Its the roots that count Salman,13,of Mewat district,runner-up in a singing contest on TV,has won Rs 21 lakh,a reward Chief Minister B S Hooda has announced. Hoodas benevolence to achievers extends beyond those in Haryana to those with the remotest connection to the state. Badminton ace Saina Nehwal is based outside but her Haryanvi roots have won her lakhs of rupees in rewards from the government. Ace shooter Gagan Narang too is based in Hyderabad but he once pointed out that his mothers family hails from Haryana; he got Rs. 37.5 lakh from the government for winning medals in the CWG. Discus thrower Krishna Punia,who is settled in Rajasthan,became richer by Rs 25 lakh on account of his roots. And wrestler Sushil Kumar of Delhi cited his Haryana connection and became richer by around Rs 25 lakh after his CWG triumph. Namesakes in bypolls Namesakes once again face the Bhajan Lal clan in a byelection. Bhajan Lal himself had to contend with five namesakes in the 2008 Assembly byelections; his son Kuldeep Bishnoi now faces a similar situation in the forthcoming byelection to the Hisar Lok Sabha seat,with four of his rivals sharing the name Kuldeep. In both Bhajan Lals and Kuldeeps cases,the namesakes have all contested as Independent candidates. The father went on to win the 2008 byelection by 26,000 votes. The son faces not only namesakes but also Ajay Chautala,his arch-rival and a tough contender. There are around 40 candidates contesting for Hisar and Bishnoi represents the Haryana Janhit Congress (HJC) that has the support of the BJP. For Sonias sake only Rajya Sabha MP Birender Singh was left sulking when he failed to secure the Congress ticket for his bureaucrat son Brijendra Singh,an IAS officer currently posted as Deputy Commissioner,Chandigarh. But he was forced to campaign for the Congress in Hisar. It was believed that Birender Singh may keep himself out of the campaign,but pressure from the a central leadership saw him addressing party workers in Hisar last week. Singh,who often baits the Chief Minister,spoke of collective efforts to strengthen the party and urged party workers to ensure victory of their candidate. Singh made it clear the campaign was a gift to Sonia Gandhi,a token of his prayers for her recovery from illness. It was clear he has no soft corner for Hooda. Posted near their kin A bureaucrat and a police officer,both from other states and now deputed to a posting in Haryana,are each related to a powerful Congress politician in the state. Rajinder Kataria,an IAS officer from the Karnataka cadre and who has arrived on an inter-state deputation,is the Haryana Congress presidents son-in-law. And Vivek Sharma,an IPS officer from the Madhya Pradesh cadre and who has been transferred as the SP of Hisar,again on an inter-state deputation,is a nephew of Haryana Assembly speaker Kuldip Sharma. The uncle was till recently the working president of the Haryana Congress. The nephew has been transferred on directions from the Election Commission.
