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Journalism of Courage
Hooda under fire from within
Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda has come under fire from leaders of his own party for alleged bias in development. Congress leaders such as Kumari Selja,Rao Inderjit Singh,Birender Singh and Capt Ajay Singh Yadav say their respective areas have been neglected during the Congresss last two tenures. The criticism from within comes at a time when the main opposition is at a low,with Om Prakash Chautala of the INLD having been arrested along with his son Ajay and INLD leader Sher Singh Badshami in the teachers recruitment corruption case. Hooda,however,refuses to acknowledge it. Who is a detractor? Give me a name. There is no problem in my party, he says.
The holy dip
The chief minister took time out during the assembly session for a visit to Allahabad and took a holy dip at Sangam during Maha Kumbh. Hooda was accompanied by trusted aides and senior leaders,including officer on special duty M S Chopra,former Union minister Venod Sharma,former Haryana minister Karan Singh Dalal,Union minister Anand Sharma and Rajya Sabha MP Shadi Lal Batra. It was the first such dip Hooda had ever taken and provided a unique opportunity to photographers who had so far been capturing him only playing tennis or attending functions. Hooda said he had prayed for the well-being of the people of Haryana and the country.
Motion versus motion
The government may claim to have conducted an in-depth inquiry into land deals between Sonia Gandhis son-in-law Robert Vadras Skylight Hospitality and real-estate giant DLF Universal Ltd,but the issue is far from settled as far as the opposition is concerned. INLD legislators moved a motion on the issue in the Assembly and the speaker admitted it. Congress legislators,for their part,moved an adjournment motion on Chautala,questioning if he should continue as leader of the opposition after being convicted and sentenced for 10 years. The motion on Chautala,moved first,saw noisy scenes with the INLD not allowing the Congress to hold a discussion.
Crimes against women
The ruling Congress says crime against women is down,citing 686 rapes in 2012,47 less than the 733 of 2011; the opposition points out that even 686 represent a menace. INLD legislators compare the current figures not with the previous years but with those of 2004. From 2004 to 2012,they say,there has been an increase of 90 per cent in rapes and 88 per cent in crimes against women overall,besides 28 per cent in crimes against Dalits,127 per cent in kidnappings,and 55 per cent in the overall crime rate. Between September 1 and December 31 last year,100 women and girls were raped,followed by another 115 cases till February 19 this year.
