• Virbhadra refutes Dhumal’s charges

Cong has no right to form govt: Dhumal
HAMIRPUR, Sept 6 — Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has blasted the Congress for telling "lies" on various issues to come to power.

Apple growers annoyed with HP Govt: Musafir
SHIMLA, Sept 6 — The election campaign of the Congress candidate for the Shimla (reserved) seat, Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, received a boost when hundreds of his supporters accompanied him for filing of his nomination papers here today.

175 kg gelatine seized, 1 held
NAHAN, Sept 6 —Mr Prithvi Raj, SP, disclosed here today that the Sirmour police had seized 175 kg of gelatine and 1200 detonators along with 1,000 metres of safety fuse wire from the possession of Dharmander Kumar Sinha, son of Amarander Sinha, resident of Bihar.

Craft teachers resent decision
MANDI, Sept 6 — Himachal Pradesh Unemployed Craft Teachers Union has expressed resentment over the recent decision of the government not to create new posts of craft teachers in the proposed high schools.

IAF recruitment rallies in HP
NURPUR, Sept 6 — Air Vice-Marshal Jagnandan Pathania, winner of Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for successfully leading IAF operations in Kargil has said the IAF will organise regular recruitment rallies in Himachal Pradesh.

5 kg opium seized, trader held
SOLAN, Sept 6 — The Arki police seized 5 kg of opium and 4½ kg of charas, worth about Rs 50 lakh in international market, from a grocer in Dangri village under police station Arki today.

• Dhumal expresses grief

No undue benefit in land deal: Virbhadra
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, Sept 6 — The former Himachal Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh today flayed the statement of Mr Ganesh Dutt, in charge, BJP media cell who had dragged his name in the land acquisition case of his late brother, Rajinder Singh’s land by the Nathpa Jhakri Power Corporation (NJPC) and sought his resignation from the CLP leadership and the Vidhan Sabha. He denied any undue benefits to his family members as alleged by the BJP and said the allegation was false, and politically motivated.

He said the notification regarding land acquisition by the NJPC was issued during the Shanta Kumar government in the State and he had no connection with that land. Even an appeal had been preferred during his regime in the High Court in which the ownership of Rajinder Singh was challenged and claimed that of the state government and appealed to reduce the compensation amount. But the same had recently been dismissed by the High Court.

Mr Virbhadra Singh alleged that the BJP -HVC combine government had created a political and administrative terror in view of the Lok Sabha poll. Government officials and democratically elected gram panchayat office-bearers were being intimidated. They were being threatened to support the candidates of the ruling party. The Government machinery was being misused, he added. He said the BJP-HVC government had been violating the model code of conduct with impunity.

The Congress leader who was here to accompany the Congress candidate for the Kangra Lok Sabha seat, Mr Sat Mahajan said BJP leaders had been misleading people by giving false development figures in the poll campaign. He said the overall development in general and Kangra district in particular had come to halt during BJP-HVC rule. Kangra district was being discriminated against in the development activities.

Talking about the unity in the Congress Mr Virbhadra Singh claimed that there was no dissension in the party and all leaders were working unitedly to sweep all four Lok Sabha seats in the state. At the same time, he admitted that during the assembly elections held in 1998 the Congress had lost a number of assembly seats due to under-cutting by partymen.

Virbhadra refutes Dhumal’s charges
Tribune News Service

DHARAMSALA, Sept 6 — The PCC chief and the party candidate from the Kangra Lok Sabha seat, Mr Sat Mahajan, today filed his nomination papers here.

In a show of strength, all prominent leaders from Kangra and Chamba, accompanied Mr Mahajan, at the time of filing of nomination. A former Chief Minister, Mr Virbhadra Singh and former Speaker and Congress MLA, Mrs Vidya Stokes, were also present on the occasion.

The former Chief Minister and the CLP leader, Mr Virbhadra Singh, said that it was for the people of the state to compare the works undertaken during his regime with what the BJP government had accomplished during the rule. He refuted the allegations being levelled by Mr Dhumal, that the Virbhadra Singh government discriminated with the Kangra area, in the sphere of development.

Addressing the public meeting after filing his nomination, Mr Mahajan said that the people had seen for themselves that it was under the Congress regime that overall development of the state had taken place.

Cong has no right to form govt: Dhumal
From Tribune Reporters

HAMIRPUR, Sept 6 — Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal has blasted the Congress for telling "lies" on various issues to come to power. The party which could not even field candidates for all seats in UP and Bihar had no right to stake a claim for forming a government at the Centre, he said here today.

Talking to reporters, he said the rout of the Congress was imminent and it would face its Waterloo in all states.

He described charges of the Congress that BJP leaders were harassing Congress leaders and workers in the state, particularly in this district, as baseless.

Professor Dhumal said his party was fighting the elections on the plank of stability and had a good national leader in Mr Atal Behari Vajpayee.

He hit out at Congress leaders for spreading a canard against him and the BJP. He said the Congress had no concrete policies and programmes.

The Chief Minister said the victory of the Indian forces at Kargil was the result of the valiant efforts and sacrifices made by jawans and the able leadership of Mr Vajpayee.

NURPUR: Professor Dhumal while lashing out at the Congress at a meeting at Jasur, near here, on Sunday said that the Congress had a hobby to contest elections to satisfy its hunger for power but the poor people were the real sufferers of its "poll mockery."

He said there was frustration in the Congress which had not only changed its nominee from the Shimla Lok Sabha seat, but also fielded its three sitting MLAs in the fray.

He said his government had approved four national highways in a year whereas the Congress, during the past 50 years, had provided only three highways. The BJP-HVC government had also enhanced the allocation in the annual Budget presented twice.

Mr Shanta Kumar, BJP candidate from the Kangra Lok Sabha seat, while addressing the meeting flayed the Congress for making Kargil a poll issue, saying the BJP was not seeking votes on this issue as it was the success of the whole nation and the Army.

Apple growers annoyed with HP Govt: Musafir
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 6 — The election campaign of the Congress candidate for the Shimla (reserved) seat, Mr Gangu Ram Musafir, received a boost when hundreds of his supporters accompanied him for filing of his nomination papers here today. His supporters from Shimla, Solan and Sirmour district also accompanied him large numbers.

Mrs Pratibha Singh, Vice-President of the PCC and wife of Mr Virbhadra Singh, also accompanied him. Most of the party legislators Thakur Ram Lal, Mr J.B.L. Khachi, Mr Kush Parmar, Mr Harshwardhan Chauhan, Mr Prem Singh, Mr Rattan Singh, Mr Yogendra Chandra, Ms Krishna Mohini, Mr Lajja Ram, Mr Dharam Pal, Mr Raghu Raj and other leaders were present.

Mr Musafir told newspersons that the main contest for the seat was between him and the HVC nominee, Mr Dhani Ram.

He said that the HVC was trying to exploit the Kargil issue for its electoral benefit.

He also claimed that the apple growers were annoyed with the government for having brought their produce under the OGL which has created a tough competition for them from abroad.

175 kg gelatine seized, 1 held
From Our Correspondent

NAHAN, Sept 6 —Mr Prithvi Raj, SP, disclosed here today that the Sirmour police had seized 175 kg of gelatine and 1200 detonators along with 1,000 metres of safety fuse wire from the possession of Dharmander Kumar Sinha, son of Amarander Sinha, resident of Bihar. These explosives were being kept illegally at his residence at Dadahu, about 32 km from here.

A case under Section 5 of the Explosives Act has been registered and the accused has been arrested. The police is trying to find out the source of supply of these explosives.

It is learnt the accused was engaged in the business of mining and these explosives may have also been brought for mining purposes only.

Craft teachers resent decision
From Our Correspondent

MANDI, Sept 6 — Himachal Pradesh Unemployed Craft Teachers Union has expressed resentment over the recent decision of the government not to create new posts of craft teachers in the proposed high schools.

In a statement Ms Sarswati Devi and Ms Minakshi Sharma, President and General Secretary, respectively of the district unit today urged the government to reverse its decision in order to absorb a large number of unemployed craft teachers.

They said various commission had recommended the need of craft teachers in schools and the state government's decision to do away with the posts of craft teachers was unjust and surprising.

They claimed that most of the craft teachers were women of weaker sections and they were being exploited by the craft schools of village panchayats where they were getting a salary of Rs 500 per month only.

IAF recruitment rallies in HP
From Our Correspondent

NURPUR, Sept 6 — Air Vice-Marshal Jagnandan Pathania, winner of Uttam Yudh Seva Medal for successfully leading IAF operations in Kargil has said the IAF will organise regular recruitment rallies in Himachal Pradesh.

Talking to newspersons here yesterday, he said the IAF had organised such rallies in Kulu last week and in Nurpur on September 2 and 3 which benefited youths from Kangra, Una, Hamirpur and Chamba districts and Gurdaspur district of Punjab.

He said the IAF had ensured full transparency and selection was made on merit.

Earlier the youths had to go to Ambala for recruitment purposes.

He said the IAF would make such rallies a permanent feature in the state.

The incharge of the rally held at Bachat Bhavan here said over 2,000 youths from five districts had participated.

5 kg opium seized, trader held
From Our Correspondent

SOLAN, Sept 6 — The Arki police seized 5 kg of opium and 4½ kg of charas, worth about Rs 50 lakh in international market, from a grocer in Dangri village under police station Arki today.

The SP, Mr Rakesh Aggarwal, told mediapersons, that acting on a tip off, a police party led by the DSP (Headquarters), Mr Prem Thakur, conducted a raid on the shop of Chandermani Sharma, a grocer of Dangri, and seized the contraband. Initial investigations had revealed that Sharma had received the narcotics substances from some suppliers in the Chopal area of Shimla district.

A case has been registered under Sections 18 and 20 of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Act, against Sharma who has been arrested.

Dhumal expresses grief
Tribune News Service

SHIMLA, Sept 6 — The Chief Minister, Mr Prem Kumar Dhumal, has expressed grief over the demise of Kanwar Surat Singh, father of Mr Justice Bhawani Singh, Chief Justice of the Jammu and Kashmir High Court.

In a condolence message to the bereaved family, Mr Dhumal has prayed to God to give peace to the departed soul and strength to the family members to bear this irreparable loss.