Mulayam woos minorities
Manifesto promises quota package
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Aug 31 — The Samajwadi Party President, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav today visioned the formation of a Third Front government again at the Centre claiming that there would be fresh realignment of forces after the poll results with even the allies of the BJP switching over to their camp.

Addressing the media after releasing the party manifesto, Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav said: "These are the days of post-poll alliances as has happened on two occasions in the past". He was confident that the Third Front would be forming the government and it would include various regional parties also.

Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav also gave indications of breaking off ties with his former Rashtriya Loktantrik Morcha (RLM) partner and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader, Mr Laloo Prasad Yadav, when he said that his party would not have any truck with a party having connections with the Congress. When asked specifically whether his party would campaign for the RJD in Bihar, Mr Yadav said: "We are solidly behind anti-Congress and anti-BJP forces".

The Samajwadi Party leader also launched an attack on the Congress for treating his party as its main opponent in Uttar Pradesh. While indicating that any party fighting directly against the Samajwadi Party would only be helping the BJP, he said: "While we are fighting communalism, the Congress is contesting against us. Samajwadi Party’s opponent is a supporter of the BJP... an agent of the BJP."

In what seems to be a manifesto to woo the minority vote bank, which the party has been in danger of losing, Samajwadi Party has promised a special package for the minorities including reservation in jobs and higher education. The manifesto also promises release of TADA detenus, implementation of the Srikrishna panel recommendations and that the Muslim Personal Law would not be disturbed.

The manifesto is however silent on the issue of persons of foreign origin holding high offices in the country. The Samajwadi Party, it seems has purposely stayed away from mentioning this specially as the NDA has also mentioned it in their manifesto and any utterance on it by the party would again directly identify it with the ruling coalition. It had raised the issue at the time of supporting Mrs Sonia Gandhi’s candidature for the Prime Ministership.

When asked as to why was the manifesto silent about the issue, Mr Yadav said: "It is an old issue now and the entire nation is talking about it".

The manifesto also promises a sub-quota for the Dalit, backward and Muslim women and also for the economically weak in the upper caste. The manifesto promises to amend the Constitution to ensure reservation for the OBC students in medical and engineering courses, a facility which was turned down recently by the Supreme Court.

The manifesto favoured retention of Article 356 but was opposed to its misuse in dismissing state governments for political ends. On Article 370 giving special status to Jammu and Kashmir, it said the party was against scrapping the Article.

The manifesto promised various steps to boost the agriculture sector, particularly payment of remunerative prices to farmers, provision of fertilisers and water for irrigation and said a national water policy would be framed to offset loss due to flood and droughts.

With a view to promoting domestic industry, it said the country could become a member of World Trade Organisation only on its conditions. It also said that the Patent and Insurance Regulatory Authority laws would be scrapped.

Pandits to boycott LS poll
Tribune News Service

JAMMU, Aug 31 — Panun Kashmir, a premier organisation of Kashmiri Pandits has given a call to migrant voters to dissociate themselves from the Lok Sabha poll process as it was "meaningless" and would "legitimise government's apathy and neglect of the displaced families".

A decision to this effect was taken at a meeting of Panun Kashmir leaders here today presided over by Dr Agnishekhar, convenor of the organisation. Among those who attended were Mr M Koul, Prof Nirja Tickoo, Dr M.K. Raina, Mr D.K. Koul. The leaders discussed issues connected with the Lok Sabha elections and the plight of the displaced families.

Panun Kashmir also cautioned the community against some disruptive forces planted to break the "political assertion of the Pandits" and dilute their weapon of right to protest. It said its call for a poll boycott should not be misconstrued as pursuing the separatist line which "we have been resisting strongly". It said the community had suffered because it was the only pro-India force in Kashmir.

Explaining the reasons that motivated Panun Kashmir to give a call for a poll boycott, a spokesman of the organisation said that the displaced families were angered by the continued neglect and a policy of marginalisation. He said the government failed to enforce the Prevention of Distress Sale Act with the result the displaced persons lost their valuable property in Kashmir.

The state government had claimed that during the past three years 60,000 unemployed youth were provided jobs but jobless youth of the community were not given jobs.

Panun Kashmir also blamed the Election Commission for being insensitive to the legitimate democratic rights of displaced persons as it had made postal ballots cumbersome.

He said participation in the poll process was meaningless for them when all political parties in the state and at the national level were insensitive to their plight.

Independent for Delhi seat abducted
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Aug 31 — An Independent candidate for the New Delhi Parliamentary seat was allegedly abducted while he was on his way to a nearby police station to seek permission for taking out an election procession.

Mr Mohtram Khan, (32), who is contesting the Lok Sabha elections for the first time, was reported missing by his brother last evening. The police registered a case of abduction today after Mr Khan could not be traced.

Mr Mohtram Khan had earlier contested the Delhi Assembly elections on a Samajwadi Party ticket and owns a small business at Aruna Asaf Ali Marg. He has been residing in the area for over a decade and is said to have no enmity with anyone.

The police did not rule out the possibility of Mr Khan’s abduction being election related.

Mr Khan had left his residence at about 10 am yesterday and his scooter (DL 1SE 1788), on which he was travelling along with a family friend, Anees, was later found abandoned near a house on the Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Marg. There was no trace of Anees also, the police said.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, Central District, Mr SBK Singh, said that the missing report was lodged last evening and now a case of abduction had been registered since he had not been traced till now. The police has also decided to seal the Delhi border three days prior to the date of polling.