Former Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Tuesday alleged that jobs used to be on sale during the Congress rule in the State and said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has set the system right and given jobs based on merit. “We will win all the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana as well as the Karnal Assembly seat (for which bypolls will be held along with the 10 parliamentary seats on May 25,” he asserted.
Khattar said the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state have undertaken development work in various spheres. He alleged that there was favouritism in giving jobs during the previous Congress-led regime in the state. "Jobs used to be on sale. During the Congress rule, be it the job of a peon, clerk, superintendent, HCS, class 1, class 2 -- rates were fixed. We set the system right and deserving candidates got jobs on merit. We have given 1.3 lakh jobs purely on the basis of merit," the BJP leader said while addressing a gathering during his roadshow in Samalkha, which falls under the Karnal parliamentary constituency.
He is the saffron party's candidate from Karnal in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Khattar said that the BJP will retain power at the Centre because people have seen the work the party did over the last 10 years.
Drugs, cash & valuables worth Rs 37.29 crore seized in Hry, says CEO
PNS Chandigarh
Haryana Chief Electoral Officer Anurag Agarwal on Tuesday said that the enforcement agencies are continuously keeping a strict vigil on the movement of illicit liquor, drugs, and cash in the ongoing Lok Sabha election in the State. Till now cash amount of Rs 7.24 crore has been seized. Apart from this, illicit liquor, drugs, and valuables worth Rs 30.05 crore have also been seized. Notably, this figure is much more than the items seized in the Lok Sabha and Assembly elections of 2014 and 2019.
Agarwal said that till now Rs 7.24 crore in cash, 3,87,332.77 liters of illicit liquor worth Rs 12.94 lakh, Narcotics worth Rs 12.55 crore have been seized. Valuables worth Rs 1.80 crore, and other items worth Rs 2.76 crore have been seized. He said that in the 2014 assembly elections, a total of Rs 7 crore including cash worth Rs 3.10 crore, illicit liquor worth Rs 2.69 crore, and narcotics worth Rs 1.21 crore were seized. Similarly, during the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, a total of Rs 18.36 crore was seized, which included cash worth Rs 2.74 crore, illicit liquor worth Rs 6.23 crore, and narcotics worth Rs 9.38 crore, shared Agarwal.
He said that during the Assembly Elections 2019, cash worth Rs 5.17 crore, illicit liquor worth Rs 9.73 crore and drugs worth Rs 3.27 crore, silver worth Rs 4.14 lakh were seized, the total value of which is Rs 18.22 crore.
Party in power or its candidates will not have a monopoly on using government rest houses
Agarwal said that as per the Model Code of Conduct, the party in power or its candidates will not have the monopoly to use government rest houses, dak bungalows, or other government residential complexes. He said that the use of such government premises cannot be done for any meetings of election offices or any election-related meetings for the Lok Sabha 2024 general elections. He mentioned that Circuit House, dak bungalows can only be used for temporary accommodation. He stated that as per the Election Commission's instructions, no formal or informal meetings of political party candidates will be allowed inside these premises, and if such events occur, it will be considered a violation of the Model Code of Conduct.
Children can win cash prizes ranging from Rs 2,500 to Rs 10,000 at District level
The CEO said that according to the directives of the State Election Commission, children will be involved in all districts under a new scheme so that on the day of voting, children are encouraged to take selfies with the inked fingers of their parents on social media. Under this scheme, all such selfies can be uploaded on the portal and children can win cash prizes ranging from Rs. 2,500 to Rs. 10,000 at the district level. Similarly, school students can also participate in this initiative, and the school whose students upload the most selfies will also be awarded a special prize of Rs. 25,000. A link has been created on the www.ceoharyana.gov.in portal for uploading selfies, which will be open on the day of voting, i.e., May 25. The link to upload selfies will open for school children along with voting from 7 AM on the day of voting, and selfies can be uploaded until 8 PM, he added.
President Murmu visits 2 temples in Himachal
PNS / Shimla
President Droupadi Murmu, who is on a five-day visit to Himachal Pradesh, performed puja at the famous Tara Devi temple and Sankat Mochan temple on Tuesday.
Murmu, accompanied by members of her family and Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla, went around the Tara Devi temple, 17 km from the state Capital. She also ate at the langar (bhandara) at the temple. The temple committee presented a memento of the temple to her. Earlier, she worshipped at the Sankat Mochan temple and took a keen interest in its history. She was presented an idol of 'Ram Darbar' by the governor. She was also briefed about the history of the temple.
These temples are visited by a large number of people on Tuesdays and Sundays but today there was no rush as the entry was restricted.
