Hands off Army territory, BJP told

They may be illiterate and backward. But the people of the Bijnor Lok Sabha SC seat in Uttar Pradesh have sent many to the armed forces...

They may be illiterate and backward. But the people of the Bijnor Lok Sabha SC seat in Uttar Pradesh have sent many to the armed forces, seen several wars and know something which the BJP perhaps does not want to hear. 8220;The Kargil issue,8221; they say, 8220;has no meaning. It is the responsibility of the Government to protect the sovereignty and integrity of the nation.8221; It8217;s in the Government8217;s other responsibility 8212; to help the poor 8212; that they are interested. And the BJP regime has disappointed them.

Fifty-five-year-old Mohammad Alam retired from the Indian military in 1990 and lost his left hand in the 1965 Indo-Pak war. But it is for the first time that he is seeing a political party trying to get so much mileage out of a military victory. 8220;My two sons and a son-in-law died for the country, but I never asked the Government for anything,8221; an angry Alam says. 8220;Yeh to sarasar galat hai. Maine desh ko bachaya, aap mujhe vote dijiye The BJP8217;s claims are all wrong. I8217;m the one who saved the country, vote for me.8221;

There are others like Alam in Afjalgarh and Mohammadpur towns in this constituency, which is dominated by Muslims. Gurmel Chand, also an ex-serviceman, retired from the armed forces in 1992 and returned to lead a peaceful life in home town Afjalgarh. 8220;In the interest of the country8217;s sovereignty and integrity,8221; he says, 8220;the Government is duty bound to protect the command8217; from being politicised.8221; However, it is the BJP-led Government, and not Atal Behari Vajpayee, that he blames for the exploitation of the issue.

Other villagers too feel that Vajpayeeji is essentially 8220;a good man8221; and had earned laurels on the international front for the country. But, adds a local sugar mill official, Sadanand: 8220;The way Vajpayee and other senior BJP leaders are politicising the issue, it gives a wrong signal for the future.8221;

Mubaraq Ali, a teacher in the local government high school, talks about basic governance. During its 13 months in power, the BJP was busy trying to keep allies happy, he says, and failed to protect the interests of poor peasants. When farmers have been denied due price of their products, he adds, 8220;How can the BJP seek votes on the Kargil issue?8221;

But if the BJP has disappointed them, so has the Congress. 8220;All the elected leaders, whether they contested on the BJP or the Congress ticket, promised to construct proper roads, provide adequate electricity, establish small-scale industries for employment generation and open more primary and secondary schools. All the promises remained unfulfilled,8221; points out Raj Kishore, a local shopkeeper. Agriculture is the main source of income in this backward constituency, and there are no industries except sugar.

This time, it8217;s a triangular contest between the BJP, the Samajwadi Party SP and the Lok Dal supported by the Congress and CPI. While the BJP has fielded Shish Ram, a teacher by profession, the SP has renominated Omwati Devi, wife of a senior IAS officer R.K. Singh. The Lok Dal has gone for Mangal Ram Premi, who has won the seat twice before as a BJP candidate but recently deserted the party.

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Omwati Devi seems to be doing well, and not because of Kargil wave or anti-wave but due to the few benefits she has brought to the constituency since being elected last time. 8220;Omwatiji, during her 13-month stay in Parliament, was able to provide at least some concrete roads in this remote village,8221; says Nasib Ahmad, a student of Rajkiran Inter Collge.

Mungia Devi, a 55-year-old, travelled 6 km to listen to Omwati Devi at a meeting in Afjalgarh recently. 8220;Yeh to mahila hain, aur yahan ki mahilayen Omwatiji ko hi vote dengi She is a woman, and the women here will only vote for her,8221; she says. She also knows of both Vajpayeeji and Advaniji, but ask about Kargil, and she says: 8220;Radio pe suna tha8230; Heard something on the radio8230;.8221;

But on her priorities and expectations, Mungia Devi is extremely clear. 8220;Hum to din bhar khet mein kaam kartey hain, bacche dukan par baithtey hain. Hamein to roti kamani hai We work the whole day in the fields, the children slog in shops. All we are interested in is our daily bread,8221; she says.