New Delhi:

The CBI registered an FIR on Friday in connection with four lakh fake students detected in Haryana government schools in 2016, officials said.

The case was handed over to the CBI on the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court on November 2, 2019, the officials said.

The CBI had approached the Supreme Court claiming that the investigation may require huge manpower and the probe should be given to the state police.

The top court dismissed the petition recently after which the CBI registered the FIR.

The High Court was informed in 2016 that a verification of data revealed that there were 22 lakh students in government schools in different classes, but only 18 lakh students were actually found and four lakh were fake admissions.

The court was also told that certain benefits were being given to the students who belong to backward or poor sections of the society to encourage them to attend schools and the mid day meal scheme.

The High Court had ordered the state vigilance to appoint a senior officer to enquire into the suspected siphoning off of funds for four lakh “non-existent” students by The bench ordered fixing of responsibility and also take action commensurate with the guilt proved as a measure of deterrence.

On vigilance bureau’s recommendations, seven FIRs were registered in the state.

In its 2019 order, the High Court noted that after the registration of FIRS, the investigation is “very slow”. It then transferred the probe to the Central Bureau of Investigation for a proper, thorough and expeditious investigation.

It had asked the State Vigilance to hand over all documents within a week of its order on November 2, 2019 and had asked the CBI to file a status report within three months.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Chandigarh:

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Friday called Punjab his state’s “elder brother” and urged it to share water from the Ravi and Beas through the Sutlej Yamuna link (SYL) canal.

He made the suggestion while speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his visit to the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Earlier in the day, he also visited the Radha Soami Satsang in Beas and met the sect’s chief, Gurinder Singh Dhillon, at his residence.

While Haryana has built its portion of the canal, Punjab is reluctant to complete the stretch in its territory, saying it has no water to spare.

Speaking to reporters on the SYL canal issue, Saini said, “Punjab is our elder brother, and it is the duty of the elder brother not to let the younger brother be disappointed.”

He also stressed the familial bond between Punjab and Haryana, stating, “Punjab-Haryana is one family and I appeal to our elder brother to share water with us.”

Recently, after the Aam Aadmi Party government in Delhi accused Haryana of not releasing the national capital’s share of water, Mr Saini maintained that Haryana is releasing water to the city over and above the agreed-upon quantity.

Mr Saini had then said that there is also an AAP government in Punjab, and they should ask Punjab to give SYL canal water so that Haryana’s water shortage can be overcome and Delhi can also get more water.

During his visit to the Golden Temple, Mr Saini partook of ‘langar’ and offered “sewa” (voluntary service) by washing utensils.

The Gurudwara Committee presented him a ‘siropa’ (robe of honour), the statement said.

Speaking to reporters after paying obeisance at the Golden temple, Mr Saini said, “Today, I have found great peace of mind by visiting the holy city Amritsar”.

We should pledge to follow the path shown by the Gurus, Mr Saini said, adding that he prayed for the happiness and prosperity of the people of the state and the country.

“The sacrifice of our Sikh Gurus for the protection of the nation and religion is embedded in every particle of this holy land, which inspires the entire country to serve the nation,” he said in a post on X.

According to an official statement, the Haryana chief minister’s visit to Radha Soami Satsang at Beas was a “courtesy” meeting.

“Met Baba Gurinder Singh Dhillon Ji, the spiritual head of Radha Soami Satsang Beas. Under his able leadership, RSSB has been at the forefront of many community service efforts. On this occasion, received guidance from Baba Gurinder Ji on various spiritual and social issues,” Mr Saini said in another post on X in Hindi.

He later visited the Ram Tirth temple near Amritsar city.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Delhi’s Water Minister Atishi on Monday appealed Haryana government to release the water and solve the problems of the people of Delhi amid the escalating water crisis and sweltering heat.

Addressing the media persons, Ms Atishi said, “Today we are here at Wazirabad barrack. Water from here is sent to various water treatment plants including Wazirabad, Chandrawal, and Okhla. Currently, no water is being released into the Wazirabad barrage. The water level has stepped so low that now the river bed is visible. Again, we are appealing to the Haryana government to release the water and solve the problems of the people of Delhi.”

Ms Atishi also informed that the senior officials and additional chief secretaries level officers from the Delhi Government will meet the officials of the Haryana Government amid the escalating water crisis and sweltering heat.

Ms Atishi conveyed, “The senior officials and additional chief secretaries level officers from the Delhi government will depart for Haryana on Tuesday to meet the ‘Irrigation Department’.

She further urged the Haryana Government to release the water in Yamuna so that Delhi’s public can be relieved.

Delhi Water Minister said, “Till the time Haryana doesn’t release water into the Yamuna, water shortage will continue in Delhi. Munak Canal is receiving very little water and on the other hand, Wazirabad Barrage is receiving no water. The water from Yamuna goes to water treatment and is then resent to Delhi’s public after re-treatment. But there is no water in Yamuna, the reason why the supply is halted. I can just stand before the Haryana government with folded hands and appeal to save the lives of Delhi’s public.

She further conveyed that the maintained water level is due to the recycled water that is being sent by the plant to the barrage.

Quoting the data, she said, “According to the data of reports of the last five years, the water level in Wazirabad Barrage is around 674.5 feet and it has now reached 668 feet. It’s 668 ft because we send some recycled water from plants for its efficiency, otherwise, we could have spotted only river beds. Also, the water level in Munak Canal is also around 902-904 cusecs.”

She further stated, “It’s very common that if the water from the source is disrupted, then the water supply will eventually be halted.”

Meanwhile, the Chief Minister of Haryana Nayab Singh Saini on Monday took a potshot at Delhi’s government for neglecting and mismanaging the issue of water supply. He stated that Haryana is providing an adequate amount of water to the national capital.

Addressing media persons, Haryana CM said, “We are providing them sufficient water. First, the AAP government should do some introspection on themselves. They are more focused on corruption rather than fulfilling its promises to the public. They should focus on implementing developmental schemes for the public of Delhi rather than doing corruption.”

Taking it further, Mr Saini stated, “They have been running the government for the last 10 years, they should have worked on the water distribution system instead of blaming another state for the water supply. We (Haryana) are providing more than sufficient water to them. Delhi’s public is ours too if they suffer, we also suffer. But the way their government lied to the public by not providing any facilities or building an effective system due to corruption, I think Delhi’s public should give a befitting reply to them.”

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Rohtak (Haryana):

Haryana Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini hit back at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal amid the row over the water crisis in the national capital. He said the state is providing its complete quota of water to Delhi and the Aam Aadmi party government is “spreading lies” to hide its own “corruption.”

Addressing a press conference on Saturday, chief minister Saini said, “Mr Kejriwal made this allegation earlier also. I want to ask him to pay less attention to corruption and more to development. Haryana is providing more water than was decided in the agreement made at the court’s order. Haryana is providing more water than agreed.”

“But just for their politics, for hiding their corruption, he (the Delhi chief minister) is spreading lies. This is the nature of Arvind Kejriwal,” he added.

Taking a jibe at the Delhi government, Mr Saini said that the AAP government couldn’t build proper infrastructure for water, as it was busy with “corruption.”

“He (Mr Kejriwal) failed to build a proper water system because his full focus was on corruption…the court also slammed the Delhi government and said the Haryana government is providing their quota of water,” he said.

Meanwhile, Delhi continues to battle a severe water crisis amid rising temperatures in the National Capital.

Earlier on Friday, the Delhi government approached the Supreme Court to get immediate additional water from neighbouring Haryana.

Delhi government in its plea said that it is constrained to file the petition on account of the acute shortage of water being faced by the people of Delhi, triggered by the ongoing severe heat conditions in North India, particularly in the national capital.

Several areas in Delhi, including Chanakyapuri’s Sanjay Camp area and the Geeta colony area are among those facing acute water shortages. In the blazing heat, people have to wait in long queues to fill buckets from water tankers.

The residents have complained that, despite submitting applications to the government regarding water shortage, their pleas go unnoticed.

The Haryana chief minister further said that they are probing the allegations of discrepancies and incidents of ‘bogus voting’ during polling in the state

He also said the whole report of BJP leaders who were allegedly working against the party’s interest will be sent to the central leadership.

“We called a meeting with all the district in-charges yesterday, the other position holders, and other leaders. We are collecting all the information…whatever will be found, whoever has done the whole report will be sent to the central leadership. Whatever decision will be taken by them, will have to be followed by everyone,” chief minister Saini said.

“The officers who have committed discrepancies, made attempts of bogus voting, tried to spoil the atmosphere. Whichever booths are found involved in this, we will take action against the involved officers,” he added.

The 10 seats of Haryana voted on May 25 in the sixth phase of polling. The counting of votes will be done on June 4.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mahendragarh (Haryana):

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, while campaigning for the BJP candidate in Mahendragarh on Thursday, went down memory lane and recalled the months he spent in the state working for the party organisation.

“It cannot be that I come to Haryana and do not recollect the old memories. I can spot many old faces here. For years, Haryana was, in a way, my home. I learnt a lot of lessons in politics from Haryana and Punjab,” PM Modi said, addressing an election rally here hours before the poll campaign for the sixth phase of elections came to an end.

After extending greetings to the people of the country on Buddha Purnima, PM Modi recalled the days when he was working as state in-charge for the party in 1995.

“Generally, the (BJP) state in-charges come to pay visits but I used to live here. At that time, Manohar Lal (Khattar) used to look after the work of the party organisation while Ramesh Joshi used to be our party’s state chief,” he said.

Mr Joshi, Mr Khattar and he used to criss-cross the state, said PM Modi.

“I ate a lot of food prepared by our mothers and sisters from the state. And I remember Surja ‘halwai ‘of Narnaul and Mahendragarh’s sweets. Maybe because of this, our Ram Bilas became diabetic,” he said, pointing to senior Haryana BJP leader Ram Bilas Sharma.

Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini, Union minister and Gurugram MP Rao Inderjit Singh, Bhiwani-Mahendragarh’s sitting MP Dharambir Singh, who is seeking re-election from the seat, were also present.

PM Modi said one used to have a glass of ‘rabri’, a ‘roti’ and an onion, which were sufficient to quell their hunger in the summer season.

“Jith seedha saada khana, woh mera Haryana (Haryana is the place where you get good and simple food),” he said.

“Haryana ke ghee aur makkhan ka zor aaj puri duniya dekh rahi hai (The whole world is witnessing the might of Haryana’s butter today),” he said, in an apparent reference to the state sending a sizeable number of its youth to join the armed forces and its athletes and sportspersons, who have won several medals in international championships.

PM Modi also recalled having ‘bajra khichdi’ dripping with ghee.

“I am a Gujarati man. I could not eat that much but I still remember the love with which the people used to give it,” he said.

“Modi has to do a lot of work to repay your debt. Haryana has to be taken to new heights… And for this it is necessary that ‘Phir ek baar…’,” said the Prime Minister, to which the crowd responded with Modi sarkar”.

He gave a guarantee that the BJP and his government will not let Haryana’s development stop and appealed to the people to vote for the BJP in the polls.

The Prime Minister also said that in Haryana, one will find at least 5,000 people who will call and stop him by saying “Modi ji zara ruk jao”. Haryana has showered lot of love on him and he has deep relations with the people of the state. That is why, Haryana has a right on him, the Prime Minister said.

He said that for 10 years they continued to shower the same love. “Who can be more fortunate than me,” he asked.

Recalling the period when the BJP and Chaudhary Bansi Lal’s HVP were in alliance in the 1990s, Modi said, “He (Lal) was committed to the development of Bhiwani-Mahendragarh. I enjoyed a close bond with Chaudhary Bansi Lal. He used to remain awake till late at night. Sometimes, our meetings used to start after 1 am and continue till morning. He had a lot of experiences to share,” he said.

The Prime Minister said there would hardly be any meeting when Mr Lal did not get teary eyed whenever a reference to Swami Dayanand was made, he said.

“Bansi Lal ji used to love me so much. I belonged to Gujarat and Swami Dayanand Saraswati’s birthplace was also Gujarat. So a bond was built between us. And, in the world of governance, we worked together for years,” he said.

Voting for the 10 Lok Sabha seats in Haryana will be held on Saturday. In 2019, the BJP had won all 10 seats.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Dushyant Chautala — the prime mover behind the bid to pull down the Haryana government led by his former ally — the BJP, appears to have taken reports about his MLAs’ secret meeting with the BJP, with textbook equanimity. Switching parties is normal at election time, he told NDTV this evening. Asked about the possibility of an Operation Lotus by the BJP, which is in a tight corner after three Independent MLAs pulled support to the government, he said, “Then the people of Haryana will come to know”. Then, with a straight face, he added, “Who knows, even the BJP MLAs can switch sides”.

Sources have said that four of the nine MLAs from Mr Chautala’s JJP (Jannayak Janta Party) met the former BJP Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar this afternoon. AT the meeting, held in the Panipat house of state minister Mahipal Dhanda, the current political crisis was discussed.

The BJP had ended the alliance with Mr Chautala, a Deputy Chief Minister in the Manohar Lal Khattar government, in March, as it effected a change of guard in the state ahead of the Lok Sabha election. Nayab Singh Saini was brought in to replace Mr Khattar, and Mr Chautala, after a failed Lok Sabha seat sharing deal, was shown the door.

Earlier this week, after the Independents pulled off support to the government, Mr Chautala responded. He promptly declared that the government is now in minority and asked the Governor for a floor test. Appearing at a press conference with leaders of the Opposition Congress, he also said he was ready to provide the Grand Old Party with outside support should they wish to form a new government.

Today, asked about the JJP MLAs’ meeting with Mr Khattar, Mr Chautala told NDTV this is was “not the time to worry about who is meeting whom”. The fact remains that the government is in minority, he added.

While whip and expulsion were the standard means to deal with rebels, “this is the time of election,” he said. “People will switch parties. If someone has to switch parties we will come to know. Let it come out in public. Who knows, even the BJP MLAs can switch sides,” he said.

The Haryana Assembly, with 90 seats, currently has 88 members, which brings the majority mark down to 45. The BJP has 40 MLAs, including three Independent candidates, and is two short of majority. The Congress has 30 MLAs and three independent candidates supporting it. An undivided JJP would bring its numbers up to 43 MLAs.

This scenario leaves two MLAs unaligned-one from the Haryana Lokhit Party and the other from the INLD.

This evening, INLD MLA Abhay Singh Chautala wrote to the Governor, saying if an assembly session cannot be called, President’s Rule should immediately declared in the state.

Chandigarh::

Dushyant Chautala, the friend-turned-foe of the BJP who is out to fell the government, should guard his flock, sources have indicated. As efforts are on to bring a no-confidence motion against the Nayab Singh Saini government after three Independent MLAs pulled support off the BJP, a handful of Mr Chautala’s MLAs met the former BJP Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar this afternoon, sources said.

The meeting took place at the residence of Minister of State Mahipal Dhanda in Panipat. Four MLAs of the Jannayak Janta Party or JJP were present for the half-hour meeting with Mr Khattar and Mr Dhanda held around 2 pm.

Sources said the leaders had discussed the current political crisis.

The host, Mr Dhanda, has refused to comment on the matter.

The BJP-led government in Haryana was plunged into crisis earlier this week as MLAs Sombir Sangwan (representing Dadri), Randhir Singh Gollen (from Pundri), and Dharampal Gonder (of Nilokheri) stopped support to the BJP government.

It was followed by a press conference by Mr Chautala where he, accompanied by senior leaders of the Congress, declared that the government has become a minority and he would provide outside support the Congress should they choose to form government.

Mr Chautala has chased it up with a letter to the Governor, demanding a floor test in the assembly. But there he ran up against a technicality — only one no-confidence motion can be brought against the government in a six-month period.

Given that the Congress had brought a no-confidence motion in February and a floor test was held in March, the Opposition is out of options.

Assembly elections in the due later this year — the term of the assembly ends in November.

Kaithal:

The Haryana government suspended the Kaithal sub-divisional magistrate-cum-assistant returning officer on Saturday, a day after the AAP alleged that its application seeking permission for two poll programmes was denied with abusive language in the reply.

According to an official order, Haryana Civil Services (HCS) officer Brahm Parkash has been suspended with immediate effect.

During the period of suspension, the headquarters of Parkash will be in the office of the chief secretary to the Haryana government in Chandigarh and he will not leave the headquarters without the chief secretary’s prior permission, the order said.

The AAP had alleged that its application seeking permission for two poll events from the authorities concerned was denied with abusive language in the reply.

Taking cognisance of the matter, Parkash had ordered the suspension of five computer operators and directed police to conduct a thorough probe.

Sushil Gupta, the Haryana unit chief of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) who is contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha election from the Kurukshetra constituency, had on Friday said the party had sought permission for the two poll programmes on April 7.

Kaithal is located within the Kurukshetra parliamentary constituency.

“In the reply we received, in one case, it was mentioned in writing that the permission has been rejected. In another, abuses were mentioned in the column where reasons for either approval or rejection have to be given,” Gupta had said.

Nothing can be more shameful than the use of such objectionable language, he had said while requesting the Election Commission for strict action in the matter.

AAP leaders said they had applied for the permission for the April 7 programmes on the designated portal.

The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in seven phases starting April 19 and the counting of votes will be taken up on June 4.

Haryana goes to polls on May 25. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The Supreme Court declined to stay a judicial investigation ordered by the Punjab and Haryana High Court into the death of a 22-year-old man during the protest by farmers at the Punjab-Haryana border.

A Bench of Justices Surya Kant and KV Viswanathan said those who had approached the high court seeking the judicial probe have “some genuine apprehensions”.

“The allegations are against the Haryana Police. Let it come up before the high court on April 10,” Justice Kant said.

The Bench turned down the contention of the Haryana government that the order will impact the morale of the police.

“Your apprehension has no basis,” the Supreme Court said.

On February 13, 22-year-old Shubhkaran Singh left his home in Baloke village in Punjab’s Bathinda district to join the farmers’ march to Delhi. Eight days later, he was killed in clashes between the farmers and police near the Khanauri border separating Punjab and Haryana.

The exact cause of Shubhkaran’s death is not known yet.

The farmers had marched towards Delhi over several demands, including a law to guarantee a minimum support price (MSP) for their crops, pension benefits and crop insurance. MSP is a price fixed by the government and is aimed at protecting farmers from distress sale of their produce.

Determined to not let the farmers proceed to the national capital, the Haryana Police had fortified its borders with Punjab. The cops fired tear gas shells to keep the farmers off.

Farmers had alleged rubber bullets were also used during the clashes. The police, on their part, had said multiple policemen were injured after protesters threw stones and sticks.

New Delhi:

Dushyant Chautala told NDTV Wednesday that no member of his Jannayak Janata Party had quit following last week’s split with the Bharatiya Janata Party in Haryana – a rift that cost the party a prominent place in the ruling alliance and Mr Chautala the Deputy Chief Minister’s chair.

“If you are saying someone has left… then that is wrong. No MLA has resigned or parted ways. Yes, there was a whip that was issued. It was decided we would abstain (from the floor test for the new government led by Nayab Singh Saini) and we did. We had five MLAs at a rally addressed by our President (Ajay Singh Chautala, the founder and Mr Chautala’s father) and five in Chandigarh.”

READ | Ahead Of BJP’s Haryana Floor Test, Ex-Ally’s Whip Raises Eyebrows

“I have not of heard a single MLA resigning. If, in the future, someone resigns, then… I mean, now it is political season, in which one person jumps to one party and a second person jumps back,” Mr Chautala told NDTV.

Mr Chautala also confirmed what was widely reported – that the BJP-JJP rift was over a failed Lok Sabha seat-share deal – but quashed talk that the discord had extended to half his 10 MLAs crossing over. He stressed the JJP cadre remains committed to success in the Lok Sabha election and the Assembly poll.

“I just want one to make one clear statement on all of this… we were discussing seat-share deals in the NDA (the BJP-led alliance). There were four rounds of meetings in Delhi… in the end we could not agree on the numbers, so the JJP expressed its views. We told the BJP will not contest any Lok Sabha seat with them, but said we need to finalise the Assembly deal,” he said.

“I think after that the BJP took its decision – that the Chief Minister (Mr Khattar) will resign and a new government will be formed. We decided not to be part of this government,” he explained.

READ | New Haryana Chief Minister Clears Test Day After BJP-JJP Break-up

Mr Chautala said the decision was taken “as a cadre… as a party” that wanted to go out and win every Lok Sabha seat; Haryana has 10, all of which were won by the BJP in the last election. He said he also told the BJP the two parties also needed to sit down and plan for the Assembly election.

READ | BJP Wants 10/10 In Haryana Lok Sabha Polls, Faces INDIA Challenge

“We demanded Hisar and Bhiwani-Mahendragarh… BJP wanted to give Rohtak. But by then there were messages that we will go out and cut votes…” he said, hinting at behind-the-scenes discord.

“Every party has one agenda – the cadre has to increase and vote share has to increase. In the past we have seen this, even with BJP, which had two MPs and now has 303. I think it is our cadre’s dream also to have all 10 MPs from Haryana and for the state’s voice to be strong,” he continued.

Mr Chautala told NDTV the focus for him, now, is to ensure a first Lok Sabha win for the JJP and then ramp up the party’s strength in the Assembly – from 10 to 46, the magic number that will allow him to form the next state government independent of the BJP or any other party.

Should that target require a re-alignment of political interests, whether with the BJP or the Congress, this cannot be ruled out, Mr Chautala said. “What happens in the future… in different political scenarios… this can only be discussed after the Assembly election. For now our goal is only to work hard and get a good result. Ruling out scenarios for the future is not possible now,” he explained.

BJP-JJP Haryana Break-Up. What Happened?

Ten days ago Mr Chautala was the Deputy Chief Minister and his JJP was a member of the state government. That changed over a whirlwind 48 hours; ML Khattar quit as the Chief Minister, the cabinet followed, and the BJP re-formed the government with support from the independents.

And then there was the JJP’s whip, which directed its MLAs to abstain from a test of the new government’s strength. The whip was seen by some as a calculated move to ensure the new government passed its test, since abstention made it easier for the party to pass the majority mark.

The flux in the state’s political landscape played out against talk the BJP cut its former ally lose to destabilise the opposition INDIA bloc – to force a division of Jat community votes between the two parties – before the Lok Sabha election in April/May and the Assembly election later this year.

Mr Chautala, who maintained radio silence during the split, later issued a diplomatic comment, thanking the people for their support and promising to continue working for the state.

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