We

he StateAPRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014

Vol-02. Issue-30. Bhopal. Monday Page-12 Price-5/-

POSTAL REGD. MP/BHOPAL/4-323/2013-15

Published simultaneously from Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

Online edition availble at wethestate.com and wethestate.blogspot.in

4

Transgendershail SC verdict,say they havenow a newidentity

5Governor paystributes toAmar ShaheedTatya Tope

8 Bihar’s electionis critical forBJP

11

Deepika notapproached for

Bhandarkar'snext

10Marquez on athree-timer as

MotoGP returnsto Argentina

9

Preparationson war footingat Rashtrapati

Bhavan to welcome new

govt

t’s Modi vs Kejriwal in battle-ground Varanasi, both the leadersare leaving no stone unturned tograb eyeballs and engage the vot-

ers. The mammoth sized rallies, relentlesscampaigning, vitriolic attacks on the oppo-nents and high voltage drama played outon television screens. Elections 2014 arepacked with excitement and nail bitinganticipations.

The AAP convener began his campaignagainst Narendra Modi in Varanasi, otherparty leaders including Sanjay Singh andManish Sisodia have been campaigning inthe temple town. Though campaigning isalready on in Varanasi, the party workerssay Kejriwal's presence will boost themorale of party members. Varanasi goes tothe polls May 12, the final day of the 10-phase parliamentary election. April 24 isthe last date for filing nomination inVaranasi. The last date for withdrawal ofnomination is April 28. The former Delhichief minister is also expected to spendtime in villages in Varanasi constituency inUttar Pradesh. His party members believetheir leader knows how to strike a chord

withpeople

which is hisbiggest

strength. UnlikeModi, AAP convener

has chosen a low key cam-paigning strategy to woo voters.

Where Modi intends to address amassive rally, Kejriwal will address acrowd of thousand people. Kejriwal in hisstatement said, “We are here to change thepolitical system, instead of the noise madeby helicopters we want people’s voice tobe audible. We are here to solve the prob-lems of the people and answer their perti-nent questions.”

AAP’s leader, Manish Sisodia said,“For the first time in the history of India aPM candidate is reaching out to the people.Arvind Kejriwal is requesting people toquestion the political system, he is here tolisten to the problems and sufferings of thepeople.” While Sanjay Singh claimed thatthe strategy formulated by AAP will sur-pass BJP’s extensive campaigning. TheAAP leader said,

“Our strategy enables us to connectwith the common man. BJP will organizehuge rallies for Modi in Varanasi wherepeople will not be able to see him or meethim, on the other hand Arvind Kejriwalgoes to the people and speaks to them andaddresses their problems. No other politi-cian would do that.”

Corruption crusader Arvind Kejriwal’sdecision to challenge BJP titan NarendraModi in the general election has politicalpundits scratching their heads. IsKejriwal’s strategy to actually win–or to

win by losing? The David-and-Goliath racehas captured India’s attention. Kejriwal isheading straight into the Hindu heartland,Modi’s power base–by taking on the pre-sumed front-runner in the holy city ofVaranasi.

Varanasi’s electorate of 1.5 million haschosen a BJP candidate every time since1991, with the exception of 2004 when thenational ruling Congress party won theseat. As India’s national economy hasdeclined, Modi’s reputation for strengthen-ing the economy in the western state ofGujarat has helped his candidacy. But atthe same time he remains a divisive figureand has been criticized as doing too littleto prevent communal riots in Gujarat in2002.

It might seem to many that ArvindKejriwal picks the wrong fights. While hisAAP government dropped the reins ofpower in Delhi when it could have set anexample of the alternative, corruption-freegovernance that it promotes, he has nowchosen to take on BJP's PM hopefulNarendra Modi for the Varanasi Lok Sabhaseat in a seemingly impossible fight. Butappearances can deceive.

RAIPUR: The Dhamtari police haveregistered a case against former chiefminister and Congress candidate fromMahasamund, Ajit Jogi for allegedly vio-lating poll code by defying the deadlinefor the use of public address systems forcampaigning. The case, which was regis-tered after Jogi failed to respond to theElection Commission notice sent to him onWednesday, pertains to an incident onApril 13 when Jogi had organized a 'bhoj'(dinner) at the local Agrasen Bhawan inDhamrtari. During the bhoj, he used loud-speakers to seek votes for himself after10pm, the deadline imposed by the ECI foruse of public address systems. As per ECIorders, use of public address systems andtaking out of processions after 10 pm areprohibited.

Besides Jogi, the management of theAgrasen Bhawan and the DistrictPresident of the Congress, MohanLalwani, have also issued notices by theEC. The former chief minister was given24 hours to explain his conduct but sincehe failed to reply, the EC ordered registra-tion of case against him.

Dhamtari Collector and ReturningOfficer, Bhim Singh said since Jogi had notresponded to the notice, he had directedthe police to register case against himunder Section 188 (disobedience to orderduly promulgated by public servant) ofIndian Penal Code.

NEWS max

Ajit Jogi bookedfor violating

code of conduct

How WE look it !

VARANSI

I

Modi, Kejriwalleave no stones unturned

to engage voters

2 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)CHHATTISGARH EXPLORE

he Maoist attack that tookplace in Bastar recently hasonce again raised question

on the security of tribal people, thepolice and CRPF jawans deployed inthe area. The attacks which occurredamid polls have heated up the politi-cal temperature of the region. On oneside, the opposition parties areattacking the state government inChhattisgarh while state is blamingthe Central government for not pro-viding with enough security forces.Such incident has not happened forthe first time in Chhattisgarh.Maoists have been violent since pastseveral years in the region. In factthey have carried out three majorattacks killing several jawans andcivilians of Raipur.

The Maoists carry out the attackin a much planned manner. Firstlythey blast the target and then performthe shootout. In every attack, a sud-den blast happens on a normal look-ing road. By the time security forcescould understand what is happening,Moaists start shooting at them.

The same incident happenedrecently as well. In merely 50 min-utes they carried out deadly attacksat two places and killed at least 15people. The Maoist attack is wellplanned and they structure it monthsbefore it is carried out. In past oneyear, the Jawans have dug out at least50 bombs from under the earth. Noone can say when a blast may happenon the roads of Bijapur, Bastar andSukma. The Maoists have laid sever-al mine fields under the roads ofChhattisgarh. It is said that an area ofabout 40000 square feet in the stateis covered with landmines. At someplaces, land mines are laid underconstructed roads and at otherplaces, they are laid on unhealedroads. The security forces suffer themost in the Maoist affected areasbecause of such land mines. In theMaoist attack carried out in Bastar, itwas seen that they use the mostadvanced technology. Astonishingly,even the anti-land mine vehiclescould not detect these land mineslaid under the roads. In many attacks,these vehicles were also crashed.

BRIEF

Had the CRPF personnelacted upon suspicious move-ment of two villagers beforethe ambulance carrying themwas blown up by Maoists inBastar district of Chhattisgarhrecently, the incident couldhave been averted, investiga-tion has revealed.

Five personnel belongingto the 80th battalion of CRPFwere killed when the ultrasblew up the ambulance carry-ing them at Kamanar villageunder Darbha police station.

"The preliminary investi-gation of the incident revealedthat two villagers were spottedkeeping an eye on the RoadOpening Party (ROP) of the80th battalion of CRPF duringits operation in the restiveDrabha stretch," a senior stateIntelligence Bureau official,who did not want to be identi-fied, said. He said the CRPFmen too had noticed those vil-lagers but overlooked themand continued with their oper-ation on Darbha-Jagdalpurroad. The incident occurred

when around 10 CRPF per-sonnel were travelling in 108Sanjeevani ambulance.

"Apparently, both the sus-pects must have passed theinformation to their coadespositioned near Kamanar vil-lage where the landmine blastwas triggered," the officersaid. The incident took placejust a few minutes after theparamilitary personnel hadboarded the bus and hardly

covered a half-kilometre dis-tance, which suggests thatsomebody was followingthem and passed on the inputthrough mobile phone, hesaid. "If the security forceshad taken the custody of thosesuspects, the incident couldhave been averted," the officersaid. Generally, if securitypersonnel spot such suspectsduring their operation in aconflict zone, they take them

into custody to avoid any trou-ble and later release them aftercompletion of their task, hesaid. Maoists struck twice inBijapur and Bastar districts. InBijapur attack, the ultrasambushed a polling team byblasting their bus. Sevenmembers of the team werekilled in the attack. Ten per-sons, including five paramili-tary personnel, were alsoinjured in the two incidents.

How Maoists successfully carryout deadly attacks ?

Raipur

T

CRPF ignored suspicious movement of

villagers in BastarRaipur

Performance of 6 MPs inChhattisgarh below average

Performance of six of the eleven MPsin Chhattisgarh has been below average,reveals data released by Association forDemocratic Rights (ADR). Only DineshKashyap of BJP and Charan Das Mahantof Congress have exceeded the expecta-tions of people vis-a-vis their work intheir respective constituencies.

According to the ADR, a surveyinvolving over 2.5 lakh respondents wasconducted in all the 530 Lok Sabha con-stituencies to assess voter priorities sothat elections in future are fought onissues and the manifestos of various polit-ical parties reflect the priorities of theelectorate. The survey included public

rating of the MPs on a scale of 10 andknowing the 10 pressing issues for votersin the respective state.

The report, which also studied the vot-ing behaviour of people, reveals that vot-ers in Chhattisgarh gave more importanceto the candidate himself rather than thepolitical party he represents. Thecaste/religion of the candidate and PMcandidate of the party were the third andfourth most important factors, which vot-ers would consider before voting.

As per the report, the highest scoringMP from Chhattisgarh is Dinesh Kashyap(Bastar) of BJP with a rating of 7.56points. Union minister Charan DasMahant (Korba) of Congress is next onthe list with a rating of 7.15 point. Sohan

Potai (Kanker) of the BJP follows himwith a rating of 7.04 points. The other twoMPs, whose performance was ratedabove the performance rating of 6.67points are Murarilal Singh (Sarguja) andVishnu Deo Sai (Raigarh).The remainingBJP MPs, Saroj Pandey (Durg),Madhusudan Yadav (Rajnandgaon), DilipSingh Judeo (Bilaspur), Kamla Devi(Janjgir Champa), Chandulal Sahu(Mahasamund) and Ramesh Bais(Raipur) were rated below average bytheir voters, with their scores being lessthan the average of 6.67. Interestingly, asregards role of criminals and moneypower in elections, majority of voters inthe state do not consider it as a negativefactor for the candidate.

RAIPUR

3 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)BHOPAL

Voters exhibit enthusiasm in polling forsecond phase of Lok Sabha elections

For the first time, EVMswill be used in place of bal-lot papers in local bodyelections in MadhyaPradesh. This is a revolu-tionary and challenging ini-tiative from election pointof view. We should allaccept this challenge anddischarge important respon-sibility of conducting localbody elections on the linesof Vidhan Sabha and LokSabha polls. This was statedby State ElectionCommissioner Shri R.Parasuram while reviewingpreparations for elections tourban body and three-tierPanchayat elections at Rewatoday. Shri Parasuraminformed that programme isbeing chalked out to con-duct urban body elections in

November and three-tierPanchayat elections inJanuary-February 2015.Except for elections of pan-chas, polling for all otherposts will be held throughEVMs. In this connection,he directed to prepare error-free photo electoral rolls.

For this, collectors withall concerning officersshould give proper guidanceto vendors at meetings. Hedirected collectors to makearrangements for safe stor-age of EVMs. He directedcollectors to chalk out anaction plan for EVM train-ing and send the same to theState Election Commissionby April 25. The StateElection Commissioner alsolaid emphasis on makingpeople aware about votingthrough EVMs.

Candidates use SMS toreach out to voters in MP

Use of EVM for the first timein urban body elections

BHOPAL

Polling in 10 Lok Sabha constituencies under thesecond phase including Morena, Bhind (SC), Gwalior,Guna, Sagar, Tikamgarh (SC), Damoh, Khajuraho,Bhopal and Rajgarh was largely peaceful. Voters enthu-siastically exercised their franchise in 80 Vidhan Sabhaconstituencies in 19 districts forming part of these 10Parliamentary constituencies. Long queues were wit-nessed at polling booths from 7 to 11 pm and after 3pm. Women and youths also participated in the elec-toral process with fervour. A number of facilities likedrinking water, shade, ramp etc. were made at all 18thousand 796 polling booths in this phase.

Despite extreme heat and rains in some areas, largenumber of rural as well as urban voters turned up atpolling booths. Polling was held peacefully amidst con-crete security arrangements. A total of 142 candidateswere in the fray for 10 Parliamentary constituencies insecond phase of Lok Sabha elections. Of this, maxi-mum 28 candidates were in Bhopal Lok Sabha seat andminimum 6 in Rajgarh. A total of 11 woman candidateswere also contesting. Security arrangemerns were tight-ened up to ensure free and fair elections. Borders inpoll-bound districts with adjoining states were sealed.Jawans of various security agencies continued fortifica-tion and search operations due to which no complaintabout any irregularity was received. Besides, 14 gener-al observers, 10 election expenses observers, 80 assis-tant expenses observers and 4460 micro observers werealso deployed.

BHOPAL

Counselling to end boycottOn receiving information about boycott at some

places, local district administration counselled peopleand motivated them to exercise their franchise. Thesepolling booths included polling booths number 59 and49 in Pawai in Panna, Jaura in Morena, polling boothnumber 180-Pathara in Jatara in Tikamgarh district etc.

EVMsMeanwhile, 247 EVMs were replaced after techni-

cal fault was detected in them before mock poll, 16after mock poll and 61 EVMs were changed after startof polling. In the meantime, police seized illicit liquor,narcotics and cash at several places in these con-stituencies.

Candidates are looking at new ways to reach thevoter in the Lok Sabha elections. Elections in Indiaare a colourful affair, with the liberal use of posters,banners and music. Many candidates travel on spe-cially built coaches, transformed to resemblemedieval chariots.

But in these elections, political parties and can-didates are increasingly using new technology andmedia to make their pitch. The growing number ofmobile phone users and increasing use of the inter-net have provided the parties a new campaign plat-form. Besides the political parties, election commis-sion is also urging people to cast their vote throughSMS. The inboxes are flooded with text messageslike 'Sare Kam Chod Do Sabse Pehle Vote Do','Modi Ko Lana Hai Toh, Kamla Ke Phool Ka BatanDabana Hai' and 'Congress Sabke Vikas Ke LiyeHai, Congress Agle Panch Saal Ke Liye'. Some

political parties are busy sending catchy text mes-sages to voters through mobile phones. Many candi-dates have also launched their own websites toattract urban voters. The ruling Bharatiya JanataParty has taken the lead, setting up a team to gener-ate campaign slogans to be transmitted via mobilephones and e-mail. A leader of the BJP said that byusing Short Messaging Service (SMS) and e-mail,the candidates can directly target urban voters whomay otherwise be apathetic.

A BJP leader said, “You cannot meet everyone ina family during door to door campaigns. Many ofthem are at work. I note down the numbers of thosewho carry mobiles and send them SMS, seekingtheir votes. Another BJP state unit office-bearer said,“I also use it to co-ordinate with my workers duringelection meetings. The mobile phone has comehandy for candidates to reach executives, managers,bureaucrats, homemakers and senior citizens at apersonal level.

BHOPAL

4 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)RAIPUR TRAIL

Transgenders hail SC verdict,say they have now a new identity

Raman doesn’t want to deal with Maoist problem: Congress

BSF, CRPF copsreach out to localsto contain Naxals

The eunuchs' community in Raipurand its adjoining areas expressed theirhappiness over the Supreme Court's deci-sion to consider them as third gender.Terming the judgment a landmark deci-sion in favour of people who have beenfighting for their rights, eunuchs saidthey have got a new identity now.

There are about 5000 registered trans-genders in Chhattisgarh and another 2000with hidden identity suffering from socialstigma. They are now hopeful thatSupreme Court verdict will bring themproper livelihood, education, safety,health and employment. SC has askedCentre and state to treat transgender as athird gender under other backward classcategory who would be allowed admis-sion in educational institutions and givenemployment. Raveena, secretary ofMitwa, an NGO working for the welfareof trangenders, said, "Today my sistersand I feel like a part of society. We havesuffered from discrimination and igno-rance in a traditionally conservativecountry like India but today's landmarkdecision will help us be a part of societyand contribute to the development of thecountry. Recognition is not a social ormedical issue but a human rights issue.Though it's only an initial step for ourrights, it is an important one.” Anothertransgender Anubhuti said that formationof third gender welfare board is the need

of hour for which we will start advocat-ing now. Earlier government departmentsused to say there's no law for us, no iden-tity or population. We have decided topresent third gender welfare bill atVidhan Sabha with help of social welfaredepartment. Anubhuti further saidSupreme Court's landmark judgment willhelp community members get govern-ment jobs. A young transgenderYasmeen, who's preparing for IASexams, sees a ray of hope for her profes-sional life. She said, "We heave a sigh ofrelief as we have been preparing for PSCand UPSC examination aspiring forauthoritative government jobs. Now, wesee a hope for ourselves as we have asupport of reservation under OBC cate-gory. We are no more a different isolated

section of society." Yasmeen feels thatwith this decision, they'll not have to livein hiding any more. More transgenderwill come forward without hesitation, shesaid.

Shailey said it's a matter of self-esteem having a third column after maleand female. "In the voter ID card we fallunder 'others' category but third gender isan umbrella under which our section ofpeople including transgender, kinnar,gays and lesbians, so it's much better forall of us." For Zulekha, a fashion design-er it was time for celebration. "I am all setfor a party tonight with other members.It's a welcome move for which we havebeen fighting since years. However, theorder has been declared by court but thestate should implement it soon," she said.

RAIPUR

RAIPURTheir mandate while taking on the

challenge of Naxal violence is different.Personnel of 28 battalions of the Centralparamilitary forces, deployed in the sen-sitive areas of Chhattisgarh, are taskedwith instilling a sense of security in thelocal population, bringing about peaceand order and helping to initiate develop-ment programmes. Pitted against thearmed cadre of Maoists, the BorderSecurity Force (BSF) and the CentralReserve Police Force (CRPF) are shiftingtheir focus to understanding the problemsof the local population and the cultureand traditions of tribals. Realising thatNaxal violence cannot be fought withbullets alone, the forces have embarkedupon civic action programmes in theirareas of deployment. They are conduct-ing free computer education, organisinghealth camps, distributing seeds and fer-tilizer and taking up problems of tribalswith the local administration.

Five BSF battalions were deployed inUttar Bastar Kanker district only late lastyear, but their personnel have struck arapport with the tribal population, con-sisting mainly of Gonds and their sub-tribes. “When we came in here, we foundthere was no administrative presence inthe hinterland, and pockets of liberatedzones were existing. Apart from the fearof Naxals, there are extreme poverty andilliteracy and lack of basic facilities suchas health, transport and electricity,” BSFDeputy Inspector-General (DIG) RamAvtar said at 31 Battalion's camp atLohattar, 170 km from Raipur.

The border guards were seen in a dif-ferent role at the camp. There werejawans who had returned from an earlymorning patrol.

The Congress has alleged theRaman Singh Government doesn’thave intention to deal with theMaoist problem. Party State unitChief Bhupesh Baghel and Leaderof the Opposition in the Assembly,T.S.Singh Deo, said during the lastten years, the Raman SinghGovernment even failed to comewith a concrete policy on Naxals.

The Congress leaders saidRaman Singh should explain, whypeople in Bastar region are stilldeprived of basic facilities like road,electricity, water, education, hospi-tal. Singh should also make it clearthe stand of his Government on mil-itary, financial, political and socialpolicy to control the Naxal manace,they said. The Chief Minister should

also disclose about the help askedfrom the centre and the central gov-ernment also the details about thehelps provided by the Centre.

The Congress claimed the cen-tral government has deployed high-est number of Central ReservePolice Force personnel in the Stateto tackle the Naxal menace. Singhshould also clarify, why he opposedwhen the central government pro-posed to establish the NationalCounter Terrorism Centre (NCTC)?,the Congress leaders stated. Theleaders also demanded an explana-tion from the Chief Minister, whyhis Government failed to spend thefunds properly allocated for thedevelopment of Maoist infestedBastar region. Whenever the StateGovernment asked for any help be it

modern arms and weapons or chop-pers, the central government provid-ed it to the State immediately, theCongress leaders said. By criticisingthe Congress-led UPA Governmentat the Centre over the Maoist vio-lence in Chhattisgarh, ChiefMinister Raman Singh has been hid-ing his own failure, the Congressalleged.

“The States like Andhra Pradesh,Odisha and West Bengal have man-aged to check the Naxal activities toa great extent despite having lessparamilitary force personals,” theCongress duo said. “Why did theNaxal activities increased inChhattisgarh under the BharatiyaJanata party regime, when the StateGovernment has all the necessarysupport?” they asked.

RAIPUR

5 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)MADHYA PRADESH

Governor pays tributes toAmar Shaheed Tatya Tope

Paying tributes to AmarShaheed Tatya Tope heretoday, Governor Shri RamNaresh Yadav said that thisgreat revolutionary washanged on the soil of MadhyaPradesh on April 18, whichwill always be remembered asBlack Day. The Governorappealed to youths, politi-cians and social workers tocontribute to development ofstate and country drawinginspiration from AmarShaheed Tatya Tope’s sacri-fice, courage and love fornation.

The Governor appealed tostudents to forget about thelesson in the syllabus whichsays that actually Tatya Topewas not hanged but someoneelse in his place was hangedand only remember that that itwas Tatya Tope who washanged. Remembering AmarShaheed Tatya Tope,

Governor Shri Yadav said thatdue to treachery of RajaMadan Singh, Tatya Tope wasarrested while asleep in thenight. He was court-martialedon April 15, 1859 and givendeath sentence by hanging.Accordingly, he was taken tothe gallows for hanging onApril 18, 2014. His handcuffsand fetters were opened onreaching near the platformmeant for hanging. On this,Tatya Tope himself climbedup the board for hanging, put

the noose around his neck andhanged himself to death. Inthis way, he became animmortal martyr.

The Governor said that itwas extraordinary thatEnglishman Malson haddescribed Tatya Tope as agreat revolutionary. Theremay be hardly anyone in thehistory of warfare like TatyaTope who continued to dodgeworld-famous English forcesand Generals for monthsdespite having ordinarytroops and being besiegedfrom all sides. The Governorsaid that British historianPersy Cross Standing haddescribed him as one of thebest gorilla warfare generalsin the world. According toShri Standing, Tatya Tope wasthe best in all respects amongIndian revolutionaries of histime. Had there been two ormore like him then Indiawould have gone out of handsof Britishers.

Phased Gram Sabhaswill be held in every GramPanchayat in the state fromApril 24 as per provisions ofMadhya Pradesh PanachayatRaj and Gram Swaraj Act-1993. This time, discussionswill be specially held atGram Sabhas to createawareness about issues per-taining to women’s harass-ment. Besides, discussionswill also be taken about mat-ters pertaining to schooleducation, eradication ofcurse of open-area defeca-tion in rural areas, smoothimplementation of mid-daymeal scheme and establish-ing and operating cash fundin Gram Sabhas.

Information about GramSabhas to be held on differ-ent dates in the villages

included in GramPanchayats will be dis-played on notice board ofGram Panchayats as well aspublic places. Notice boardswill also display welfareschemes. At the same time,its information will also bedisseminated through publicannounce systems includingMunadi.

Constitution of standingcommittees of GramPanchayats will also be dis-cussed. Discussions will beheld on self-taxation andways to increase revenue ofGram Panchayats. TheGram Sabhas will discussquality of education inschools under GramPanchayats, teaching as peracademic calendar, enrol-ment of cent percent chil-dren in schools underSchool Chalen Hum

Abhiyan and their regularattendance. This year, unan-imous resolution will beadopted at Gram Sabhas foreradication of curse of open-area defecation in ruralareas. Resolve will also beadopted to realize fine frompeople defecating in theopen areas. Demand letterswill be accepted from toilet-less households for con-struction of toilets.

The villages having ridof open-area defection underNirmal Bharat Abhiyan willbe declared open-area defe-cation-free ceremoniously.The Gram Sabhas will sanc-tion construction of toilets intoilet-free houses throughMNREGA convergence. Itwill also endorse decision toinclude solid and liquidwaste management in shelfof project.

Gram Sabhas to create awarenesson women’s harassment

BHOPAL Infertility a matter of graveconcern, says Governor

BHOPAL

Inaugurating the first National Infertility Conference here today, GovernorShri Ram Naresh Yadav saidthat infertility is a seriousdisease and ancient prob-lem. This destroys not onlya woman but entire family.This subject needs to dis-cussed and ponderedminutely. The conferencewas organised by MadhyaPradesh Indian Society ofAssistant Reproduction. TheGovernor inaugurated theconference by lighting alamp. National President Dr.H.D. Pai and Secretary Dr.Nandita Pai of ISAR werepresent on the occasion.

Governor Shri Yadavsaid that in olden times, awoman was held solelyresponsible for infertility.

However, intensity ofthis allegation has reducedto a great extent due to con-tinued researches and sci-ence and medical educationand dissemination of aware-ness. Being childless is apersonal problem, but itwrecks the person mentallyand socially.

Governor Shri Yadavurged doctors and experts to ponder over ways to prevent foeticide apart fromsolving problem of infertility. Foeticide is a blot on the face of society. Genderratio is decreasing in the state due to increased incidents of foeticide, he added.

National President Dr. H.D. Pai said that there are misgivings about childlesspeople in society, which can be removed through new technology. He said thatregular check-up by doctors and cautious food habits can prevent this problem. Dr.Pai said that obesity and diabetes also lead to infertility. This problem can be over-come through timely treatment.

On the occasion, the Governor felicitated Dr. H.D. Pai with shawl, coconutand memento. Institution’s State President Dr. Asha Bakshi and Secretary Dr.Archana Baser also spoke on the occasion. Organising Secretary Dr. RandhirSingh proposed a vote of thanks. Doctors, experts and large number of distin-guished citizens were present on the occasion.

BHOPAL

23-04-2014- Wednesday - VaishakhMah Krishnapaksh-NavamiPositive directions -SouthBad time - 12:25 pm to 2:01 pmGood time - 6:01 am to 9:13 am and10:49am to 12:24 pm and 3:37 pm to6:49 pm

24-04-2014-Thursday- Vaishakh MahKrishnapaksh- DashamiPositive directions-south and WestBad time - 2:01 pm to 3:37 pmGood time - 6:01 am to 7:37 am and10:49 am to 2:00 pm and 5:13 pm to6:49 pm

25-04-2014- Friday -Vaishakh MahKrishnapaksh- EkadashiPositive directions -South and WestBad time - 10:49 am to 12:25 pm

Good time - 5:59 am to 10:48 am and12:26 pm to 2:01 pm and 5:144 pm to 6:50pm

26-2014- Saturday -Vaishakh MahKrishnapaksh-Dwadashi (Pradosh)Positive directions-North and WestBad time - 9:12 am to 10:48amGood time - 7:35 am to 9:11 am and12:25 pm to 5:14 pm

27-04-2014- Sunday - Vaishakh MahKrishnapaksh- TrayodashiPositive directions - North and WestBad time - 5:14 pm to 6:51 pm Good time - 7:35 am to 12:24 pm and2:01 pm to 3:38 pm

28-04-2014- Monday -Vaishakh MahKrishnapaksh- ChaturdashiPositive directions- North and EastBad time - 7:34am to 9:11 am

Good time - 5:58 am to 7:33 am and9:12 am to 10:58 am and 2:01 pm to

6:51 pm

29-04-2014-Tuesday-Vaishakh MahKrishnapaksh-AmavasyaPositive directions-North and EastBad time - 3:38 pm to 5:15 pmGood time - 9:11 am to 2:01 pm

By AACHARYA SARVESHE-Mail: acharya.sarvesh@yahoo.com

Mobile: 9826609192

Vastu tips for Study RoomAdequate amountnatural light & air isa must. While studying the shadowof the child shouldnot fall on the studytable. A study lamp shouldbe placed on the leftto energize concentration. An Aquarium can beplaced in the studyroom. Hang framed certificates or display trophies etcwon by the child onthe South wall.

ASTROLOGY

6 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)EDITORIAL

y turning up in large numbers,voters have reaffirmed faith inthe democratic polity. Broken,badly managed, even corrupt

and criminal it may well be, but it is allwe have; and the onus to make it whole,to make it work, in the final analysis,lies with the people. Politicians arealways dispensable; people are not.

Therefore, it is hoped the vote wasfor a better India, for breaking with therecent past of corruption, scams andnon-governance and misgovernance.Yes, contrary to the expectations therewas a sharp polarisation visible in areasdominated by the Muslim minority.Whether it is the desire to makeNarendra Modi prime minister or to stophim from becoming one, the net result isa huge surge in the voter turnout. Eitherway, it is good for our democracy.Active participation infuses fresh lifeinto it. Modi’s detractors seemed to havesucceeded in making him out to be a

tyrant who would harm the Muslims.Because the Muslims in western UP andDelhi were gripped with an anti-Modiphobia and they voted en masse againsthis prime ministry, the majority commu-nity more than counter-balanced them.Even in areas where there was insignifi-cant Muslim presence, the turnout wasimpressive. This could be because of thehuge public anger against the UPA.After all, the voters had to punish theruling Congress for its no-holds-barredplunder and loot of the national pursethese past ten years.

Maybe some of the record turnout isexplained by the positive impact Modihad made through his intensive country-wide campaigning. The desire for aclean and stable government that per-forms had sharpened by the day even asfresh scandals tumbled out of the UPAcupboard on a regular basis. Higher thannormal turnout in the national capitaltoo reflected the popular anger against

the ruling Congress Party.By all accounts, the AAP appears to

have lost much ground since the lastDecember Assembly poll when it sur-prised everyone by pushing the outgoingCongress into a minor player whiledenying the BJP a majority in the 70-member House. The AAP won 28 seats,the Congress eight and the BJP 32.Thanks to its hypocrisy and ugly antics,the AAP has forfeited the trust of a hugepercentage of the voters who supportedit last December. This might result in theBJP bagging all the seven seats in thenational capital, though the final out-come would depend on the way thevotes in a particular constituency weredivided between the three parties.

Elsewhere, according to reports, theAAP was a minor presence. If the pres-ent trend holds, there can be little doubtthat the Congress is looking at its lowestever tally.

Whether or not the BJP and its allieswill reach the golden 272-plus markwould depend on what happens in theremaining phases of the poll. The ques-tion whether there was a Modi wavecannot be answered with any degree offinality by anyone. A wave is a waveonly after the votes are counted.

Yet, it would be a huge surprise if thetrend indicated by a number of pollstersabout a huge surge in the BJP vote isbelied by the actual outcome on May 16.Admittedly, such surprises are not alto-gether unknown, but the law of averagessuggests that the BJP-led NDA is set toleave the Congress-led UPA far behindin the numbers game. May the mostdeserving alliance win. The countrycannot wait a day longer for an effec-tive, liberal, forward-looking and, aboveall, performing government, all thingsthat the UPA was not.

B

tung by the latest slew ofallegations that ManmohanSingh failed to assert him-self as Prime Minister in

the face of scams and corruptionsthat hit his Government, and that heremained remote-controlled byCongress president Sonia Gandhi,the party has swung to contain thedamage. If the recently publishedbooks written by Sanjaya Baru andPC Parakh have presented the PrimeMinister in a sorry light, the BJP hasadded to the Congress's discomfi-ture by using the revelations to reit-erate that Singh was the weakestPrime Minister the country has hadsince independence.

Soon after veteran BJP leaderLK Advani reminded the people thathe had long ago opined about thePrime Minister what many are say-ing today, the Congress tried to gainlost ground by counter-claiming that

AB Vajpayee had been the weakestPrime Minister. A spokesperson ofthe party took pains to suggest thatVajpayee had proved weak in,among other things, taking neces-sary action against Narendra Modiafter violence rocked Gujarat inearly 2002.

In its zeal to paint Vajpayee asthe “weakest” Prime Minister, theparty forgot that just days ago ithad been praising the formerPrime Minister to the skies, in abid to run down Modi. Nobody isgoing to be carried away by theCongress's slander againstVajpayee's regime.

The problem for the Congressis that comparisons are not going towash the taint of submissiveness toCongress president Sonia Gandhiand inaction in the face of scamsthat Singh has collected in histenure. Nor can the constant spin

that the Prime Minister is a “good”man and that people took advantageof his “goodness”, sound any moreconvincing. Just as the book byBaru, who was Singh’s hand-pickedmedia adviser, has revealed thePrime Minister's subordination tohis party's president, former CoalSecretary, Parakh’s book, Crusaderor Conspirator? Coalgate and Other

Truths, has pointed out that had thePrime Minister asserted his authori-ty, the massive coal block allocationscam could have been averted. BothBaru and Parakh have essentiallymade the same point, which is:Singh chose to become captive tovested interests in and outside theGovernment, and showed no spineto act against the wrong-doers.

S

A vote for change ?

Washing taint of submission to Sonia not easy for PM

SC verdict paves way for all-rounddevelopment of trangenders

7 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)MUST READ

y recognising thetransgender com-munity as a thirdgender entitled to

the same rights and constitu-tional protection as all othercitizens, the Supreme Courthas put in place a sound basisto end discrimination basedon gender, especially genderas presumed to be assignedto individuals at birth.Further, beyond prohibitingdiscrimination and harass-ment, the Court has extendedglobal principles of dignity,freedom and autonomy tothis unfairly marginalisedand vulnerable community.In particular, the Court’sdirection that transgendersshould be treated as sociallyand educationally backwardand given reservation in edu-cation and employment, is afar-reaching contribution totheir all-round development.The jurisprudential basis forthe judgment is that sex iden-tity cannot be based on amere biological test but musttake into account the individ-ual’s psyche. The Court hasnoted that Indian law treats

gender as a binarymale/female concept, withsections of the Indian PenalCode and Acts related tomarriage, adoption, divorce,succession, and even welfarelegislation, being examples.

The separate, but concur-ring, opinions of Justice K.S.Radhakrishnan and JusticeA.K. Sikri contain some sub-tle criticism of the SupremeCourt’s earlier ruling inSuresh Kumar Koushalupholding Section 377 ofIPC that criminalises evenconsensual same-sex activity.While conscious that theycannot depart from the rulingof a Division Bench, bothJudges have highlighted thefact that misuse of Section377 is one of the principalforms of discriminationagainst the transgender com-munity. Constitutional pro-tection ought to be madeavailable to a particulargroup regardless of its size.The verdict on the transgen-der community now providesone more reason why Section377 ought to be amended tode-criminalise gay sex.

B

Cancer will claim 1.2 millionlives annually in India by 2035

Some 1 million Indians are diag-nosed with cancer and another sevenlakh die of the illness every year, says anoncology magazine. By 2035, thesenumbers will increase to 1.7 million newpatients and 1.2 million deaths annually,says a special research paper on cancercases in India published in LancetOncology journal. Stating that cancerhas “devastating economic and humancosts” in India, more than 40 expertsfrom across the globe have asked Indianpoliticians, who are busy with election-

eering at the moment, to concentrate onpublic health programmes for cancer.More cancer specialists, more hospitalsand more money for research for India-specific affordable treatment are neededto change the cancer graph of India, saidthe paper, written mainly by researchersat King’s College in London and TataMemorial Hospital in Mumbai.

One of the authors, Dr C S Prameshfrom Tata Memorial Hospital, said theworst aspect of India’s cancer picture ispoor life expectancy.

More than 60 percent cancer patientsin the US enjoy an over five-year sur-

vival rate, but the corresponding figurefor India is 30 percent. “It’s worryingthat between 60 and 70 percent of ourpatients die earlier mainly because theyseek treatment only after their diseasehas reached an advanced stage,” said DrPramesh.

Incidentally, India has a relativelylower incidence of cancer—around aquarter of that in the US or WesternEurope. But the rate of deaths is similarto that seen in high-income countries.

The study’s lead author, Dr Richardfrom King’s College, says, “India is ademographically young country. Even

though rates of cancer are lower than inhigh-income countries, the absolutenumbers still make this a massive publichealth burden, and in the next 20 to 30years India will rapidly ‘age’ and catchup with the rates in other countries.”

The latest Lancet Oncology issue, infact, focuses on India, China and Russia,as they account for 46 percent of all newcancer cases worldwide and 52 percentof all cancer deaths globally. It foundthat 71 percent of cancer deaths in Indiaoccur in patients aged 30 to 69, with asignificant number of premature deathsof people in the prime of their lives.

Mumbai

8 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)POLITICS

Rahul Gandhi’s strong pitch against Modi in Bihar’sMuslim dominated Kishanganj may be one of his moreeffective campaign efforts on behalf of his party. But itwon't be because of the Congress vice president’s ora-torical talent or his ability to mobilise a crowd. It has

more to do with the social equations in that part of thestate and his party’s candidate Asrarul Haq’s ability toproject himself as the potential winner, yet again. Is theBJP euphoric for no real reason?

Interestingly Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which untilrecently claimed a significant share of Muslim votes,

has been almost completely edged out of the reckoning.JDU's Kishanganj candidate Akhtarul Imam not justwithdrew his candidature but went on to call on hiscommunity to “sacrifice” for a larger cause, and pre-vent a split in the Muslim votes, appealing to his com-munity members to ensure that they vote en bloc tocontain Narendra Modi. Of course, even if Imam hadstayed in the race, it is unlikely that he would havemade a substantive dent in his community’s vote. Thatthe JD(U) has no candidate in Kishanganj is not anissue for many. Also immaterial is the fact that Rahuldid not share the dais with his alliance partner LaluPrasad Yadav in his second appearance in the state.Lalu has not made it an issue and has in his character-istic way been successful in convincing his Yadavacaste men that the more pressing issue at hand is therestoration of their badly bruised pride. Imam’s with-drawal, two days ahead of Rahul’s public rally, mayhave worked well for Congress-RJD alliance inKishanganj and given a fillip to its consolidation of theMuslim electorate. But it has also helped drive up theHindu vote for the BJP in Seemanchal and Kosi regionsof Bihar which may give it an unprecedented number ofseats in Bihar, which along with UP could propel it topower. Narendra Modi is focusing hard on Bihar andUP. As compared to Sonia's one and Rahul's two, Modihas so far addressed nine rallies in Bihar. More will fol-low until the conclusion of the final round on May 12.His focus on Bihar has surprised even senior BJP lead-ers who speak highly of his untiring energy and inspir-ing leadership. Nitish has to win some to avoid anyfuture damage to the wafer thin majority in Bihar.

Bihar’s election is critical for BJP

n the early days of Kejriwal’s time as chief minister,the Aam Aadmi Party’s popularity, especially in urbanareas across India, was beginning to rival that of themain opposition BJP. Many political analysts thought

the AAP could win anywhere between 30 and 50 seats in thenational elections, thereby emerging as India’s third-largestparty and stalling the surge in favour of Narendra Mod.

Less than four months later, a series of strategic mistakeshave belied those expectations and arrested what, at one point,seemed the AAP’s irresistible momentum. Most opinion pollsnow project fewer than 10 seats for the AAP. Kejriwal lasted allof seven weeks as Delhi’s chief minister. It is difficult to knowwhat to make of the AAP’s spell in office. Much of that seemeddefined by an unseemly haste and a lack of deliberation.

As if it was exhilarated by its unexpected ascent to office,every move of Kejriwal’s government appeared to be gearedtoward making a larger imprint in the Lok Sabha election. Itconveyed the impression of a government perennially distract-ed by the clamour around it, and employed wholly in the serv-ice of short-term strategic aims. In pursuit of maximizing itsadvantage, Kejriwal’s government began to increasinglyemploy confrontation as a modus operandi. In late January,barely a month after taking office, Kejriwal staged an extraordinary sit-in on the streets ofDelhi after Home Ministry refused his request for the suspension of a few police officials.The drama earned the party stinging criticism from the press. In the aftermath ofKejriwal’s sit-in, a large section of the upper and middle classes, fatigued with agitationpolitics and stalled governance, began to be disenchanted with the AAP. The support ofthe upper middle class was significant to the party’s prospects in a deeper way than mere-

ly the votes it brought. The party’s Delhi campaign had beenentirely propped up by this class. But after Kejriwal’s sit-in,funding from the upper middle class began to dry up. Theextent of upper-middle-class disappointment with the AAPcan be gauged from the fact that the party, which had set itselfthe goal of raising a billion rupees for the general elections,was able to raise only about one-fifth of that amount. AAP’sfunding target of a billion rupees was derived from a plan tocontest about 100 seats in the national elections. That seemeda sensible approach for a party with only a nascent grass-rootsorganization beyond Delhi and few prominent leaders apartfrom Kejriwal. Instead, the AAP scaled its target unrealistical-ly upward and is now contesting 424 seats, more than eitherthe Congress or the BJP. Unlike its shrewd campaign in theDelhi election last year, its decision to contest such a largenumber of seats has prevented the party from pooling itsresources in constituencies where it has a stronger chance ofcompeting.

What has followed is a scattered campaign, in which mostcandidates have been left to fend for themselves. Kejriwal hasnot spent enough time campaigning in any one region to makea substantial impact. He has made short, much-publicized trips

to the states of Gujarat, UP and Karnataka, but the party’s lack of clear strategy has meantthat he has, in a sense, been everywhere and nowhere.

Belatedly, after realizing its core base was weakening, the party decided to refocus itsorganizational energies on Delhi and its surrounding regions. But the move may havecome a little too late: The party’s campaign in the capital has been flat, and it may end uppaying a heavy price for ignoring its primary base in pursuit of its national ambition.

PATNA

Strategic mistakes arrest AAP’s momentumI

9 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)

reparations are on a war footing atRashtrapati Bhavan in anticipa-tion of the formation of a new

government next month. PresidentPranab Mukherjee has already complet-ed two rounds of reading his predeces-sors' judgments and interactions withConstitutional experts.

President Pranab Mukherjee hasbeen studying the decisions of his pred-ecessors K R Narayanan, ShankarDayal Sharma and R Venkataraman --regarding formation of Union govern-ments. The President has put his seniorofficials to work to get the minutestdetails of formation of governments

since 1984. Data was obtained from theUnion ministries of home, law, and par-liamentary affairs. Crucial decisions byprevious Presidents while swearing inthen prime ministers -- VishwanathPratap Singh in 1989, Atal BihariVajpayee in 1998 and P V NarasimhaRao in 1991-- all three minority gov-ernments -- will form a guiding factorfor President Mukherjee to articulatethe formation of a Union government.Mukherjee has also met withConstitutional luminaries in the pastthree months. A senior aide said it is asight to behold to watch the Presidentread handwritten notes of former

Presidents on installation of govern-ments. "He shows great reverence forthese notes," the aide said.

The President has strictly adhered tothe rule book. A source said thePresident has kept himself secludedsince March 5 -- the day he gave theElection Commission permission tocommence the process of electing the16th Lok Sabha and announce the pollschedule. "He has made a consciousself-regulated decision to not interactwith any political personality," said asenior aide. He has even refused to dis-cuss political trends with his daughterSharmishta and son Abhijeet, a candi-

date from the Jangipur Lok Sabha seatin West Bengal.

On May 18, Chief ElectionCommissioner VS Sampath will submitthe 543 names that would have beenelected to the President, and requesthim to constitute the 16th Lok Sabha.

Mukherjee is expected to give 21days to the new prime minister to provehis majority on the floor of the LokSabha.

The reason for the 21-day period isa well-established practice: As a policy,the President's address is drafted by thenew government, who are responsiblefor its contents.

NEWS HIGHLIGHT

P

Preparations on war footing at Rashtrapati Bhavan to welcome new govt

I'm stillTour deFrance winner,Lance Armstrong says

Lance Armstrong, in a rare interview, says he stillconsiders himself a Tour de France champion despitehis spectacular fall from grace for using performance-enhancing drugs. Armstrong -- stripped of his recordseven Tour titles told Outside magazine he thinks hisfellow competitors would agree he genuinely woncycling`s greatest event. "Yes, I feel that I won theraces," he said in what Outside billed as his first public

appearance since his January 2013doping confession to talk show divaOprah Winfrey following years ofdenials. "I know that is not a popular answer, but thereality is that ... it was just a messy time," he said, refer-ring to widespread doping in cycling. "It was basicallyan arms race, and we all played ball that way."

He added it would be "a mistake, and it would bedisrespectful to the sport, to leave seven years empty"and fail to recognize a Tour winner between 1999 and2005. "If I didn`t win, then somebody needs to win," hesaid. "Of course I`m going to say I won -- but ask theguys (fellow Tour de France competitors) that went andsuffered with you and ask them, `Did he win?` I think Iknow what they`d say.

No longer racing, or associated with the Livestrongcancer charity he founded, Armstrong said he still bikes"occasionally" but runs "more than anything" in orderto keep fit. As for what his legacy will be, he said: "Idon`t know. I don`t spend a lot of time thinking aboutthat ... Honestly, I have no idea what the future holds."

Sharjah: Pacer R Vinay Kumar, whoheld his nerves in the last over to churn outa dramatic victory for Kolkata KnightRiders against Royal ChallengersBangalore, said he would like to put up asimilar show every time for his team in theongoing IPL. Needing just nine off the lastover, Royal Challengers Bangalore couldmanage only seven, thanks largely to VinayKumar`s superb bowling, besides a breath-taking catch by Chris Lynn that enabled theKnight Riders stage a dramatic fightback to

pull off a two-run win in a thrilling last-ball finish hereon Thursday.

"This performance will help me become a morematured bowler and keep me high on confidence goinginto the remaining games. Hopefully, I can turn up formy team every time and put up a good show," saidVinay Kumar.Vinay, who had earlier been a part of theRCB outfit, said he had faced such tense situations inthe past also and had successfully defended totals in thelast over. "I had successfully defended quite a fewgames in the last over last year. I am used to beingunder such tense situations and I try to get better withevery outing. Even while practising, I try to put myselfinto such situations during practise, which has helpedme perform when needed," he said.

Elaborating on what was going through his mindwhen he was asked to bowl the final over, Vinayexplained: "I just backed myself to bowl in the areasthat were my strengths.

10 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)SPORTS

Marquez on a three-timer asMotoGP returns to Argentina

ermas de Rio Honda: Argentina stages its first motorcycling grand prixfor 15 years on Sunday with Marc Marquez out to maintain his per-fect start to the defence of his MotoGP world title. The 21-year-old Spaniard had barely graduated from riding tricycles the last

time Argentina staged a leg of the world championship. That 1999 racewas won by American star Kenny Roberts Jr. with a certain ValentinoRossi claiming third in the 250cc division. Rossi, who won the mid-divi-sion title that season, returns to Argentina having gone on to accumulateseven world crowns in the 500cc/MotoGP category.

Marquez has one MotoGP championship wrapped up and iswell on his way to adding a second, if early results are any-thing to go by. He took the season-opener in Qatar onemonth after breaking his leg, fighting off Rossi in athrilling wheel-to-wheel finish. Next up came theGrand Prix of the Americas with Marquez describinghis stroll to victory from pole in Austin as "boring".Now the youngest ever MotoGP world championarrives in Argentina hungry for his third straight winof 2014. "We will be looking to continue with thesame momentum from the first two races of the sea-son," the Honda ace said.

"Argentina will be a new track for most ofus...... I`m looking forward to visiting a new circuitand it will be nice for the fans." His Honda team-mate, Dani Pedrosa, a distant second in Texas afortnight ago, has been gathering information on

the circuit. "I don`t know much about the new track, I`ve tried to do some home-work with maps and videos and find out as much as I could before arriving

but it`s hard to know without having been there on the bike," he said. The2010 and 2012 champion Jorge Lorenzo arrives in Argentina intent ondrawing a line on a frustrating start to the 2014 campaign. A crash inQatar and a lowly 10th in Austin after a jump start earned him a ridethrough penalty blamed on mosquitoes has left him trailing leader

Marquez by 44 points. He recalled: "When I arrive to the grid, I have too many mos-

quitoes on my visor so I decided to take out the tear off. "Inever do this and at this moment, I get confused and

when I see the red light I thought it was the start ofthe race...." "Obviously it`s not the beginning ofthe season I had dreamed of," admitted Lorenzo.

"But I`m quite confident that we can revertthe situation. "It`s not easy to swallow what hap-pened at Austin but I always try to get the posi-tive thing even if we are in trouble." He turns uprefreshed after a working break. "I`ll arrive withplenty of energy after resting and training hardin Mexico." Marquez is not the only rider thisweekend searching for a hat-trick withAustralian Jack Miller also on a three-timer inMoto3. After Argentina the world champi-onship moves to Europe with Jerez stagingthe fourth leg of the season on May 4.

T

Washington

Want to put up agood show everytime for KKR: Vinay

11 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)GLAMOUR

Deepika not approachedfor Bhandarkar's next

ani Mukerji tiedthe knot at 36.

While sheexchangedvows with

filmmakerAditya Chopra in

Italy, her contemporarieslike Tabu, Preity Zinta and

Urmila Matondkar con-tinue to be in the list

of 30-plus yet sin-gle. There areother Bollywoodbeauties likePriyanka Chopraand Amrita Raowho have alsofound a spot onthe list. PriyankaChopra: In over adecade, the 31-year-old has done

it all - clinchedthe Miss World

crown, deliveredblockbusters like "Krrish

3", "Barfi!" and "Fashion", crooned with internationalartists like Pitbull and Will.I.Am and fronted the glob-al fashion brand GUESS as its first Bollywoodactress. But it seems to have been hard luck when itcomes to love. She had reportedly dated actorsHarman Baweja and Shahid Kapoor, but someone isyet to put a ring on her finger. Bipasha Basu: Sheonce dated model-turned-actors Dino Morea and JohnAbraham. While she still continues to be friends withDino, after parting ways with John in 2011 she cut offties with him. For a few years, she kept her love lifeaway from shutterbugs and it was just a few monthsago when she declared that she was in love again.Bipasha, who has always been vocal about her beaus,officially announced her relationship with HarmanBaweja. The actor, who was once linked to Priyanka,was also spotted at Bipasha's 35th birthday bash.There are also rumours of the couple getting hitchedsoon. Till now, they are tight-lipped about the union.Soha Ali Khan: She has for long been in a committedrelationship with fellow actor Kunal Kemmu. The 35-year-old has often said in public that her star momSharmila Tagore repeatedly tells her to tie the knot,but she seems to have no qualms about just datingKunal. The "Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster Returns" star,who is in a live-in relationship with her man, is proba-bly waiting to turn 40 to settle down.

Gulzar: I want to playtennis and write

poetry till I am alivevery time you meetGulzar sahab, you onlycome back wondering

how a man can retain hispurity as much as him. Heis so consistent, not withjust his writing, but alsohis starched white kurtapyjama, his golden jootisand his immense warmth.

It's always difficult to writehis interview in English as

you want to write out everysingle word in his Urdu the way

he speaks it. His every word is poetry.I have been inspired by Aman Ki Asha and I have lived withthis all my life. The border, and the migration from your birth-place to another place. Even when you move, your rootsalways remain with you. There may be a plantation here also,but that keeps coming back.

And I keep reacting to it. Why do we say partition and notIndependence? It's not about denying the border, acceptance ofthe border between our two independent countries, India andPakistan, is the main thing. You have to respect the identity ofeach other. When Kya Dilli Kya Lahore came to me as a sub-ject, I liked it as it is a human story about two youngsters onefrom each side of the border who are actually one. I liked theidea of not treating it with heavy political stuff, but it being ahuman story. In our relationship with Pakistan, there is humour,but also fear.

Suneil Shettycreates confusion in

political parties?uneil Shetty has createdplenty of confusion over hispolitical affiliation by cam-paigning for rival parties -

the Congress and the BJP. On April14 he was in Punjab campaigningfor Arun Jaitley and six days later, inGujarat for his Hera Pheri co-starParesh Rawal, both of whom arecandidates of the saffron brigade.This, despite the fact that the actor'sname is on the Congress' star cam-paigner's list at No 20, under candi-dates, former cricketer MohammadAzharuddin and actress Nagma butahead of actress Mahima Chaudhry.The list also includes Congress pres-ident Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi,Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singhand Gujarat Congress PresidentArjun Modhwadia. When contact-ed, Modhwadia said: "There is amisunderstanding.

eepika Padukone in filmmakerMadhur Bhandarkar's next project?

The actress is surprised by the rumours, saysher spokesperson. There are reports that the "ChennaiExpress" star might sign Bhandarkar'supcoming film, but a clarificationfrom the actress's end hasbeen issued to scotchthe rumours."We have notbeen approachedfor the film," herspokesperson saidin a statement. She is currentlybusy with Farah Khan's "HappyNew Year" and will soon startshooting for Imtiaz Ali'supcoming film "Tamaasha"with Ranbir Kapoor.

DE

S

Over 30 and still singleR

riyankaGandhiwas keen

on taking onModi in

Varanasi becauseshe felt that the

BJP's prime minis-terial candidatewas bad for thecountry andneeded to bestopped.

UnnamedCongress leaders

are quoted assaying that theonly reason theparty delayed

announcing its candidate for Varanasi was becausePriyanka had made a strong pitch for the task andthey felt making her the candidate would helpenthuse the rank and file of the party. It was also feltit would be a fitting lesson to senior party leaderswho are hesitating to contest, either by citing eitherill health or a desire to stay away from electoral poli-tics. The report cites multiple reasons why the partydecided not to field her and one of them expectedlywas the controversy surrounding her husband RobertVadra and his business dealings.

Party leaders reportedly didn't want the haloaround the Gandhi family to be dimmed by a possibleloss, and they didn't want to accord too much impor-tance to Modi. But the biggest reason was apparentlyRahul Gandhi. Heading a campaign that few wouldgive much of a chance, Congress leaders, perhapsquite rightly, felt that the emergence of Priyankawould only dilute her elder brother's campaign andalso send mixed signals about who would really holdthe reins of the party. While he's maintained his opti-

mism in leading the Congress campaign, Rahul hasn'texactly come up on top in the war of words againstModi. In perhaps his most personal attack on theBJP's prime ministerial candidate last week, Rahulpointed out that Modi hadn't ever mentioned his wifein any previous election affidavit, only to almost dis-sociate himself from it a day later.

Husband Robert Vadra, despite the controversythat dogged him most of last year, has managed tostay out of the limelight this year, barring when hesteps out to vote. But despite the revival of Priyankamania in the Congress, her own record at campaign-ing isn't exactly glamorous and doesn't go beyondmilking the Gandhi name and personal charisma.

The persistent talk about Priyanka's charismaserves to underline Rahul's lack thereof, diminishinghim by implicit comparison as the weaker sibling, inline for succession due to the privilege of genderrather than any natural talent. In an election wherehe's already staring down the barrel, it's the last thingthat Rahul needs.

t’s all aboutwomen power.According to data

compiled by theElection Commission,women have outnum-bered men in castingtheir vote in five of the13 states and union ter-ritories, which went to polls in the first four phases of the Lok Sabha elections.Additionally, an increase in aggregate voter turnout was also witnessed as com-pared to the last general elections.

The data revealed that women voters outnumbered men in Chandigarh,Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Sikkim and Lakshwadeep. The poll panel considereddata of 111 constituencies spread across the 13 states and union territories. Inthe 111 Lok Sabha constituencies, the aggregate voter turnout was 68.29 percent, eight per cent more than last elections’ 60.39 per cent.

According to Akshay Raut, the director general of the EC, the analysis alsothrew up an interesting fact. While Nagaland and Tripura witnessed lowerturnout in these polls as compared to 2009, the two states recorded an impres-sive voter turnout among the 13 states and UTs, which went for polls in fourphases beginning April 7.

All the other states witnessed a higher turnout this time as compared to the2009 general elections, Raut said. Nagaland recorded the highest turnout with88.57 per cent, whereas Lakshdweep recorded a turnout of 86.79 per cent, fol-lowed by Tripura with 84.90 per cent. Sikkim also recorded an impressive voterturnout of 80.96 per cent. Arunachal Pradesh and Goa had a voter turnout of76.9 per cent and 76.83 per cent respectively.

In Kerala, 74.02 per cent of the voters came to vote, while in Haryana thepercentage was 71.86 per cent. Meghalaya recorded a turnout of 69.03 per cent,Delhi 65.09 per cent, Andaman and Nicobar 70.77 per cent, Chandigarh 73.57per cent and Mizoram 61.70 per cent.

12 APRIL 21 TO APRIL 27, 2014 (MP & CG)

Owned Printed and Puplished byM.M. Baig. Printed at lucky, 267, Pragati Nagar, Shahanshah garden, Bhopal (MP) and published from H.No. 101, A Sector Indrapuri BHEL, Ward No. 63, Dist. Bhopal- 462021, M.P.

Tele/FAX 0755-4292545, Mob. 9425029901 email-editor@wethestate.com RNI No. MPENG/2012/46415 Editor: M.M. BAIG- Responsible for selection of News & Articles under PRB Act, Subject to Bhopal jurisdiction

VARANSI

NEW DELHI

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Women outnumbermen in casting vote

hanks to the widely reported trend of communal polarisation, it isassumed that the BJP and the Samajwadi Party (SP) will be the mainbeneficiaries from this. The high turnouts in the first phase of the

Uttar Pradesh polls enthused both parties, with the BJP believing that ithas got a lot of the Hindu vote and the SP the Muslim one. But Mayawatiis still an important piece of the UP electoral puzzle, and it is worth eval-uating her gameplan and potential. She will impact how the Muslim vote

actually plays out. If Muslims miffed with SP after Muzaffarnagar seeher as a winner in some places, they will go with her. The problem forthe Muslim voter is that he knows who he has to vote against – Modi– but not who he has to vote for. His vote can play a tactical role indefeating Modi only if he picks the winning contender – Mayawati orMulayam. This is not as simple as it sounds and needs a sound under-standing of electoral arithmetic in each constituency. The Muslim tacti-cal vote, if it has to deliver results, is not about getting all Muslims tovote for one particular candidate, but about figuring out how the rest of

the communities are voting, and then calculatingwhich party has the better chance of winning againstthe BJP, before finally exhorting Muslims to vote forthe strongest candidate who can defeat the BJP. Inplaces where two candidates look equally strong, theMuslim tactical vote fails.

The BJP benefits whenever this happens. InPataliputra in Bihar, for example, where Lalu Prasad’s

daughter Misa is fighting Ram Kirpal Yadav, a former Lalu confidant now with the BJP, Muslims cannot tilt the balance till theyknow which way the wind is blowing. It is fairly clear that the Yadav vote may be split, and some of the other communities maybe tilting towards JD (U) or BJP. Of course, Muslims cannot decide the outcome of an election on their own. Problems aboundin Uttar Pradesh, where Muslims want to vote tactically and defeat the BJP. This is where Mayawati is in with a chance becauseunlike the other parties, she knows where her Dalit base is strong – and Muslims can see the same and vote tactically wherev-er she is strong.

Mayawati plans to rope in Dalit (Jatav) votes, a few more sub-castes and Brahmins ignored by the BJP. The BJP has gonein for a middle and lower OBC consolidation in the hope that Brahmin votes have nowhere to go but to itself. But the number ofseats Mayawati will win depends on whether the Muslims are convinced by her coalition. The changes in the pattern of the BSP’sticket distribution in UP reflect these objectives: Dalits have been given 17 tickets, Brahmins and Muslims 40, Thakurs 8, whilethe number of tickets given to OBCs has declined to 15. Due to these and other steps, Jatavs in western UP, particularly inMathura and Meerut, have taken the lead to declare support for Mayawati. Mathura, where Hema Malini is fighting on a BJP tick-et, and Meerut, are precisely where the BJP thinks it will win. Mayawati’s hope is that if Muslims can see her as a winner in west-ern UP and in some other parts like Purvanchal (eastern UP), Muslims will vote tactically for her.

Voting tacticallyto defeat Modi

not easy in UP

NATION

Why Cong decided not tofield Priyanka from Varansi ?

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