Rajasthan is due to go to the polls on November 25 and with the BJP Government in trouble, party circles there are keen to hurl the law books at Salman Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Tabu, Neelam Kothari and Sonali Bendre, the five movie stars involved in the shooting of the black bucks.

The Congress, naturally, is not far behind. At stake are the Bishnoi votes in the State, which apparently form a fair chunk of the Scheduled Tribe votes in Rajasthan. Therefore, the Congress today issued its first statement on environment in years, using the recent poaching as the peg.

Party spokesperson Ajit Jogi said the Congress was taking the issue very seriously. A related two-para statement said: ``We have noted with concern and, therefore, take a serious view of the incident of poaching on antelopes by cine stars in theThar desert of Rajasthan. In our Pachmarhi resolution we had categorically reiterated our firm resolve to assiduously work for the preservation and protection of our ecology and environment. We had stated that `the environment angle must be integral to all plans''.

``This incident in which five young persons termed as celebrity poachers were involved has once again underlined the need to create social awareness for the protection and preservation of our precious fauna and flora. We appeal to all concerned to continue to work in this direction. We also demand that in regard to the aforesaid incident, law should take its course. We are sure that reported attempts to tamper with evidence will not succeed in this case,'' the statement ended.

The Congress also opposed the reported attempts of the Bhairon Singh Shekhawat Government to institute an inquiry against the State CEO S Verma. ``In Rajasthan, during the 1996 polls, Shekhawat's Government had initiated an inquiry against the CEO after announcement ofelections. After the polls, the inquiry was dropped. It was an attempt to keep the election machinery under pressure,'' Jogi said.

He added that now the same CEO, same Government and same Chief Minister were in place and once again an inquiry has been ordered against the CEO regarding purchase of election material. ``This is again an attempt to pressurise the election machinery which is against the EC's code of conduct and against free and fair polls, which are the cornerstone of any democracy,'' Jogi added. The Congress has urged the Election Commission to intervene in the matter.