THE Haryana state unit of the CPI(M) has decided to focus its election campaign in the state on the livelihood issues of the people for which the party and the mass fronts, led by the party leaders, have been fighting tirelessly round the year. Stating this decision on March 8, CPI(M) Central Secretariat member Nilotpal Basu emphasised that the toiling people had very high stakes in the outcome of the forthcoming parliament elections. He said that the game of defections was at its worst and there was hardly anything to choose between the Congress and the BJP. While the Congress has been losing ground with greater speed, the BJP has an agenda of taking the country on the path adopted by Pakistan. Basu reminded that in Pakistan the pitiable condition of democracy was mainly due to the tenets of the theocratic state which gave birth to fundamentalism. Such a path was not acceptable to the people of our country, he stressed. The CPI(M) state secretary Inderjit Singh claimed that the CPI(M) and the CPI were the only parties in Haryana that were upholding value based principled politics; they have never indulged in opportunism and never played identity politics based on caste or religious sentiments. Our efforts has rather been on forging the unity of the people, based on workers and farmers, and on defending the rights of the marginalised and weaker sections whenever they are attacked by the dominant vested interests. The party has decided to observe March 23, the Shahid Diwas (Martyrs Day), as a day against imperialism and communalism, in the struggle against which Bhagat Singh and his compatriots stand as a glorious symbol. The party has decided to run its election campaign by going house to house for seeking support for a policy change and not for a mere change of leaders. Dates for filing the nominations of its candidates have been fixed --- March 19, 20 and 21 respectively for the Sirsa, Hissar and Bhiwani-Mohindergarh seats respectively. Another rally of the Left parties is scheduled to be held at Karnal on March 16. It will be addressed by CPI(M) leader Hannan Mollah and CPI leader Amarjeet Kaur. ON IMPERSONATION IN TEACHERS’ SELECTION THROUGH a statement issued from Rohtak on the same day, the Haryana state committee of the CPI(M) expressed deep anguish over the findings of an inquiry that eligibility certificates of over 90 per cent JBT teachers recruited in 2011 were not genuine. This grave fact was reported in a section of the media that only 1093 recruited JBT teachers had a valid teachers eligibility certificates while 8,285 had obtained it through impersonation. The revelation was made on the basis of verification done by the forensic laboratory of the thumb impressions at the order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court while adjudicating a writ petition challenging the teachers’ selection. This shameful fraud has once again established the allegations of widespread corruption and irregularities in all selections in the state under successive regimes. THE CPI(M) statement issued by its state secretary Inderjit Singh further said that dozens of selections and land acquisition cases have been quashed by the higher judiciary in the recent past and strictures have been passed against the government. But no steps have been initiated to identify the real culprits and prosecute them under the law and punished severely. The party has asked the Haryana chief minister to issue a public explanation on this crucial issue as it concerns the education department of the state and the future of the society.