks has already been held, first in Islamabad and recently in New Delhi, the third round will be held soon. He said considerable progress was made in the two rounds of talks towards improving bilateral relations and added that Pakistan had agreed to release all detained Indian fishermen.

The two countries, also have agreed to a proposal for running a bus service between Delhi and Lahore. Talks at official-level between both countries were also on to stop border skirmishes. The Prime Minister reiterated that bilateral talks were the only way to resolve bilateral disputes between the two neighbours and said India was prepared to wait.

Mr Vajpayee said the decision of Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee, an ally of the BJP at the Centre, to observe December 6 anniversary of the demolition of the disputed structure in Ayodhya as a "black day", would not affect stability of the Central government.

He refuted senior Congress leader Arjun Singh’s charge that his government had failed to mobilise envoys to explain India’s side of Pokhran II and that exposed its failure on the foreign policy front.

"Envoys were sent on tour to a large number of countries including the USA and its success was evident from the resolution passed by SAARC upholding India’s stand calling for elimination of all nuclear weapons by the nuclear weapons states," he said.

"Now the United Nations has also passed a resolution upholding India’s stand on total nuclear disarmament", Mr Vajpayee added. On the issue of the CTBT, he said talks were on with the USA and the outcome would depend on those deliberations.

Serial blasts: probe report by Feb '99

COIMBATORE, Nov 15 (PTI) — The Justice P.R. Gokulakrishnan Commission, appointed by the Tamil Nadu government to inquire into the serial bomb blasts here, is expected to submit its final report by February.

Justice Gokulakrishnan told reporters he wanted to submit the report before February 14, the date when the blasts occurred in 1998.

"But it may spill over, depending on the receipt of evidences," he said.

Some more evidences from police and revenue officials were awaited and these were expected to the one-man commission by the month end or the first week of December, he said.

The commission, which had also been directed to probe the murder of Traffic constable Selvaraj here in November 1997 that triggered violent incidents in the city, submitted its report on the incident to the government on Friday.

Justice Gokulakrishnan said he had been able to submit the investigation report in Selvaraj’s murder case within one year, barring the sixth term of reference relating to fixing the quantum of compensation to the victims.

The commission had received 933 applications claiming property loss to the extent of Rs 59 crore in violence and subsequent police firing following Selvaraj’s murder, which led to the loss of 23 lives.

Justice Gokulakrishnan said as many as 387 witnesses had been examined and heard so far. The damage assessment reports would be submitted in a staggered manner to provide early justice and relief to the affected, he said.

The commission was likely to get an extension for three more months, Justice Gokulakrishnan, who is here to hear the witnesses, said.

It had received 530 petitions claiming compensation to the extent of Rs 16 crore for property loss in the bomb blasts which claimed over 60 lives and injured 200 persons.

The commission had, so far examined 75 witnesses, some of whom had claims of more than Rs one crore, he said.

In this case also, the commission would file only five out of six terms of references, keeping the compensation aspect for a later date, but at the earliest, he added.

The commission, which had to inquire into the conspiracy angle behind the incidents and to identify the individuals, agencies or organisations responsible for them, had examined witnesses from political parties and various organisations, he said.

Besides probing the causes and circumstances leading to the blasts, the commission also had to inquire into the allegation on the presence of one or more "human bombs" at the venue of a public meeting with a view to killing or harming BJP leader L.K. Advani.

Indo-Pak talks
Slight but steady progress

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 (PTI) — As India and Pakistan ended yet another round of inconclusive talks here, foreign policy experts found the outcome "predictable," but say no headway can be expected unless the political leadership on either side shows the requisite will.

Officials of the two countries met in Delhi for nine days from November 5 to 13 to talk about Tulbul to trade to terrorism only to agree to disagree and to meet again.

"One did not really expect that any problems would be solved...Political will is required from both sides and I don’t think that the two sides displayed it," says former Foreign Secretary Muchkund Dubey, who led the first round of talks in April 1991.

According to Mr Dubey it was not very different from the previous rounds although it is "important that they have agreed to continue."

"Unless the political leaderships are willing to arrive at a breakthrough, technical experts (bureaucrats) will not be able to achieve results, says Prof Amitabh Mattoo of Jawaharlal Nehru University.

"While veteran journalist Kuldip Nayyar considers these talks better than previous rounds "in that they had failed," Mr C. Uday Bhaskar, Dy Director Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses (IDSA) is "not surprised" by the outcome on talks because of the "deep divergence in the approach to the core issue and because Pakistan has put all its energies into internationalising the Kashmir issue."

Similarly, Mr P.R. Chari, co-director, Institute for Peace and Conflict Studies, who "did not expect anything" from the last round, says earlier too the countries have talked only due to international pressure and that they have not broken up this time is in line with the post-Pokhran ii P-5 resolutions that called India and Pakistan to resolve their disputes.

"The current round of talks in a sense is fulfilment of that demand but not in spirit," says Mr Chari, noting that such talks (without breakthroughs) breed cynicism and overall disenchantment with the process.

While Mr Mattoo and Mr Bhaskar agree that the international community has played a role in initiating the talks and kept them going, Mr Bhaskar says ultimately India and Pakistan will have to realise that they are getting diminishing returns and will have to settle issues.

Notwithstanding Pakistan’s insistence to address the core issue of Kashmir, which according to Mr Chari is frustrating even international experts, Mr Bhaskar says a nuclear and moderately stable Pakistan is in India’s interest.

A continuous dialogue is a means towards achieving that end, he says suggesting New Delhi can show flexibility and firmness in its dealings with Islamabad.

Mr Nayyar, whose Pakistan-India people’s forum for peace and democracy is recognised as a successful track two diplomacy initiative, says non-officials should also be involved in the Indo-Pak dialogue because "bureaucrats stick to the brief that is given to them and do not budge from that."

Given the complexity of the relationship, they note political will is central to solving the disputes. Basing his premise on the pattern of previous talks, Mr Mattoo notes that by 1960, both Pakistan and India had resolved all their disputes on division of assets, but for Kashmir.

The political will/belief then was that both the nations had a common history and as two modern nations they should co-operate, says Mr Mattoo noting that by the 70s vote bank politics, belligerence and a host of other factors succeeded in keeping the relationship strained.

Even Mr Gujral, during whose tenure in 1997, the foreign secretary level talks revived following the failure after seven rounds in 1994, found that the process of dialogue was structured differently and was not as easy as it appeared to be, he says.

While many Indian experts say Pakistan’s fixation with Kashmir overshadows progress of the composite dialogue, Mr Mattoo says it was not good on the part of our Home Minister to call Pakistan a terrorist state.

"What was the need for it when the next day the Home Secretary was to provide evidence that Pakistan is supporting terrorism. It sends wrong signals," says Mr Mattoo.

Mr Mattoo also holds political tensions responsible for the spotty success on a host of military confidence building measures that have been agreed upon between 1990 and 1997 as also the 1972 Simla Agreement which virtually treats the LoC as the international border.

Summarising the just concluded composite dialogue point by point, he says minimal progress was made on the trade front, where they decided to work on a framework for co-operation in power, telecommunication and railways and easing travel restrictions for people.

This because there is a growing constituency in the countries that wants it to happen. However, Sir Creek, Tulbul and Siachen so far do not have big domestic constituencies forcing settlements on that front, hence the stalemate, says Mr Mattoo.

With the Army playing a significant role in the talks and having incurred heavy losses, it is proving to be difficult for India to withdraw from the inhospitable glacier to the pre-1984 position, says Mr Chari suggesting "that’s reneging on the 1988 agreement."

But unlike Mr Mattoo, Mr Bhaskar insists that keeping Pakistan engaged in the dialogue does not mean going soft on the terrorism front.

India should go firm on such issues and providing evidence in this direction is only correct given that they had asked for it. Pakistan should similarly provide evidence if it blames India for destabilising activities, says Mr Bhaskar.

However, New Delhi should also show flexibility in areas of cultural exchange and easing travel restrictions that would lead to better understanding at the level of masses.

As for trade, which will in any case "find the highest profits," he notes that the the two countries are slowly realising the futility of not opening up specially in the face of a $ 2 billion annual clandestine trade that is conducted across the dotted line.

Nevertheless, Mr Mattoo and Mr Nayyar note that nuclear status seems to have granted a degree of confidence and stability to the political leadership in Pakistan which should now enable it to address outstanding issues without fear of getting annihilated by India.

Expressing optimism at the future of Indo-Pak dialogue, Mr Mattoo says any clear improvement in the short and medium term is difficult to achieve. But nuclear weapons may prove to be instruments of peace that will bring about stability.

Jha was killed as he knew secret: CBI

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 (PTI) — Knowledge of the alleged deal between the Congress and JMM to save the Narasimha Rao government during the July 1993 no-confidence motion and an act of sodomy led to the murder of Shashi Nath Jha, the then Secretary to JMM MP Shibu Soren, the CBI has claimed.

“Jha was aware of the illegal transactions and also expected, and demanded, a substantial share out of this amount from Soren,” the CBI said in the charge sheet filed before Delhi Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) R K Gauba in the Jha murder case.

He was apprehensive of the threat to his life from Soren and his family members and had told his mother Priyambada Devi and brother Vijay Nath Jha about it, the agency said.

On May 20, 1994, three days before his “mysterious disappearance”, Jha had confided in a JMM activist that he had sodomised a relative of Soren, the CBI charge sheet claimed.

This was known to every member of the Soren family, including his son Durga Soren, at present an MLA in the Bihar Assembly, and Jha was apprehensive of him, the CBI said.

“Jha had been putting pressure on Shibu Soren to get much more financial favours in lieu of his knowledge of secrets and illegal financial dealings of Soren,” the CBI alleged.

According to the charge sheet, between July 1993 and May 1994, Soren had shown financial favours to Jha which resulted in the sudden change in the “style and status” of the latter.

Soren had floated a partnership firm, ‘Simex International’ with the bribe money wherein Jha was made an equal partner along with Soren’s son, wife and chartered accountant Sushil Kumar, the investigating agency said.

The firm and its bank account were closed immediately after Jha disappeared in May, 1994.

A close confidante of the then JMM MP from Dumka in Bihar, Jha was working as Private Secretary to Soren since 1980. He was handling Soren’s secret matters, including the financial ones, the CBI charge sheet said.

Jha had also told several persons that he was expecting his share very soon from Soren of the money received by JMM leaders for saving the Narasimha Rao government, the CBI said.

Between December 1993 and January 1994, some posters had come up all over Bokaro and other parts of “Jharkhand” area containing allegations regarding JMM pay-offs and details of bank accounts where the said bribe money was deposited, it said.

When these posters were shown to Soren, he was perturbed and stated that Jha must have leaked this information to Krishna Marandi, fellow JMM leader, the CBI said.

Besides Soren, others named in the case are: Ashish Thakur, Sunil Khaware, Nand Kishore Mehta, alias Nandu, Ajay Kumar Mehta, alias Dilip, Pashupati Nath Mehta, alias Posho and Shailendra Bhattacharya.

Soren, Khaware and Thakur, at present on bail, have been summoned by the court on November 20, while other accused are already in judicial custody (jail).

Meanwhile, the CBI has also said that the railway tickets for Shashi Nath Jha and his abductors who allegedly took him to Bihar were “confirmed” against headquarters quota either at the behest of the Railway Minister or the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

“So many berths could have only been released to one group either by the Minister of Railways himself or through the PMO,” the CBI claimed in its charge sheet.

According to the CBI, Jha was abducted from Dhaula Kuan area of Delhi and was taken to Ranchi in Bihar on May 23, 1994 where he was killed and his body buried at Piska Nagri.

The scrutiny of the printout of travel details of the Howrah-Rajdhani Express on the relevant day revealed that nine tickets bearing PNR Nos. 710507 and 610513 had been booked on May 21, 1994 for May 23 from Mew Delhi to Howrah, the CBI said.

All these tickets, booked in fictitious names, were got confirmed against the headquarters quota on May 23, 1994 and the berths allotted were A2-10,13,14,15,16 and A1-37,38,39,40 the CBI charge sheet alleged.

“It is very intriguing as to how so many berths were got confirmed against headquarters quota on two tickets in the peak season of May. Even then, the railway authorities are finding hard to explain this aspect,” the agency said.

However, this information could not be conclusively verified due to non-availability of reservation slips as these records are kept by the Railways for a period of six months only, the CBI said.

Outer Delhi constituency
Rural voters hold key
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 — Most of the Assembly segments falling within Outer Delhi Parliamentary constituency can best be described as urbanised villages set in rural background.

The Assembly seats in Outer Delhi, which number 21 including five reserved constituencies, are dotted with villages, unauthorised settlements and re-settlement colonies.

In Outer Delhi, the Assembly seats stretch from Madipur via Nangloi Jat, where election has been adjourned following the killing of Samata Party candidate Ved Singh, to Tughlaqabad.

Trinagar, Shakurbasti, Shalimar Bagh, Badli, Shahabad-Daulatpur, Bawana, Sultanpur Majra, Mongolpuri, Vishnu Garden, Hastsal, Najafgarh, Nasirpur, Palam, Mahipalpur, Mehrauli, Saket, Dr Ambedkar Nagar and Badarpur are the constituencies in Outer Delhi where campaigning by the candidates has gained momentum.

Outer Delhi is the largest constituency both in terms of area and number of voters. Of the total electorate of 29,26,563, men comprise 17,02,188 voters and women comprise 12,24,375 voters. The Lok Sabha elections reflect that both men and women have exercised their franchise with similar voting percentage. Voting percentage for men was 50.55 while it was 46.79 per cent for women.

Ever since the killing of Mr Ved Singh, the spectre of death haunts the candidates, many of whom have approached the Delhi Police for protection. Although criminalisation of politics was not an issue in these elections. After Mr Ved Singh’s killing, it is referred to by the candidates in their election meetings.

The Outer Delhi parliamentary constituency has traditionally been a Congress bastion having elected its candidate for a record number of eight times. However, the Bharatiya Janata Party has made in-roads here with Mr Krishan Lal Sharma being elected twice and several BJP candidates gaining votes during the last Assembly elections.

Though urban middle class colonies which have came up over the years played a considerable role in the victory of the BJP candidates. It is the rural vote bank which decisively shapes the verdict.

The former Chief Minister of Delhi, Mr Sahib Singh Verma, has been trying for the last couple of years to make a permanent impression on the rural vote bank. His efforts are aimed to emerge as a Jat leader.

The image-building exercise suffered a major set-back when the BJP high command decided to divest Mr Sahib Singh of Delhi’s chief ministership and directed Mrs Sushma Swaraj to take over.

At the Mahapanchayat of the villages held here recently, there was strong resentment towards the BJP for removing a “son of the soil.” This resentment may prove dear to BJP candidates contesting the elections with a promise to fulfil those promises which could not be fulfilled in the past five years.

The Outer Delhi area has always had poor representation among the Delhi Cabinet ministers. Earlier, there was just Mr Sahib Singh who had been elected from Shalimar Bagh constituency and then there was the Delhi Transport Minister, Mr Devender Singh Shaukeen. The people from this area are keen that there should be “proper” representation at the decision-making level so that their grievances can be redressed at the earliest.

The Congress candidates have decided to highlight the failures of the BJP government to garner votes. The issue of the spiralling prices of essential commodities including onion, the dropsy deaths, erratic power supply, the shortage of potable water, and the slow pace of rural development is being talked about among the people by them.

Ever since the first general election, it is only on three occasions that nominees of the Bharatiya Lok Dal (1971), the Janata Dal (1989) and the Bharatiya Janata party (1966), have been successful in parliamentary elections.

The people in Outer Delhi are not willing to accept a lackadaisical performance from the sitting MLAs and some of them may not become Members of the Delhi Vidhan Sabha in the forthcoming term.

The mandate in the Assembly segments in Outer Delhi would reflect whether the BJP has done its job well or the Congress has succeeded in making promises that may well set the agenda for rural Delhi.

East Delhi constituency
A Congress bastion wrested by BJP
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, Nov 15 — Haphazard development, rampant unauthorised construction, unhygienic civic conditions and the floating population are the characteristics of the Assembly seats falling in the East Delhi parliamentary constituency.

Despite being the second largest parliamentary constituency in the Capital sending 20 MLAs to the 70-member Delhi Legislative Assembly, life of the people has “not changed much” over the years.

The area is referred as “Jamuna Par” in the local parlance, indicating the step-motherly treatment received by East Delhi over the years.

In the last Assembly polls the Bharatiya Janata Party won 16 of the 20 segments. The Congress managed to secure three seats and the Janata Dal marked its presence by winning the Seelampur seat.

Despite having elected a large number of BJP MLAs from here, East Delhi has not seen much development.

The constituency has several lakhs of people living in “jhuggi-jhompri” clusters and over 130 unauthorised colonies and any assurance on the regularisation and civic amenities appeals to voters.

About 20 per cent of the electorate resides in resettlement colonies established during the Emergency. And, migrants from Punjab, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar reside in large numbers who play crucial role in deciding fate of candidates.

Of the 20 Assembly segments, five are reserved constituencies namely - Trilokpuri, Patparganj, Seemapuri, Nand Nagri and Narela.

Other constituencies are Mandawali, Gita Colony, Gandhi Nagar, Krishna Nagar, Vishwas Nagar, Shahdara, Rohtas Nagar, Babarpur, Seelampur, Ghonda, Yamuna Vihar, Qarawal Nagar, Wazirpur, Bhalswa-Jahangirpur and Adarsh Nagar.

Two BJP members from this constituency were ministers in the Delhi Government. Health Minister, Dr Harsh Vardhan won from Krishna Nagar and Mr Lal Bihari Tiwari won the Ghonda seat. However, Delhi Civil Supplies Minister Tiwari resigned and contested Lok Sabha polls.

Defeating the Congress nominee and the president of the Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee, Ms Shiela Dikshit, by a convincing margin, he was elected to Parliament.

This constituency in the past has witnessed the worst riots that occurred in the Capital. Some of the assembly segments were the worst- hit in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots which broke out following the assassination of the then Prime Minister, Mrs Indira Gandhi.

The police in East Delhi has to be on its toes specially during communally sensitive events as a few of the constituencies are prone to riots.

The Sikhs and Muslims, who were supporters of the Congress, started casting their vote in favour of the BJP and the Janata Dal. Following an apology by the Congress president, Mrs Sonia Gandhi, the Congress candidates are hopeful that Sikhs would return to their fold.

The Other Backward Castes, who reside in large numbers here, and the Bahujan Samaj Party has been actively campaigning here to establish its base.

The spiralling prices of essential commodities, poor civic amenities, and the regularisation of unauthorised colonies are uppermost in the minds of electorate mainly from poor or middle class income group and any promise to alleviate these finds favour with the voters.

To cash in on the popular mood of people, the Congress has coined slogans attacking the BJP for the misery. It appeals to the voters.

Once the stronghold of the Congress, the electorate here shifted towards the BJP since 1990s. Large number of middle class voters, too, settled in a sizeable number in the past decade, widening its base.

The constituency since 1967 has elected Congress nominees on four occasions and from other parties on equal number of times to Parliament.

In 1967, Mr Hardayal Devgun of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, emerged victorious but in 1971, former Union Minister, HKL Bhagat made his winning debut on Congress ticket.

Such has been Mr Bhagat’s hold in the constituency that he was elected from here thrice again and during bye-election in 1997, he managed to get more votes as an Independent than the official Congress nominee.

Mr Bhagat received the first set-back in 1977, when Bharatiya Lok Dal candidate, Kishore Lal, defeated him. However, Mr Bhagat recaptured the seat in 1980. He was re-elected in 1984 and even in 1989 when Janata Dal wave was sweeping Delhi.

BJP's balancing act
From Satish Misra
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Nov 15 — The Vajpayee government’s woes are far from over as most of its allies are restive for the outcome of the Assembly elections to demand their pound of flesh.

The BJP’s leadership, including Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee and Mr L.K. Advani, was able to tackle the AIADMK supremo, Ms Jayalalitha’s threats to the BJP-led coalition government by subtly driving a wedge between her and her allies in Tamil Nadu. Other allies are only waiting for the right opportunity to strike at the eight-month old government.

Notwithstanding claims of both the BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal, a feeling of uneasiness has been growing in both the camps. The issue of Udham Singh Nagar has been ticking like a time bomb as November 30 approaches by which time the George Fernandes committee has to submit its report on the issue. The Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee, President Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, gave a hint of the coming problem when he asked the Prime Minister at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Bathinda Oil Refinery Complex on November 13 that he should keep Udham Singh Nagar out of the purview of the Uttarakhand Separate Statehood Bill.

It is no secret that Mr Tohra would go to any extent to create problems for the Vajpayee government as he is said to be unhappy over the non-inclusion of anyone of his followers in the Union cabinet. The battle of supremacy between the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal and Mr Tohra within the Akali Dal has been going on.

The failure of an understanding between the BJP and the Akali Dal on an electoral alliance in the Assembly elections in Delhi and Rajasthan has only widened the gulf between the two. A leader said the "BJP’s big brother attitude" was the cause of the potential trouble with all of its alliance partners.

Even the Prime Minister is aware of the coming problems as he told reporters on his flight back from Bathinda on November 13 that he was not going for cabinet expansion in the near future.

Mr Vajpayee is also in no mood to convene a meeting of the coordination committee. He avoided all questions from mediapersons convening the coordination committee meeting saying that though he has met the Trinamool Congress leader, Ms Mamata Banerjee but her resignation from the coordination committee did not figure in his talks with her.

To a pointed question on the timing of the coordination committee meeting, Mr Vajpayee said "not now".

Ms Mamata Banerjee’s decision to observe December 6, the anniversary of the Babari Masjid demolition, as a ‘Black day’ is a small pointer of the problems in store.

Another potential source of trouble for the Vajpayee government lies in the growing restiveness among the leaders of the Samata Party which became evident when the Defence Minister, Mr George Fernandes and the Railway Minister, Mr Nitish Kumar accused the BJP of eliminating one of their Assembly candidates in Delhi. More than two Samata Party leaders have been waiting for the last few months for their inclusion in the council of ministers but with no indication of a cabinet expansion being available, it would not be easy for the BJP high command to keep Samata leaders in good humour.

Moreover, the Samata leadership was very keen on having an electoral alliance with the BJP in Delhi and Madhya Pradesh for Assembly elections but as no understanding could be reached because of the BJP’s reluctance. However, the relationship between the two appears to be on fire.

The Haryana Vikas Party supremo, Mr Bansi Lal, is also not too happy as the BJP did leave some Assembly seats for the Indian National Lok Dal of Om Prakash Chautala who is his arch rival. Sources within the Bansi Lal camp say that the Haryana Chief Minister is not too pleased at the BJP high command’s preference for Mr Chautala.

Ties between the BJP and the Shiv Sena in Maharashtra are also not on a positive track as the former has begun to realise the futility of an alliance now. The BJP state leadership is of the view that by distancing itself from the Shiv Sena would help it in expanding its base in the state.

There are growing problems also with the Biju Janata Dal in Orissa. The BJP leadership has given a short shrift to the BJD, party sources pointed out.

An indication of the troubles was available when the Prime Minister in reply to a question on the problems faced by his government said that "though it is not a major problem but an impression has gone around that the alliance led by the BJP is always quarrelling".

Mr Vajpayee’s above comment and his subsequent reluctance to pinpoint the cause of the popular impression of his government is an indication of his tight rope walk.

Bihar allots Rs 120 cr for Awas Yojna
PATNA: The state government has allotted Rs 120 crore for the construction of houses under the Indira Awas Yojna for those whose houses were razed during the floods. State Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Saturday directed the state Finance Department to release the money at the earliest so that the construction of houses could be commenced. The Chief Minister was reviewing the progress of various projects undertaken by the Relief and Rehabilitation, Food and Civil Supplies, Agriculture, Labour, Welfare, Education and Urban Development Departments. — UNI

AMU will not open yet:VC
NEW DELHI: Aligarh Muslim University will not reopen immediately, Vice-Chancellor Mahmoodur Rahman said on Sunday, denying reports that the classes will resume from Monday. The Vice-Chancellor clarified that only the university offices were being reopened to speed up repair work recently undertaken. Denying “as false and mischievous” media reports that the university, which had been closed indefinitely on November 7, following communal tension, would reopen on Monday, the Vice-Chancellor said classes would resume only when the situation normalised. — PTI

UP to preserve medieval culture
LUCKNOW: A comprehensive plan is on the anvil to preserve and maintain the medieval architectural marvels of Lucknow and Avadh. The Uttar Pradesh Government would soon initiate steps for their maintenance, state Chief Secretary Yogendra Narain said here on Saturday, at a seminar on “History of Avadh and maintenance of cultural glory”. The seminar was organised under the auspices of the Tourism Department and Archaeological Research Centre for Avadh. — PTI

Puri to have Rs 40-cr sewerage
PURI: A Rs 40-crore sewerage would be set up in the city within three years to ensure a pollution-free city for the 50,000 tourists it attracts every year, Chief Minister, J B Patnaik has said. The cost of the project would be equally shared by the Centre and the State, Mr Patnaik said, inaugurating a Rs 2-crore waste management project here on Saturday. The project, was first of its kind in the State, will be built under an Indo-Norwegian programme executed by the Orissa environment project with financial assistance from the Puri municipality. — PTI

Rajasthan varsity may open today
JAIPUR: The University of Rajasthan and its affiliated colleges are likely to open on Monday after two days of closure by the district administration, following the death of Nishant Bhardwaj after his self-immolation on Thursday, the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Kanta Ahuja, said. The newly appointed Vice-Chancellor said that the law and order situation in the city following the student unions’ protests in the past two days would be reviewed by the district administration. — PTI

Lorries at public meetings banned
CHENNAI: The Tamil Nadu Government on Saturday banned the transportation of people by lorries to public meetings organised by political parties and caste organisations as this created law and order problems. Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, said at the one-day district collectors’ conference that the collectors had been asked to seize the lorries if they defied the ban and cancel their licences. — PTI