New politics and old caste issues

The Lok Sabha seat fell vacant following the death of Bhajan Lal in June. In the bypoll in October,his son Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Haryana Janhit Congress

2011

HISAR BYPOLL: The Lok Sabha seat fell vacant following the death of Bhajan Lal in June. In the bypoll in October,his son Kuldeep Bishnoi of the Haryana Janhit Congress,backed by the BJP,delivered a crushing defeat to the Congress candidate. The elections had hit national headlines following Anna Hazares call for the defeat of the Congress candidate,though the candidates denied this had any bearing.

MIRCHPUR VERDICT: Last year,a mob belonging to the Jat community had burnt Dalit houses in Mirchpur village,killing a disabled girl and her father. Over 100 Jat youths have been arrested. The Supreme Court had ordered the trial shifted outside Haryana. In September,a special judge in Delhi convicted 15 and acquitted 82.

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JAT RESERVATION: Continuing with their demand of reservation among the OBCs,Jats launched a statewide agitation in March. They blocked rail lines and roads and held the state to ransom for over a fortnight. Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda bought peace by promising movement on their demands. The Jats,however,were back on the warpath towards the end of the year,demanding that the Chief Minister announce reservation in the state services as well.

MARUTI STRIKE: Workers went on strike three times at Maruti Suzuki Indias plant in Manesar,leaving the plant with losses running into crores. The final 14-day strike ended after the leader left the company,taking Rs 40 lakh in settlement,and 30 others with him.

HONOUR KILlINGS: The state police registers at least a dozen such cases every year. The Punjab and Haryana High Court in March commuted to life the death sentence to four convicts in the Manoj-Babli case,and acquitted the prime conspirator and another convict. Manoj and Babli of Kaithal had been murdered,allegedly by Bablis relatives,in 2007 for marrying in the same gotra.

2012

CHAUTALA CASE: Two cases against the Chautalas are being heard. Former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala and his two MLA sons Ajay and Abhay are facing a disproportionate assets case. The Chautalas are also facing a CBI trial in an alleged teacher recruitment scam. The Supreme Court has given the go-ahead for their prosecution in both cases.

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RIGHT TO PLAY: If the law is passed by the government this year,Haryana will be the first state to give its youth a right to play. The law will give everyone in the state access to adequate sports facilities and make it compulsory for children in school to undergo optimum physical activity. The idea has got approval in principle from the Chief Minister.

POLL IMPACT: Neighbours Punjab,Himachal Pradesh,Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh all go to polls in 2012. With political equations in a state of flux following the HJCs tie up with the BJP,the INLD will be keeping a close watch on the BSPs performance in UP for a possible tie-up later in Haryana.