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Politics Business Expressions General Sports Leisure States 29 December, 1997   BKU leader Tikait left to plough a lonely furrow Gone are the days when just one call by Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Mahendra Singh Tikait used to paralyse life in the entire western Uttar Pradesh belt and even in Delhi. Last week's poor response to the BKU agitation at Muzaffarnagar over sugarcane prices has exposed Tikait's waning popularity among the farmers.   Cong demands TDP minister's arrest Amalapuram town remained tense for the second day on Saturday with crowds squatting before the police station along with the body of Jakkampudi Nageswera Rao, town Youth Congress president, who committed self-immolation in the premises of minister Metla Satyanarayana's house on Thursday. They were demanding ex-gratia for the victim's family and suspension of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, besides a judicial inquiry into the death. CPI goes soft on Cong, hits out at BJP By calling on the people to "defeat the BJP" and "rebuff the Congress" in the forthcoming elections to the Lok Sabha, the CPI effected a subtle shift in its stand so as to appear soft towards the Congress. The national executive committee of CPI has now focussed its entire attack on the BJP. "Booth management" on the rise in Bihar On March 17, 1995, Booth Number 15 in the Congress-dominated Guntatoli village in Vaishali Assembly segment was declared as ``super sensitive,'' despite the fact that this constituency has not recorded any incident of booth-capturing or poll violence in the past.   Gawli's bid to revive ABS turns damp squib Having been virtually silenced and forced into hibernation in Mumbai, underworld don Arun Gawli's bid to revive his political outfit, the Akhil Bharatiya Sena, by developing Pune as its base, appears to have come a cropper. The party had lined up a series of heavily publicised social welfare programmes but the first, a blood donation camp and donation of tricycles to the handicapped in Anandnagar last Saturday, failed to evoke any public response whatsoever. Parties urged to include population issue on agenda With India's population growing at about 18 million a year, all political parties should have "mother-and-child friendly" manifestoes for the coming elections, says a population expert. As the special session of Parliament, to commemorate 50 years of independence, recognised "sustainable population growth" as a crucial task before the country, all political parties should accord high priority to this.     PM foresees another coalition after polls   Vaghela sets deadline for Congress   Gawli's bid to revive ABS turns damp squib   Parties urged to include population issue on agenda   Kalmadi in a dilemma as BJP talks tough   BKU leader Tikait left to plough a lonely furrow   Congress fails to exploit Shekhawat's failures   Cong demands TDP minister's arrest   Kalyan completes 100 days as CM   CPI goes soft on Cong, hits out at BJP   JD to present a united front for polls   Partyline   "Booth management" on the rise in Bihar   No compromises   Thackerayshahi versus thailishahi in LC polls   Ajit severs panja, to go back to the grass roots   BJP unscrupulous   UF will be back   Majority sure