Will Cong retain its charisma?

The Congress may not be able to repeat its old magic in the state.

The Congress may not be able to repeat its old magic in the state. In the 2004 Lok Sabha polls,the party had made a clean sweep,winning nine out of the 10 seats,with a lone seat going to the BJP. A few months later,it went on to win 67 out of the 90 seats in the Assembly elections.

But these Lok Sabha elections are going to be different for the Congress,as the Opposition INLD and the BJP have joined hands there was no alliance between the two last time. As for other parties,the BSP and the newly formed Haryana Janhit Congress are also hoping to open their accounts.

No fresh projects,babus kick back

With the announcement of parliamentary elections,babus have started taking it easy. Their workload has been reduced considerably and there is no possibility of any new initiative being undertaken by the state Government as the model code of conduct is in force. The politicians,too,are busy in Delhi planning out winning strategies. With the poll process to last several weeks,the bureaucrats couldnt ask for more. No wonder,the corridors of powers in the secretariat present an empty look these days.

Downward plunge on learning curve

Students of government schools in Haryana have been found to be wanting in educational standards in a recent national mid-term achievement survey conducted by the NCERT on three subjects: environmental science,language and mathematics. In environmental studies,Haryana students found themselves in the 23rd position in the country. In language,the state figured at the 19th slot. Somewhat surprisngly,it was in mathematics that the students performed slightly better,achieving eighth position in the country.

Separate SGPC,separate agendas

The issue of a separate Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee SGPC for Haryana seems to have been muddled up with two factions of the Haryana SGPC accusing each other of forgetting the real cause. All this is because of the fight between general secretary of the Haryana SGPC Didar Singh Nalvi and president Jagdish Singh Jhinda. First,it was Nalvi,who removed Jhinda from the presidents post with the help of the SGPC executive committee members. Later,Jhinda got Nalvi removed. It came as a breather for the Congress Government,which was under pressure to act after the H S Chatha Committee report on the vexed issue. The Government has bought time again by promising to set up another committee to look into the legal angle of the issue.

New slogan: no toilet,no bride

It8217;s four decades since Haryana launched its sanitation campaign,but it is only now that the positive results are being seen. However,it seems the state still has some distance to go despite the Bhupinder Singh Hooda Government having constructed 14,17,960 toilets. Concerned about the plight of women in the absence of toilets in many households in rural areas,some villagers in Sonepat district have coined a slogan: no toilet,no bride. A clear message to all prospective bridegrooms to install basic amenities before bringing home a bride.

Election time,grumbling time

Complaints are flying thick and fast regarding violation of the model code of conduct by the Congress. First,there was a complaint against issuance of ads on channels and newspapers even after the poll announcement. Then there was a complaint about financial benefits to state government employees. There was also a complaint on defacement of posters by a district administration. However,the complainants forget that almost the same allegations were levelled against them when they were in power.