VOICE OF EX-SERVICEMEN PUNJAB

Capt: One ticket per family norm not for LS elections

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 23

In a relief for MPs whose family members are keen to contest the Vidhan Sabha elections, PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh today clarified that the rule was restricted to the Assembly elections only.

“If there is an MP from a family, it will not affect the chances of a deserving family member for the Assembly ticket,” he said.

He said almost one-third of the ticket seekers were youths in the age group of 25 to 45. Among the youth applicants, 57 have applied through the Youth Congress and the remaining directly. As many as 116 women have applied for the party ticket, one applicant per seat.

Amarinder said of 1,661 applicants, 1,025 had applied from the general category and 636 reserved category. All sitting MLAs, except Preneet Kaur and Charanjit Kaur Bajwa, have applied for the party ticket from their respective constituencies.

Despite the “one family one ticket” norm, many senior leaders and their family members have applied. They include senior leader Lal Singh and his son, former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and her son-in-law, and Samrala MLA Amrik Singh Dhillon and his two family members.

‘Need to settle inter-state issues on priority’

Chandigarh: PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said pending issues regarding Chandigarh, river water sharing and Punjabi-speaking areas had for long been exploited for political gains. He said it was high time that the issues were settled once and for all. Amarinder rejected the demand of Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar for keeping rotational the task of Chandigarh Administrator between the Governors of Haryana and Punjab. TNS

All’s well on Jakhar front, claims Cong

Aditi Tandon

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, August 23

Punjab Congress affairs incharge Asha Kumari today sought to downplay former CLP Leader Sunil Jakhar’s absence from recent party rallies.

Talking to The Tribune, she said, “The entire state Congress is united. Sunil Jakhar is a valued leader and very much part of what is happening. Stories about his ‘hurt’ are Akali Dal plants.”

Asha added that Jakhar, in a show of unity, had steered the press conference along with PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh in Chandigarh today.

On August 18, when the top brass of the state unit got together during the Rakhar Punia rally at Baba Bakala, Jakhar — an Amarinder loyalist – had skipped the event despite being asked to come.

The 62-year-old Abohar MLA also did not attend the recent party rally in Khanna. Sources in the Congress said he was still “deeply hurt” over the party leadership’s “inability to distinguish performers from non-performers.”

Jakhar had quit the CLP post in November last year, paving the way for the restructuring of the state unit, while Partap Singh Bajwa had resigned as the state party chief. Bajwa entered the Rajya Sabha, riding on a promise Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi made to him prior to his resignation, but Jakhar did not make it to the Upper House.

A party leader told The Tribune today, “The Punjab Congress was a divided house under Bajwa, yet he was rewarded with the Rajya Sabha ticket. Jakhar worked diligently as the CLP Leader, but was ignored.”Jakhar is learnt to have conveyed his anguish to the party leadership.

‘Reprimanded’ by Akali minister, power corp JE lands in hospital

Gagandeep Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 23

A 42-year-old Junior Engineer of the PSPCL from Mehatpur has gone into depression after being allegedly snubbed by Akali minister Ajit Singh Kohar in front of his colleagues and farmers of the region in a meeting held yesterday. The JE has been admitted to the Nakodar Civil Hospital.

The Transport Minister and Shahkot MLA, Kohar had called a meeting of the PSPCL employees of his area, including JEs, SDOs and Executive Engineer, at his native village regarding complaints of tubewell connections being provided to farmers.

During the meeting in which some farmers were also present, the minister allegedly scolded the JE from Mehatpur, Davinder Singh. As the meeting ended, the JE reportedly fainted.

Seeing his condition deteriorating, he was admitted to a private hospital in Mehatpur yesterday, from where he was shifted to the Civil Hospital today.

Around 35 JEs, 12 SDOs and three Executive Engineers were present in the meeting. The Council of Junior Engineers, Kapurthala, has condemned the incident.

The council has decided to give a memorandum to the PSPCL SE, Kapurthala, tomorrow. “If our pleas go unheard, we will launch an agitation,” said the members.

Dr Tarunvir of the Nakodar Civil Hospital said the patient was admitted as he went into deep depression.

Kohar said, “I never said anything bad to anyone. I have got to know that the JE has a medical history of epileptic seizures. He may have been admitted due to the same problem.”

Though the family members chose to stay mum clearly due to “political pressure”, they said Davinder Singh didn’t have any medical history. “We only want him to recuperate fast and don’t want to politicise the issue,” said a family member.

Union threatens stir

• The Council of Junior Engineers, Kapurthala, has condemned the incident. The council has decided to give a memorandum to the PSPCL SE, Kapurthala, tomorrow. "If our pleas go unheard, we will launch an agitation," said the members.

Guv calls up miffed Channi

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 23

A day after Leader of the Opposition Charanjit Singh Channi protested over not being extended an invite for the swearing-in ceremony of Governor VP Singh Badnore, the latter called him up to inquire about the matter. The Governor asked Channi to meet him.

Several Congress MLAs and PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh were present at the ceremony, but Channi, also the CLP leader, was conspicuous by his absence.

Meanwhile, taking a serious note of the snub, former CLP leader Sunil Jakhar and Amarinder said the Congress would raise the issue at the highest level.

Seniors ignored at swearing-in: Cong

Patiala: Former Deputy Speaker of Vidhan Sabha Bir Devinder Singh has demanded a probe into the various violations of the protocol at the Governor’s swearing-in ceremony.

“Deliberately ignoring Channi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha, amounts to demeaning of the institutions of parliamentary democracy. Capt Amarinder Singh, former Chief Minister and sitting MP from Amritsar and Deputy Leader of the Opposition in Parliament was also not accorded the dignity he deserved,” he said.

Controversial cop posted as Patiala DSP

Congress raises objection, DGP assures to look into matte

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, August 23

The recent posting of Hansraj as Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) City-I has come under the scanner. He was earlier posted as SHO Kotwali in the city. Following a complaint of torture by a local resident in 2011, Hansraj was shifted to the Police Lines.

Kotwali police station is an ISO-certified police station and now falls under jurisdiction of Hansraj, who replaced DSP Harpal Singh.

The 33-year-old complainant, Gurmukh Singh, had alleged that he was tortured after being detained on the false charge of gambling. He alleged that the SHO brutally beat him up and ordered a junior policeman to “insert a stick into his anus”. The victim claimed that the officer took an offence when he accused them of turning a blind eye towards gambling outside the premises of an Akali minister.

When contacted, state DGP Suresh Arora said he would look into the matter as the charges were of serious nature. “Let me get a report on the matter. We will take action accordingly,” he said.

Hansraj claimed that he was given a clean chit by a departmental probe. “The victim had retracted from his statement,” he said.

Meanwhile, local Congress activist have decided to take up the matter with the police top brass claiming that “the Akalis wanted to influence voters by posting such tainted officers ahead of the polls in the home constituency of Capt Amarinder Singh.”ASSEMBLY POLL

Demand for woman Cong candidate in all dists of Punjab

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, August 23

Extending support to the women leaders in the coming Assembly elections in Punjab, the All India Mahila Congress president Shobha Oza today said that the Congress high command should give ticket to at least one woman candidate from each district of Punjab.

Shobha was here to attend a political meeting organised by the Mahila Congress Urban, led by its president Jasleen Sethi and by Kamaljit Kaur Multani.

“I will urge the high command to at least post one candidate from each district so that they could get a fair representation in the elections. We have already started identification of the capable and winnable women candidates from every district and if they get ticket, the AIMC will surely help them to register win,” Shobha said.

Asked how many women candidates had so far applied for tickets to the PPCC, the deadline of which ended on August 15, Shobha evaded a reply and said, the Congress had already started the process to identify the winnable candidate and surely women would geta fair share in the polls.

She appealed to the Mahila Congress to go door to door and spread the message of Congress. “We have a full-fledged programme in which district-level committees of the mahila wing will go door to door to spread the Congress agenda and will also find loopholes in the political agendas of Akalis, BJP and the AAP.

During her speech, she recalled the days of women in Punjab during former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Rajiv Gandhi’s tenures. She said police administration in Punjab had reached to its new low.

She also talked about the pending Bill to reserve 33 per cent of all seats for women in the Lok Sabha and in all state legislative assemblies. There should be 50 per cent reservation for women in Parliament houses.

She applauded Rajiv Gandhi’s idea of bringing IT revolution in the country. She criticised the BJP for calling “women only a machine to reproduce and to increase the number of Hindu children to create Hindu rashtra”.

The AIMC chief also talked about Justice Verma Committee which was constituted by the Congress and criticised the BJP and AAP for their “fake” protest during the Nirbhaya case.

She also took a potshot at Union Minister Nihal Chand about the rape accusations against him, adding that despite this, he held the ministerial post for two years and was dropped a few months ago.

Others who were present at the meeting were Mamta Dutta (Punjab Mahila Congress president), Santokh Singh Chaudhry (Jalandhar Member of Parliament), Jagbir Brar (Jalandhar Rural District president), Neta DeSouza (Punjab in charge Mahila Congress), Rana Sodi (Punjab Mahila Congress vice-president), Rajinder Beri (Jalandhar Urban district president), Lucky (Labour cell chairman/INTIUC rebel), Jasleen Sethi (Jalandhar Urban Mahila Congress president) and Amarjit Singh Samra (Ex-MLA).

AAP leader from Phagwara to resign

Jalandhar, August 23

As the Punjab Vidhan Sabha election is coming closer, the crisis factionalism in the Aam Aadmi Party seems to be deepening. Phagwara’s AAP halqa in-charge (intellectual wing) Jaswinder Singh today said he was resigning from the primary membership of the party along with his supporters from the region.

Expressing discontent over the working system of AAP, Jaswinder Singh from Khalwara village said the party has distracted from its ideologues. He alleged that the party members from well-off families were being given priority over those who had worked hard for the party. “I am from those people who joined party at a very initial level. We worked hard to establish the party in the region. But now I am feeling suffocated in the party,” he said. While addressing the mediapersons here today, he said despite being one those, whose name have been selected for the party ticket, I am resigning from the party. Even if party gives me a ticket, I would not contest the election.—TNS

Now, MC staff protest against AAP, block traffic

Allege party volunteers held employees captive during agitation; demand strict action

Jaswant Shetra

Jagraon, August 23

The Aam Aadmi Party’s rally to be held at Jagraon tomorrow courted new controversy when employees of the Jagraon Municipal Council (MC) staged a protest against the AAP leadership on the railway over bridge here today.

The protesters alleged that AAP volunteers held some of the MC employees captive while staging protest at the Municipal Council office yesterday. They demanded strict action against the AAP volunteers.

The Jagraon unit of AAP had installed several hoardings regarding Bhagwant Mann’s rally to be held tomorrow. However, terming the hoardings illegally installed, the employees of the local civic body removed them from various parts of the city.

Irked over this, the AAP volunteers staged a protest inside the Jagraon Municipal Council office and raised slogans against the MC authorities.

Workers of the Congress, BJP and the SAD also joined the protesters, who blocked the traffic at the railway over bridge. Due to traffic blockade, chaos prevailed on the roads and long lanes of vehicles struck in traffic jam were witnessed. The traffic police finally diverted the traffic from alternative routes.

DSP (D) Varyam Singh met the protesters and requested them to end the blockade. The protesters only ended the protest after Varyam Singh assured them of taking appropriate action.

Besides, there was also a dispute over the venue of the AAP rally. While the AAP volunteers are resolute to hold the rally at Rani Jhansi Chowk, the local administration and others political parties have been objecting to it, stating that it would lead to a lot of inconvenience to general public as it is one of the busiest areas of the city.

“Initially, the local administration approved the rally venue, but later on, the permission was denied with the reasons best known to the authorities. Whole drama was done on the behest of the ruling party which is afraid of the AAP,” alleged AAP social media general secretary Gopi Sharma.

SDM Jagraon Kulpreet Singh said holding a political rally at Rani Jhansi Chowk was not convenient as this was a busy area. “We first granted the permission, but after the objections were raised by the civic body authorities, we cancelled the permission and suggested the AAP volunteers to hold the rally at some other place,” added the SDM.BASSI PATHANA CONSTITUENCY

AAP workers question party ticket to Salana

Gurminder Singh Grewal

Khamano, August 23

A section of workers of the Aam aadmi Party (AAP) today held a press conference at Khamano and questioned the allotment of ticket to Santokh Singh Salana from Bassi Pathana. These AAP workers demanded that instead of Salana, ticket should be given to a party worker from the area.

The workers led by Prahlad Singh Majri and Manpreet Singh Nanowal alleged that Salana had not resigned but that his services had been terminated by the department concerned due to his absence from duty. They alleged that Salana had got the ticket as he had furnished wrong information.

According to these AAP workers, Salana had secured only 3,484 votes out of 29,000 during the last SGPC elections and was not strong enough to win from this seat. They also stated that Salana does not belong to Bassi Pathana and only a local candidate should be given the ticket.

The AAP workers present at the press conference demanded that the high command should act immediately and change the candidate in the interest of the party.

Meanwhile, Santokh Singh Salana could not be reached over the phone for his comments despite repeated attempts.

However, Varinder Khara, who is in charge of Fatehgarh Sahib constituency, said there was no corruption charge against Salana and only in case of graft taint can the ticket be changed. He made it clear that there were a number of aspirants for the AAP ticket and minor differences would be resolved within the party.

ਆਮ ਆਦਮੀ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਦੀ ਰੈਲੀ ’ਤੇ ਸੰਕਟ ਦੇ ਬੱਦਲ

ਜਸਬੀਰ ਸ਼ੇਤਰਾ 
ਜਗਰਾਉਂ, 23 ਅਗਸਤ

ਧਰਨੇ ’ਤੇ ਬੈਠੇ ਸਿਆਸੀ ਪਾਰਟੀਆਂ ਦੇ ਆਗੂ ਤੇ ਦੋਹਾਂ ਯੂਨੀਅਨਾਂ ਦੇ ਨੁਮਾਇੰਦੇ।

ਆਮ ਆਦਮੀ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਦੀ ਭਲਕੇ ਇਥੇ ਝਾਂਣੀ ਰਾਣੀ ਚੌਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਹੋਣ ਵਾਲੀ ਭਗਵੰਤ ਮਾਨ ਦੀ ‘ਬਾਦਲ ਭਜਾਓ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਬਚਾਓ’ ਰੈਲੀ ’ਤੇ ਸੰਕਟ ਦੇ ਬੱਦਲ ਮੰਡਰਾ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਘੱਟੋ-ਘੱਟ ਇਸ ਥਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਬਦਲਣ ਦੀ ਮੰਗ ਨੇ ਇੰਨਾ ਜ਼ੋਰ ਫੜ ਲਿਆ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਹੁਣ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਨੇ ਭਲਕੇ ਰੈਲੀ ਵਾਲੀ ਥਾਂ ਨਾ ਬਦਲਣ ’ਤੇ ਧਰਨਾ ਲਾਉਣ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ। ਉਧਰ, ਆਮ ਆਦਮੀ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਵੀ ਉਸੇ ਥਾਂ ਰੈਲੀ ਕਰਨ ਲਈ ਬਜ਼ਿੱਦ ਹੈ। ਦੋ ਮੁਲਾਜ਼ਮ ਜਥੇਬੰਦੀਆਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ, ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਤੇ ਭਾਜਪਾ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਨਾਲ ਮਿਲ ਕੇ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਧਰਨੇ ਦੌਰਾਨ ਤਿੰਨ ਘੰਟੇ ਆਵਾਜਾਈ ਠੱਪ ਰੱਖੀ ਗਈ। ਇਹ ਧਰਨਾਕਾਰੀ ਬੀਤੇ ਕੱਲ੍ਹ ਨਗਰ ਕੌਂਸਲ ਦਫ਼ਤਰ ਅੱਗੇ ਧਰਨਾ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲੇ ‘ਆਪ’ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਖ਼ਿਲਾਫ਼ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਦੀ ਮੰਗ ਕਰ ਰਹੇ ਸਨ। ਜ਼ਿਕਰਯੋਗ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਰੈਲੀ ਸਬੰਧੀ ‘ਆਪ’ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਲਾਏ ਗਏ ਕੁਝ ਫਲੈਕਸ ਤੇ ਹੋਰਡਿੰਗ ਨਗਰ ਕੌਂਸਲ ਮੁਲਾਜ਼ਮਾਂ ਨੇ ਕੱਲ੍ਹ ਲਾਹ ਲਏ ਸਨ। ਇਸ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਖ਼ਿਲਾਫ਼ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਵਲੰਟੀਅਰਾਂ ਨੇ ਨਗਰ ਕੌਂਸਲ ਅੱਗੇ ਰੋਸ ਵਜੋਂ ਧਰਨਾ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਸੀ। ਇਸ ਕਾਰਨ ਪੈਦਾ ਹੋਏ ਹਾਲਾਤ ਤਹਿਤ ਅੱਜ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਗਏ ਧਰਨੇ ਕਾਰਨ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਤਿੰਨ ਘੰਟਿਆਂ ਤਕ ਭਾਰੀ ਪ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਾਨੀ ਝੱਲਣੀ ਪਈ ਕਿਉਂਕਿ ਧਰਨਾ ਰੇਲਵੇ ਪੁਲ ਉਪਰ ਲੱਗਿਆ ਹੋਣ ਕਰਕੇ ਕਹਿਰ ਦੀ ਗਰਮੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਆਵਾਜਾਈ ਠੱਪ ਰਹੀ।
ਧਰਨੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਬਲਾਕ ਸ਼ਹਿਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਗੋਪਾਲ ਸ਼ਰਮਾ, ਸਾਬਕਾ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਰਾਕੇਸ਼ ਮਲਹੋਤਰਾ, ਗੁਰਮੇਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਕੈਲੇ, ਸੀਨੀਅਰ ਮੀਤ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਰਵਿੰਦਰ ਸਭਰਵਾਲ, ਕੌਂਸਲਰ ਕਰਮਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਕੈਂਥ, ਰਾਜ ਭਾਰਦਵਾਜ, ਯੂਥ ਆਗੂ ਸਾਜਨ ਮਲਹੋਤਰਾ, ਸ਼੍ਰੋਮਣੀ ਅਕਾਲੀ ਦਲ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਸ਼ਹਿਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਅਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਠੁਕਰਾਲ, ਕੌਂਸਲਰ ਅਪਾਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਤੇ ਸਤਿੰਦਰਪਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਤੱਤਲਾ , ਭਾਜਪਾ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਬਲਦੇਵ ਕ੍ਰਿਸ਼ਨ ਤੇਲੂ, ਦਰਸ਼ਨ ਗਿੱਲ, ਦੇਵ ਸਿੰਘ, ਲਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ ਪਹਿਲਵਾਨ, ਕੌਂਸਲਰ ਕਿੰਮੀ ਵਰਮਾ ਆਦਿ ਸ਼ਾਮਲ ਸਨ। ਧਰਨੇ ਨੂੰ ਸੰਬੋਧਨ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਨਗਰ ਕੌਂਸਲ ਮੁਲਾਜ਼ਮ ਯੂਨੀਅਨ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਰਾਜਿੰਦਰ ਢਿੱਲੋਂ ਅਤੇ ਸਫ਼ਾਈ ਕਰਮਚਾਰੀ ਯੂਨੀਅਨ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਸ਼ਾਮ ਲਾਲ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਕੱਲ੍ਹ ਸ਼ਾਮ ‘ਆਪ’ ਦੇ ਧਰਨੇ ਕਾਰਨ ਨਗਰ ਕੌਂਸਲ ਮੁਲਾਜ਼ਮਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਰਾਤੀਂ ਨੌਂ ਵਜੇ ਤੱਕ ‘ਬੰਧਕ’ ਬਣਾਈ ਰੱਖਿਆ ਗਿਆ। ਧਰਨੇ ਕਾਰਨ ਸ਼ਹਿਰਾਂ ਤੋਂ ਆਉਣ ਵਾਲੇ ਮੁਲਾਜ਼ਮਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਵੀ ਇਸ ਕਾਰਨ ਭਾਰੀ ਦਿੱਕਤ ਪੇਸ਼ ਆਈ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਧਰਨਾ ਦੇਣ ਵਾਲਿਆਂ ਖ਼ਿਲਾਫ਼ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਦੀ ਮੰਗ ਕੀਤੀ। ਇਕ ਵਜੇ ਦੇ ਕਰੀਬ ਡੀ.ਐਸ.ਪੀ. (ਡੀ) ਵਰਿਆਮ ਸਿੰਘ ਧਰਨੇ ਵਿੱਚ ਪਹੁੰਚੇ ਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਦੇ ਦਿੱਤੇ ਭਰੋਸੇ ਬਾਅਦ ਧਰਨਾ ਚੁੱਕ ਲਿਆ ਗਿਆ। ਦੂਜੇ ਪਾਸੇ ਮੁਲਾਜ਼ਮ ਯੂਨੀਅਨ ਨੇ ਆਪਣੀ ਹੜਤਾਲ ਜਾਰੀ ਰੱਖੀ ਤੇ ਕਾਰਵਾਈ ਹੋਣ ’ਤੇ ਹੀ ਕੰਮ ’ਤੇ ਪਰਤਣ ਦੀ ਗੱਲ ਕਹੀ ਹੈ। ਬਲਾਕ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਗੋਪਾਲ ਸ਼ਰਮਾ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਝਾਂਸੀ ਚੌਕ ਵਿੱਚ ਰੈਲੀ ਕਾਰਨ ਆਮ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਤੇ ਦੁਕਾਨਦਾਰਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਭਾਰੀ ਪ੍ਰੇਸ਼ਾਨੀ ਹੋਵੇਗੀ ਇਸ ਲਈ ਰੈਲੀ ਦੀ ਥਾਂ ਬਦਲੀ ਜਾਵੇ। ਅਜਿਹਾ ਨਾ ਹੋਣ ’ਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਭਲਕੇ ਧਰਨਾ ਲਾਉਣ ਦਾ ਐਲਾਨ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ। ‘ਆਪ’ ਆਗੂ ਗੋਪੀ ਸ਼ਰਮਾ ਨੇ ਇਸ ਸਮੁੱਚੇ ਘਟਨਾਕ੍ਰਮ ਨੂੰ ਸਿਆਸਤ ਤੋਂ ਪ੍ਰੇਰਿਤ ਦੱਸਿਆ।

ਕੈਪਟਨ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਖੱਟਰ ਨੂੰ ਰਾਜੀਵ-ਲੌਂਗੋਵਾਲ ਸਮਝੌਤਾ ਪੜ੍ਹਨ ਦੀ ਸਲਾਹ

ਬਲਵਿੰਦਰ ਜੰਮੂ
ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ, 23 ਅਗਸਤ

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਪ੍ਰਦੇਸ਼ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਕੈਪਟਨ ਅਮਰਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇ ਹਰਿਆਣਾ ਦੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮਨੋਹਰ ਲਾਲ ਖੱਟਰ ਨੂੰ ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ ਦੇ ਪ੍ਰਸ਼ਾਸਕ ਦਾ ਅਹੁਦਾ ਵਾਰੋ-ਵਾਰੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਅਤੇ ਹਰਿਆਣਾ ਨੂੰ ਦੇਣ ਦਾ ਸਖ਼ਤ ਵਿਰੋਧ ਕਰਦਿਆਂ ਹਰਿਆਣਾ ਦੇ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਨੂੰ ਸੁਝਾਅ ਦਿੱਤਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਉਹ ਰਾਜੀਵ-ਲੌਂਗੋਵਾਲ ਸਮਝੌਤਾ ਪੜ੍ਹ ਲੈਣ। ਅਜਿਹਾ ਕਰਨ ਨਾਲ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਪਤਾ ਲੱਗ ਜਾਵੇਗਾ ਕਿ ਚੰਡੀਗੜ੍ਹ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਾ ਹੈ ਅਤੇ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦਾ ਹੀ ਰਹੇਗਾ।
ਅੱਜ ਇੱਥੇ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਦੇ ਸੀਨੀਅਰ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਦੀ ਹਾਜ਼ਰੀ ਵਿੱਚ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਪ੍ਰਕਾਸ਼ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਦਲ ਅਤੇ ਉਪ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਸੁਖਬੀਰ ਬਾਦਲ ਨੂੰ ਇਸ ਮੁੱਦੇ ’ਤੇ ਆਪਣਾ ਸਟੈਂਡ ਸਪੱਸ਼ਟ ਕਰਨਾ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ। ਇਸ ਮਸਲੇ ਨੂੰ ਸਦਾ ਲਈ ਸਮਾਪਤ ਕਰਕੇ ਅੱਗੇ ਵਧਣ ਦੀ ਲੋੜ ਹੈ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਅਤੇ ਉਪ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਬੇਰੁਜ਼ਗਾਰੀ, ਨਸ਼ਿਆਂ ਅਤੇ ਸਨਅਤ ਦੀ ਲਗਾਤਾਰ ਵਿਗੜ ਰਹੀ ਹਾਲਤ, ਕਿਸਾਨੀ ਦੇ ਗੰਭੀਰ ਮੁੱਦਿਆਂ ਤੋਂ ਲੋਕਾਂ ਦਾ ਧਿਆਨ ਹਟਾਉਣ ਲਈ ਪੁਰਾਣੇ ਮੁੱਦੇ ਉਠਾ ਰਹੇ ਹਨ। ਦੋਵਾਂ ਆਗੂਆਂ ਨੂੰ ਚਾਹੀਦਾ ਹੈ ਕਿ ਉਹ ਸੂਬੇ ਦੇ ਗੰਭੀਰ ਮੁੱਦਿਆਂ ’ਤੇ ਜਵਾਬ ਦੇਣ ਅਤੇ ਦੱਸਣ ਕਿ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਦੇ ਸਾਢੇ ਨੌਂ ਸਾਲ ਦੇ ਰਾਜਭਾਗ ਵਿੱਚ ਹਾਲਤ ਏਨੀ ਖਰਾਬ ਕਿਉਂ ਹੋਈ। ਟਰਾਂਸਪੋਰਟ ਬਾਰੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਦੀ ਸਰਕਾਰ ਬਣਦਿਆਂ ਹੀ ਬਾਦਲਾਂ ਦੀਆਂ ਬੱਸਾਂ ਦੀ  ਵਾਧੂ ਰੂਟਾਂ ’ਤੇ ਅਜਾਰੇਦਾਰੀ ਖ਼ਤਮ ਕਰ ਦਿੱਤੀ ਜਾਵੇਗੀ।
ਵਿਧਾਨ ਸਭਾ ਚੋਣਾਂ ਵਿੱਚ ਟਿਕਟਾਂ ਲਈ ਆਈਆਂ ਅਰਜ਼ੀਆਂ ਬਾਰੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਪ੍ਰਨੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਅਤੇ ਚਰਨਜੀਤ ਕੌਰ ਬਾਜਵਾ ਨੂੰ ਛੱਡ ਕੇ ਸਾਰੇ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਵਿਧਾਇਕਾਂ ਨੇ ਅਰਜ਼ੀਆਂ ਦਿੱਤੀਆਂ ਹਨ ਅਤੇ ਪਾਰਟੀ ਇੱਕ ਪਰਿਵਾਰ ਵਿੱਚੋ ਇੱਕ ਜਣੇ ਨੂੰ ਵਿਧਾਨ ਸਭਾ ਹਲਕੇ ਟਿਕਟ ਦੇਣ ਦੇ ਸਿਧਾਂਤ ’ਤੇ ਕਾਇਮ ਰਹੇਗੀ। ਇਸ ਬਾਰੇ ਰਾਜ ਸਭਾ ਮੈਂਬਰ ਪ੍ਰਤਾਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਜਵਾ ਨੂੰ ਪੁੱਛੇ ਜਾਣ ’ਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਉਹ ਇਸ ਫੈਸਲੇ ਨਾਲ ਸੌ ਫੀਸਦੀ ਸਹਿਮਤ ਹਨ ਪਰ ਕੈਪਟਨ ਨੇ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਇਹ ਫੈਸਲਾ ਸੰਸਦ ਮੈਂਬਰਾਂ ’ਤੇ ਲਾਗੂ ਨਹੀਂ ਹੁੰਦਾ।
ਇਸ ਮੌਕੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨਾਲ ਪ੍ਰਚਾਰ ਕਮੇਟੀ ਦੀ ਚੇਅਰਪਰਸਨ ਅੰਬਿਕਾ ਸੋਨੀ, ਪੰਜਾਬ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਦੀ ਇੰਚਾਰਜ ਆਸ਼ਾ ਕੁਮਾਰੀ, ਸਹਾਇਕ ਇੰਚਾਰਜ ਹਰੀਸ਼ ਚੌਧਰੀ, ਸਾਬਕਾ ਮੁੱਖ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਰਾਜਿੰਦਰ ਕੌਰ ਭੱਠਲ, ਰਾਜ ਸਭਾ ਮੈਂਬਰ ਪ੍ਰਤਾਪ ਸਿੰਘ ਬਾਜਵਾ, ਸੀਨੀਅਰ ਮੀਤ ਪ੍ਰਧਾਨ ਲਾਲ ਸਿੰਘ,ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਦੇ ਬੁਲਾਰੇ ਸੁਨੀਲ ਜਾਖੜ, ਸਾਬਕਾ ਵਿੱਤ ਮੰਤਰੀ ਮਨਪ੍ਰੀਤ ਬਾਦਲ, ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਸਾਧੂ ਸਿੰਘ ਧਰਮਸੋਤ ਆਦਿ ਹਾਜ਼ਰ ਸਨ।

ਰਾਜਪਾਲ ਵੱਲੋਂ ਚੰਨੀ ਨੂੰ ਸੱਦਾ

ਪੰਜਾਬ ਦੇ ਰਾਜਪਾਲ ਵੀ.ਪੀ. ਸਿੰਘ ਬਦਨੌਰ ਦੇ ਇੱਕ ਦਿਨ ਪਹਿਲਾਂ ਹੋਏ ਸਹੁੰ ਚੁੱਕ ਸਮਾਗਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਨੇ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਦਲ ਦੇ ਨੇਤਾ ਚਰਨਜੀਤ ਸਿੰਘ ਚੰਨੀ ਨੂੰ ਨਾ ਬੁਲਾਏ ਜਾਣ ਬਾਰੇ ਚੰਨੀ ਨੇ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਰਾਜਪਾਲ ਦਾ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਫੋਨ ਆਇਆ ਸੀ ਅਤੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਸਮਾਗਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਾ ਸੱਦੇ ਜਾਣ ’ਤੇ ਅਫਸੋਸ ਜ਼ਾਹਰ ਕੀਤਾ ਹੈ। ਰਾਜਪਾਲ ਨੇ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਚਾਹ ’ਤੇ ਬੁਲਾਇਆ ਹੈ। ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਕਿਹਾ ਕਿ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੇ ਰਾਜਪਾਲ ਨੂੰ ਦੱਸਿਆ ਕਿ ਉਨ੍ਹਾਂ ਨੂੰ ਰਾਜਨੀਤਕ ਕਾਰਨਾਂ ਕਰਕੇ ਨਹੀਂ ਬੁਲਾਇਆ ਗਿਆ। ਕੈਪਟਨ ਅਮਰਿੰਦਰ ਸਿੰਘ ਨੇ ਕਾਂਗਰਸ ਵਿਧਾਇਕ ਦਲ ਦੇ ਨੇਤਾ ਨੂੰ ਰਾਜਪਾਲ ਦੇ ਸਹੁੰ ਚੁੱਕ ਸਮਾਗਮ ਵਿੱਚ ਨਾ ਬੁਲਾਏ ਜਾਣ ਅਤੇ ਅਣਗੌਲਿਆ ਕਰਨ ਦੀ ਨਿਖੇਧੀ ਕੀਤੀ।

Chhotepur stung by video, denies any wrongdoing

The video has been made only to embarrass me, but it has nothing incriminating... I don’t know if the Akalis are behind it, or if it is an internal move. I only know that the person who came to meet me is a close aide of 2 senior AAP leaders SUCHA SINGH CHHOTEPUR, Punjab AAP convener

CHANDIGARH: Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Punjab convener Sucha Singh Chhotepur, who has been voicing displeasure over choice of candidates, finds himself at the receiving end of a sting operation. While a video apparently shows a man leaving a cash packet with Chhotepur, there is also an audio file that has him “accepting” that the party’s Sangrur MP, Bhagwant Mann, has a drinking problem.

When HT contacted him on Tuesday, Chhotepur did not dispute the authenticity of either, but said the contents did not prove any wrongdoing by him. The audio clip is available on social media, but the video clip is under wraps and been shown only to a few senior leaders of the party.

On the video, he said it was made only to embarrass him. “A party supporter met me on the day party convener Arvind Kejriwal had come for a court hearing in Amritsar (on July 29). He was referred to me by two senior party leaders. He talked about general things and then tried to hand me a packet which he said was fund for the party. I refused to take it. But, while leaving, he left it on my suitcase, which I did not realise,” he explained in an interview to HT.“It’s now apparent that he was filming the meeting. But, was the money being given for something that I had promised to do? Was it quid pro quo? The answer is ‘no’.”

Is the party collecting donation in cash packets? The veteran politician said the AAP does not even have a bank account in Punjab nor a designated treasurer “who would collect donations and disburse to us for the money we spend on the party’s work”.He said, “How are we supposed to run the party without accepting donations? Delhi leaders have come to Punjab and collected lakhs as party fund.” He claimed that day-today expenditure of the party is borne by supporters, volunteers and local leaders, “who help by organising meetings, rallies, and hosting Delhi leaders in their houses, among other ways”.

But there are no such stings of others, he is told. “I have been told that some Delhi leaders make sure that supporters and workers who meet them are not carrying mobile phones, not even pens. Why should I do that? I have nothing to hide. My life is an open book.”

“Every penny that is donated to the party is accounted for,” he added, “I am not pocketing anything.”

Who does he think got the sting done? “I don’t know if the Akalis are behind it, or if it is an internal move. I only know that the person who came to meet me is a close associate of two senior AAP leaders,” he said.On the audio clip, Chhotepur said he did not know the man who recorded the conversation: “He took advantage of my straightforwardness. He said he was a party worker and was working very hard. Then he said that in TV discussions he found it difficult to justify Mann’s drinking problem.”

“I told him that the party is aware of the problem and is trying to talk to Mann about it. That’s all,” he added, “This should not be construed as my acceptance that Mann has a drinking problem.”

“It is a petty political move to embarrass me and the party,” he further said.

When contacted, AAP Punjab affairs in-charge Sanjay Singh said he is not aware of any audio or video stings.

Sukhbir’s foreign jaunt defers assembly session by fortnight

DELAY The five-day session will now start on Sept 19 instead of 5th of next month

THE DEPUTY CM, WHO HOLDS HOME, GOVERNANCE REFORMS, HOUSING AND POWER PORTFOLIOS, WILL BE OUT OF THE COUNTRY REPORTEDLY ON A PRIVATE TRIP BETWEEN AUGUST 28 AND SEPTEMBER 9

From page 01 CHANDIGARH: The unscheduled foreign jaunt of Punjab home minister and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has forced the Parkash Singh Badalled Akali Dal-BJP government to defer the assembly session by a fortnight.

The session will now start on September 19 and not on September 5 as decided by the cabinet on August 10. The fiveday Vidhan Sabha session will have its last sitting on September 23, government sources said.

The deputy chief minister, who holds seven significant portfolios — home, governance reforms, housing and urban development, excise and taxation, investment promotion, power and sports — is out of the country reportedly on a private trip between August 28 and September 9.

After the August 10 meeting, the government had announced that the cabinet has “approved recommending to the governor” to summon the 13th session of the 14th Punjab Vidhan Sabha from September 5 to September 9.

Despite this official announcement of the assembly session schedule by the government, secretary (parliamentary affairs) KAP Sinha said: “The Vidhan Sabha session dates were not fixed. The session will be held from September 19 to September 23.”Local bodies minister (BJP) Anil Joshi said: “In the last cabinet meeting, it was decided to convene the session from September 5. I am not aware whether the session has been deferred.”

Also, till Tuesday, the government had not officially conveyed to the Vidhan Sabha secretariat about the new dates of the assembly session. Nor did the government intimate the Vidhan Sabha about the August 10 cabinet decision to start the assembly session from September 5.

“We are yet to receive the communication from the government about summoning the session. We have no official information,” Shashi Mishra, secretary, Vidhan Sabha, said when contacted.

The presence of the home minister is essential in the session as the poll-bound government is likely to move amendment bills concerning the departments of which Sukhbir Badal is the minister. The Opposition, Congress, is gearing up to corner the government over deteriorating law and order in the state and failure of the police to crack the highprofile murder cases.

It is learnt that a bill will be introduced to amend Punjab Right to Service Commission Act-2011 to increase the strength of its members from four to 10 members. The cabinet had issued an ordinance in this connection.

Another ‘politically important’ amendment bill the Badal government will introduce is about temporary release of the prisoners. The cabinet has given its nod for introducing a liberal parole regime.

Now, the “sufficient cause” for parole will be “critical condition of any member of the family on account of illness, repair/renovation of houses and agriculture and allied activities” either on quarterly basis or half-yearly basis in a calendar year, instead of only quarterly basis.

‘Have reservations on second list too, waiting to meet Kejriwal’

A fortnight ago, when the first list of 19 candidates was announced by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), its state unit convener, Sucha Singh Chhotepur, showed displeasure over the choices, and decided to meet party chief Arvind Kejriwal for changes. The second list of 13 candidates was announced last week, but Chhotepur is still waiting to meet Kejriwal. Barely able to contain his bitterness on various issues, Chhotepur talked to assistant editor Chitleen K Sethi about an unstinting resolve not to harm the party. How do you react to the second list of 14 candidates announced by the party? Just as in the first list, I have some reservations on some candidates. I have added these to the things I have to discuss with Arvind Kejriwal. You have been waiting for an audience with him for almost 15 days. I have sent messages to him many times. It is for him to call for me. What are your specific objections on the list of candidates? Do you agree that the two lists include mostly Sikh faces? I cannot name the seats or candidates because it will harm them. But I agree that the first two lists are Sikhdominated. In the future, we are hoping other castes and groups such as Bazigar, Kamboj, Balmiki, Rai Sikh and Majhabi Sikh, among others, will be represented. You are not a member of the political affairs committee of the party which is taking the final decisions on the candidates. AAP is a national party and the decision to include or exclude party members from various bodies is up to the top leadership. But, yes, I have in my over three decades of political life never come across a political affairs committee of a party that does not have the state convener in it. Do you think you are being sidelined? I am not being sidelined. I only want that those who have given their life to the party should not be ignored. There are those who sold their lands, houses, left jobs to work for the party. They worked from the beginning and helped set up this party using their own funds and resources. Today, they are nowhere, because some wrong decisions have been taken in distribution of tickets. The AAP is filing a defamation suit against Paviter Singh, the national council member who levelled allegations of seeking money for a polls ticket against (state in-charge) Sanjay Singh and (organisation-building head) Durgesh Pathak. I am totally against the move. Ours is a democratic set-up and everyone has the right to put forth whatever they want in public domain. If someone is unhappy, he can say it. Instead of alienating such people further, we should try to cajole them and make them work for the party’s

I am not being sidelined. I only want that those who sold their lands, houses, left jobs to work for the party should get preference. They helped set up this party using their own funds and resources.

In Congress, you are youth even at 45

AGE-DEFYING RECIPE Finding not many applicants for the 35 tickets promised to the youth in the coming polls, state unit raises the age bar

(From left) Congress in-charge for Punjab Asha Kumari,
Rajya Sabha MP Ambika Soni, state chief Capt Amarinder Singh,
and senior party leaders Sunil Jakhar, Lal Singh and
 Rajinder Kaur Bhattal during a press conference
 in Chandigarh on Tuesday.

CHANDIGARH: The Congress wants those young at heart, never mind the age. A lukewarm response from youth applicants despite Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh holding out promise of allotting 35 of the 117 assembly tickets to young candidates has forced the party to push the age bar to 45.With this, the party has been able to match its promise of 35 seats to the youth with nearly the same percentage (33%) of young applicants. The age limit to qualify for a berth in the Punjab Youth Congress is 35 years and the number applicants in this category is “between 100 and 110” by admission of both the Punjab Youth Congress and Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).Defending the move, Amarinder said the Constitution fixes minimum age to contest elections at 25 years, but not the maximum age. And it is not surprising as the average age of Congress applicants has been above 50 in previous elections. “Anyone up to 45 years is also a youngster,” he said. Interestingly, Amarinder went on to add that nearly 67% of state voters were youth “below 40 years”.

The PPCC, which had denied having worked out a figure of the youth applicants till Monday evening, cobbled up the numbers before Amarinder’s press conference on Tuesday.

Addressing the media, the state Congress chief said of the 1,661 applicants, 555 are “youth” up to 45 years of age. Barely 6% (116) applications are from women. Despite the “two voter per booth norm”, 1,025 have applied from the general category and 636 from the reserved category.

This is not the first time that Amarinder has flip-flopped on an issue. A few weeks ago, he had announced that the practice of taking `10,000 from general category applicants and `5,000 from reserved ones had been done away with.

But the PPCC did a U-turn within a week and said the deposit would be refunded. Something that seems improbable as the receipt slip has no acknowledgment of the money paid by the applicant. No serial number on the receipts has also raised doubts over fair play. In recent past, Amarinder has also been issuing contradictory statements that “some sitting MLAs will be dropped” and “no MLA will be dropped”.

SUKHBIR TRIP POSTPONES HOUSE SESSION

The unscheduled foreign jaunt of Punjab home minister and deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has forced the Parkash Singh Badal-led Akali Dal-BJP government to defer the assembly session by a fortnight. The session will now start on September 19 and not on September 5. 

AAP youth volunteers take to social media to express their dissent

MANSA: A group of young Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers identified as AAP Youth Mansa (AYM) have taken social media route to criticise party policies.

Noticeable is the fact that Mansa is considered one of the least developed regions in the state despite proper internet connectivity.

The brain behind this team is Bhupinder Singh (23), who owns a business of agricultural machines in Mansa.

He joined AAP before the Lok Sabha elections.

“We organised a camp near the civil hospital to check the rampant corruption. But after sometime we realised that we should get on social media to widen our reach,” said Bhupinder. 

REBEL CANDIDATES AND TICKET DISTRIBUTION

The group got its formal recognition after they managed to get an interview with expelled AAP leader Jassi Jasraj and uploaded it on their Facebook page. “We got huge response on the social media in connection to the interview,” said Bhupinder.

MANSA: A group of young Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) volunteers identified as AAP Youth Mansa (AYM) have taken social media route to criticise party policies.

Noticeable is the fact that Mansa is considered one of the least developed regions in the state despite proper internet connectivity.

The brain behind this team is Bhupinder Singh (23), who owns a business of agricultural machines in Mansa.

He joined AAP before the Lok Sabha elections.

“We organised a camp near the civil hospital to check the rampant corruption. But after sometime we realised that we should get on social media to widen our reach,” said Bhupinder. REBEL CANDIDATES AND TICKET DISTRIBUTION

The group got its formal recognition after they managed to get an interview with expelled AAP leader Jassi Jasraj and uploaded it on their Facebook page. “We got huge response on the social media in connection to the interview,” said Bhupinder.