The Hindu : Other States / Rajasthan News : Khurana cancels visit to drought-hit Baran

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Thursday, Sep 16, 2004

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Other States - Rajasthan

Khurana cancels visit to drought-hit Baran

By Our Special Correspondent

JAIPUR, SEPT. 15. Apparently distressed by media reports about his reaction to the alleged starvation deaths in Baran district, the Rajasthan Governor, Madan Lal Khurana, today chose to keep out of it by announcing cancellation of his proposed trip to the affected areas.

The Governor also sought to clarify that he had no differences with the Chief Minister, Vasundhara Raje. A section of the media had misinterpreted his observations in this connection in an attempt to drive a wedge between him and the Chief Minister, a statement released to the media from Raj Bhavan said quoting Mr.Khurana. In fact, Mr.Khurana had been appreciative of the State Government's policies and programmes, it noted.

Mr.Khurana has also written to the Chief Minister on the transfer of the existing Rs.1.15 crore in the Governor's Relief Fund to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund for distribution among the needy in the 10 drought/flood- affected districts.

It was much unlike Mr.Khurana to not to have met mediapersons this time as well going by the regularity of his interaction with scribes ever since he took over as Governor in January this year. According to rumours doing the rounds here, Mr.Khurana was counting his days at Raj Bhawan before returning to Delhi politics.

In a press conference at the end of a "Garib Sunwai''(audience to the poor) programme on September 9 at Raj Bhawan, Mr.Khurana had told mediapersons that he was concerned about reports of starvation deaths in Saharia areas. He also proposed to utilize the amount in the Governor's Relief Fund, transferred after a court order from a trust--the Jan Mangal Public Trust set up by the local daily Rajasthan Patrika--for providing relief to the drought/flood affected.

Mr.Khurana had that time informed the scribes that he had asked the Chief Minister for the details of the affected areas so that he could personally go there and distribute the relief. "Helping the poor is like serving God. A section of media tried to give a political colour to such activities as well,'' the statement said quoting the Governor.

"Even when the Garib Sunwai programme had started a section of media had termed it as "darbar''(royal court) but later when they realized the spirit behind it they appreciated it,'' the statement said.

The Raj Bhawan release did not talk about getting any feedback from the Chief Minister though Ms.Raje, two days back, had said that she would reply to the Governor on the issue. However it seems that the Governor has accepted the version of the Zila Pramukh who reported him on the issue after a tour of the villages that the deaths were due to malnutrition and diseases.

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