VOICE OF EX-SERVICEMEN PUNJAB

Capt: Kamal Nath had no role in riots, even Badal defended him

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 14

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today accused Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal of adopting double standards while speaking against Kamal Nath, who was recently appointed party’s Punjab affairs incharge.

Quoting reports and showing pictures, Amarinder claimed Badal was a frequent visitor to Kamal Nath’s office when he was a minister and defended him over the latter’s role in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots. Kamal Nath was invited to the birthday bash of AAP leader Kumar Vishwas, he said.

“Till now, neither Badal nor any AAP leader raised any doubt over Kamal Nath’s credentials. Rather he always enjoyed cordial relations with them. Now, charges are being levelled that he was involved in the riots,” he observed.

“Kamal Nath was the general secretary incharge of Delhi in 1998 when Shiela Dixit formed the government. The local bodies’ elections were also swept by the Congress under his leadership. This could not be possible without the support of Sikhs. No Sikh in Delhi ever complained against him, except Phoolka who has his own axe to grind,” he said.

Giving a clean chit to the leader, Amarinder reiterated that Badal and AAP were playing cheap politics by blaming him for something he never did.

On a query on public perception on Kamal Nath’s alleged involvement in the riots, the PPCC chief said: “I do not care about the general perception, but I stand by absolute truth. Public perception should be based on truth, not myth.”

He said Phoolka produced two witnesses Mukhtiar Singh and Ajaib Singh before the Nanavati Commission in 2006, 22 years after the riots. A journalist also presented himself before the commission. But their versions contradicted following which the Nanavati Commission, constituted by the BJP-led NDA government, exonerated him, he said.

Senior Congress leaders Brahm Mohindra, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Om Prakash Soni, Kewal Singh Dhillon, Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi and Rana KP Singh too said it was the BJP-appointed Nanavati Commission that had absolved Kamal Nath of all charges.

On the Centre’s move to reopen the 1984 riot cases, the PPCC chief said the Centre should also open the cases of the involvement of RSS workers in the riots.

CM slams Rahul for ‘defaming’ state

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Muktsar, June 14

A day after AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi-led the Congress protest in Jalandhar against the “deteriorating” law and order situation and drug menace, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said the Gandhi scion was carrying forward his family’s legacy of being “anti-Punjab and anti-Sikh”.

The CM today resumed his Sangat Darshan from Malout after a gap of four days following a brief illness.

He alleged: “The entire Gandhi family has treated the Punjabis in general and the Sikhs in particular as their enemies. No Punjabi can ever forgive the Congress for attacking Darbar Sahib and killing innocent Sikhs in 1984. Rahul is just following in the footsteps of his ancestors by defaming the Punjabis as drug addicts.”

Badal challenged Rahul, saying the Gandhi scion had no magic wand to eliminate the drug menace in just one month. “The government is leaving no stone unturned to make the state drug-free. No drug is produced in the state. There are other states which are facing severe drug problem, but unfortunately forces inimical to the state are hell bent on defaming it,” he said.

Asks officers to visit villages

After getting complaints against some officials of the Rural Development Department at Lakhewali village, Badal directed the officers to visit villages. "If I can hold Sangat Darshans in villages, why you people can't visit affected areas. Make it a routine affair," he said.

Farm labourers protest

Some farm labourers, who were not allowed to meet the CM, lodged a protest at Bhagsar village, saying that the state government had not yet compensated them for their last year’s cotton crop loss due to whitefly. They also demanded free residential plots as promised to them.

Not invited: BJP leaders

District BJP leaders said they were not invited to the CM’s event so they did not participate in it. Rajesh Pathela ‘Gora’, BJP’s Muktsar district president, said, “We rarely get invitation for any government function. I was not invited to the Sangat Darshan. I have taken up the matter with senior party leaders.”

‘AAP to field taint-free candidates’

While other political parties are yet to reveal their cards, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has announced it will reveal its list of 60 candidates by next month. The party’s zonal in-charge of Bathinda and president of the party’s South Delhi unit,Romi Bhati, reveals his party’s political plans in this issue ofHard Talk with Gurdeep Singh Mann

Other traditional parties refrain from making early announcements about the names of candidates, probably to offer little time to the opposition to find fault with their candidates. What is your party’s logic behind the early announcement?

We actually wish what other political parties do not want. We want that the opposition should scratch and scan every minute detail of our candidates. This would help us ascertain purity and find pure, honest and taint-free candidates at whom no one can point a finger.

Apart from purity or honesty, what would be the other qualities of your candidates?

Winnability, strong and long association with our workers and party will be the prime qualities. Honesty, education and being a resident of Punjab would be the other factors.

What is the minimum educational qualification for ticket seekers of your party?

As of now, there is no bar on qualification. Our party would prefer only the educated. He must be at least a graduate.

The candidate who contested elections for AAP in Bathinda during the last Lok Sabha elections never visited before or after losing the elections as he came from a place close to Chandigarh and paraglided to get an AAP ticket. To what extent is the possibility of repeating such things?

Zero tolerance for such repetitions from my side. But sometimes, big fat names and honourable personalities are required to be adjusted somewhere. But as of now, there is no chance that anyone could paraglide, at least in Bathinda. People of Punjab, preferably the local candidates, would be allowed to contest the elections this time.

Where is your party focusing primarily these days ahead of the elections?

We are neck deep supporting our party workers and volunteers who are facing constant threats from the ruling party leaders. Many of our supporters, in the form of the common man, are being booked by the police with registration of false cases. Even the media, to a great extent, especially the electronic media, is captured by the ruling party. It is a last ditch effort by the Punjab government. They are now holding their empty fists tightly, but there is no sand in it.

How are your party leaders reaching out to the masses?

We have tapped all the social networking sites, including Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp and SMS services. We don’t rely upon the electronic media, the strings of which are in the hands of the influential political leaders. Though the print media is highlighting the truth, there are some who are suppressing the truth with an iron hand by dragging the journalists to the court for highlighting the reality.

What role would money, drugs and liquor play in the coming assembly elections?

Now, people have become aware that anyone who tries to buy votes would never succeed. One of our opposition parties had tried to purchase votes for the Rajauri Garden seat by spending Rs 130 crore, but they only managed to get a mere 5,000 votes and their candidate lost the elections. It’s not the money power but manpower and willpower of the people which is going to play a role in the coming elections.

Leaderspeak

• Zero tolerance for such repetitions from my side. But sometimes, big fat names and honourable personalities are required to be adjusted somewhere. But as of now, there is no chance that anyone could paraglide, at least in Bathinda. People of Punjab, preferably the local candidates, would be allowed to contest the elections this time.— Romi Bhati

• For turnout at Jaitley’s do, BJP banks on aam aadmi

  Anticipating low gathering for the event, BJP sends VVIP invites to ordinary residents
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• Sukhmeet Bhasin
  Tribune News Service
  Bathinda, June 13
  To gather support for the Union Minister Arun Jaitley’s rally in the city, the common man in the city has suddenly become VVIP for the BJP leaders.
  Anticipating low turnout from Bathinda city, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) district unit has resorted to sending VVIP invitations to common people in the city.
  Many residents are shocked on receiving VVIP invitation from the BJP for the Arun Jaitley’s event, which is scheduled to be held at the Blazing Star resort on June 19.
  They have said that it is for the first time they have received VVIP invitation to for a political event.
  Along with invitation card, there is a page circular, which contains the names of 50 schemes that the BJP claims of having started in the last two years of the NDA government.
  Gurmeet Singh, a city resident, said he was surprised to receive the VVIP invite from the BJP as he was not politically involved.
  It is also learnt from sources in the party that June 19 being a Sunday, party leaders fear low turnout from the Bathinda urban segment. They have decided to gather a crowd of 1,000 persons each from five areas, which include Bathinda urban, Bathinda rural, Mansa, Faridkot and Muktsar.
  The BJP presidents of Muktsar and Faridkot were also called in a meeting held at Circuit House here recently.
  Dyal Sodhi, coordinator of the event said, “We have arranged 2,000 chairs inside the hall. Chairs will also be arranged in the lawn outside as well.”
  Sodhi said only workers from Bathinda urban, Bathinda rural and Mansa were coming in the event as it was the Bathinda Lok Sabha constituency event.
  While talking to Bathinda Tribune, BJP Muktsar president Rakesh Dhingra said he had been assigned the duty to bring 500-1,000 workers from his district.
  BJP Faridkot president Sunita Garg said she had to bring 500 workers from her area but she would gather more persons for the Bathinda rally.
  BJP Bathinda city president Mohit Gupta said separate VVIP cards had been given to intellectuals of the city as Arun Jaitely wanted to inform about the schemes to people from all walks of life.
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