VOICE OF EX-SERVICEMEN PUNJAB

Bolaria in Cong fold, Capt claims more to follow suit

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 11

Former Akali MLA Inderbir Singh Bolaria and district (urban) president Upkar Singh Sandhu today joined the Congress here today.

PPCC president Capt Amarinder Singh said Bolaria and Sandhu had joined the Congress unconditionally.

“The exodus of leaders from the Akali Dal has just begun. Many more Akali leaders will join the Congress before the elections,” he said, claiming that several other leaders were currently in touch with the party.

On the possible tie-up with cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu and his wife, Amarinder said the Sidhu couple’s “indisciplined” approach was the main hitch.

He reiterated that Sidhu’s Awaaz-e-Punjab was welcome to merge into the Congress, but there was no possibility of any alliance with it.

He said anyone was welcome to join the Congress without any pre-conditions, but he/she had to follow a certain discipline.

“That’s where they (Sidhus) lack. Along with Pargat Singh and the Bains brothers, I had welcomed them earlier too as Sidhu had a Congress background. But, they continued to pass unpleasant remarks about me and the party which was against the party decorum and discipline,” he said, while discarding Dr Sidhu’s claims that talks were on with the Congress high command.

Others present on the occasion included AICC secretary Harish Chaudhary and MLAs Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, OP Soni, Sukh Sarkaria and Raj Kumar Verka and Mamta Dutta.

Condemns Ludhiana clash

Amarinder condemned the “brutal assault” on Congress workers and leaders in Ludhiana by Akali activists on Tuesday night. He said the Congress workers had every right to put up effigies of Akali leaders “as Ravan as everyone believes the Badals and Majithia to be the embodiment of evil”.

Blame game on drugs won’t help: Filmmaker

Her documentary ‘Fading Glory’ highlights the issue | Says concerted efforts needed

Minna Zutshi

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, October 11

A typical profile of a drug addict in Punjab is that of a young unemployed male (22-35 years) from a rural background whose addiction to drugs has ruined his marriage. Sadhavi Khosla, a young documentary filmmaker, said this was the finding of her research on drug addiction in the state. Her research focused on Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Gurdaspur and Kapurthala districts.

“About 30 to 40 per cent addicts are HIV positive. My study has found that close to 50 per cent jail inmates are addicts. Worse still, in many cases across the districts, children are used as drug peddlers,” she said.

Khosla’s documentary “Fading Glory” highlights the problem of drugs in the state. “My team from Mumbai and I were shocked to learn that drugs are available near a rehabilitation centre in Tarn Taran. Many addicts told us that they cannot afford the cost of de-addiction treatment. I asked them if they could afford to spend Rs 2,000 on drugs daily, why they couldn’t afford to spend half the amount on treatment. Their answer was ‘peddling provides the funds to buy drugs’.”

She said it was imperative to accept the problem of drugs in the state. Nothing can be gained from brushing it under the carpet. “The government should first accept that there is a problem. The second step should be to work collectively to find a solution. Blame game will not help.”

She said she was often asked why her documentary was being screened on the Congress stage. “My documentary is available on social media. Any political party could have responded to it. I must have sent 5,000 tweets to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, requesting him to intervene in drugs issue in Punjab. He has maintained a stoic silence on the issue, except for his Mann Ki Baat in 2014.”

Commenting on “chitta” Ravana controversy that turned ugly, she said: “Dasehra symbolises the victory of good over evil. Nowhere has it been stated that the effigy of Ravana should be black in colour. I think that the Badal government should have taken the initiative to burn the effigy of ‘chitta’ Ravana. The way it has all been handled sends out a message that they (the government) are scared.”

Sandhu took favours from SAD: Cong

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 11

Taking on AAP leader Kanwar Sandhu for alleging a Congress-Akali nexus on illegal mining, the state Congress today accused him of taking favours from the Akali Dal over the years.

Demanding an explanation for the alleged backdoor admission of his son and subsequent appointment as PCMS doctor, Congress leaders Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Amrik Singh Dhillon and Balbir Singh Sidhu, in a joint statement, rubbished Sandhu’s statement on illegal mining as baseless and illogical.

AAP leader refutes charge

Sandhu said the Congress leaders were not talking on facts. “The admission of my son was purely done on merit. Moreover, the Punjab and Haryana High Court in the ongoing case has given him a clean chit. The Congress should cross-check facts before levelling allegations,” he said, adding that if the Congress proved that he had been allotted a plot in medi-city (Mullanpur), he would donate it to them.

Will order CBI probe into food scam: Capt

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 11

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today promised a thorough physical verification of the state’s foodgrain stocks and recover every single penny from the Badals, once voted to power.

Vowing to recover the money lost in the alleged multi-crore foodgrain scam, the former CM said he would hand over the probe to the CBI.

Adopting an aggressive stance, he said the Badals would not be spared. “Once before, we had ensured, after following the due process of law, that they were put behind bars for their wrong deeds. We shall not hesitate to initiate legal action against the Badals again,” said Amarinder.

“Ever since the Akali government was formed in 2007, they have been making the state poorer. The multi-crore foodgrain scam is their crowning glory in corruption,” alleged the PPCC chief, adding that the government was making attempts to cover up the scandal by converting it into a loan. The restructured Rs 30,000 crore RBI loan would push the state under a debt burden of Rs 50,000 crore for the next 20 years, he said.

Govt celebrates event, forgets Suba martyrs

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, October 11

Even though the state government has started the golden jubilee celebrations for the Punjabi Suba, it has “not bothered to pay tributes to the martyrs” of the movement. Four persons — Bhai Chanchal Singh, Bhai Nazar Singh, Bhai Jaswant Singh and Bhai Ranjit Singh — who were arrested in connection with the morcha, were killed in a police firing in the Bathinda jail on October 9, 1960. They were from Amritsar district but were detained in the Bathinda jail.

In their memory, gurdwara “Shaheedan” was raised in Bathinda several years ago. Like every year, family members of these martyrs came to Bathinda on October 9 to pay tributes. However, neither any SAD minister nor any senior party leader turned up at the function organised to pay tributes to these martyrs. Expressing their angst, former SGPC member and Chanchal Singh’s son Sukhbir Singh said at the function that it was hurtful that no senior leader had come to pay tributes to morcha martyrs.

On October 11, 1960, Sant Dewan Singh and Hari Singh were killed in police firing near Gurdwara Dukhnivaran in Patiala. They were to go to Bathinda to protest the killing of Chanchal Singh and others at the Bathinda jail. Before they could proceed, the police used force to stop them and the two were killed. However, the state government did not hold any function to pay tributes to them.

Former Deputy Speaker Bir Devinder Singh said the SAD leadership was not bothered about the legacy of the late Akali leaders. “Now, Akali leaders are more concerned about the future of their own kith and kin and least bothered about the ones who made sacrifices for Punjabi Suba,” he alleged. Punjabi Suba was created for the promotion of the Punjabi language. However, as the State Languages Department is short of funds, it is unable to promote Punjabi in any manner, he alleged.

Amarinder attends blood donation camp at Congress office

Captain Amarinder Singh interacts with a donor during a blood donation camp in Amritsar on Tuesday. Photo: Vishal Kumar

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, October 11

The District Congress Committee (DCC) organised a blood donation camp at its rural office here today. PPCC president Captain Amarinder Singh visited the camp to encourage blood donors.

DCC (rural) president Gurjit Singh Aujla, MLA Om Parkash Soni and other senior leaders of the party were also present on the occasion.

Aujla said Congress workers were donating blood in the memory of jawans of the armed forces who laid their lives for the country. He said party workers would continue to instill virtues such as nationalism and patriotism among youngsters.

Will order CBI probe if elected to power: Capt

AMRITSAR: Vowing to recover every penny of the public money lost in the alleged multi-crore foodgrain scam from the “corrupt Badal and company”, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday said he will hand over the case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) if elected to power.

“We will make sure that the money stolen by the Badals is brought back into the state coffers once we are back in reign. The Badals have been looting the state ever since they formed the government in 2007 and the multi-crore foodgrain scam is their crowning glory in corruption,” said Captain, while claiming the Congress would not hesitate to initiate legal action against chief minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son and deputy Sukhbir in the alleged scam.

Promising a thorough physical verification of the state’s foodgrain stocks to find the truth, the PPCC chief said: “Even in 2002, when we came to power, we had put the corrupt people behind bars.”

Amarinder said when he took over the reins of the state from Akalis in 2002, Punjab’s outstanding central debt amounted to ` 4,500 crore. “This debt was successfully nullified by my government,” he said, alleging that after the Badals came back to power, the state again plunged into a debt trap. “The restructured `30,000-crore loan from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) will push the state under a debt burden of `50,000 crore for the next 20 years,” he said.I will not allow the Badals to get away with it. Nobody involved in the scam will be spared at any cost,” he said, pointing out that even the comptroller and auditor general (CAG) had found enough evidence to nail the Badal government in the alleged scam. “The people of Punjab cannot be made to pay for the ill-doings of the Badals,” he said.

In its complaint to the vigilance bureau in April this year, the state Congress had pointed out that the CAG and RBI had prima facie concluded that the disappearance of stocks worth `32,000 crore was a case of misappropriation of central funds and diversion of foodgrains.

“Of the 3,319 trucks that were claimed to have been used by the state procurement agencies, the CAG had, in a random check of their registration numbers, found that a large number of the 87 vehicles traced were actually two-wheelers and cars. The remaining could not be traced, clearly indicating that the grain never reached the stores,” said Amarinder.

BOLARIA, SANDHU JOIN CONG; MORE AKALIS TO FOLLOW: AMARINDER

AMRITSAR: Former Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) legislator Inderbir Singh Bolaria along with ex-Amritsar (urban) district president of the party Upkar Singh Sandhu joined the Congress in the presence of its Punjab chief, Captain Amarinder Singh, here on Tuesday.“The joining of the two leaders is unconditional and no promises of an assembly ticket has been made to them. In fact, all those who wish to join our party are welcome, but sans any condition,” said Capt, while welcoming the two during a press conference here.

Describing Bolaria’s move to the Congress as homecoming, as his late father and former Akali MLA Raminder Singh Bolaria was a part of the party before 2002, Capt rubbished questions on local Congressmen being averse to the development.

Bolaria, who resigned from the Vidhan Sabha on Monday three months after being suspended from the SAD, said the Akali-BJP government has ruined Punjab in the past 10 years.

Claiming it was “time to oust this government”, Bolaria said: “No party is bad, it is the leadership that makes it bad or good. Badals and Majithias are responsible for the state in which Punjab is today.”

Captain claimed many more Akalis will join the Congress in the days to come. “The SAD will be left emptyhanded before the assembly polls,” he said

Cong calls Kanwar Sandhu ‘golak chor’, asks him to come clean on ‘Akali favours’

CHANDIGARH: Launching its first frontal attack on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Kanwar Sandhu, the Congress on Tuesday called the journalistturned-politician a “golak chor”.

The Congress fielded its three legislators Gurkirat Singh Kotli, Amrik Singh Dhillon and Balbir Singh Sidhu to hit out at Sandhu, who on Monday had accused the Congress of colluding with the ruling Akali Dal on illegal mining.

Sandhu is AAP candidate from Kharar for the upcoming assembly election. He is also chairman of the party’s Punjab Dialogue panel for drafting its poll manifesto.

In a press statement, Congress leaders levelled allegation of “golak chor” against Sandhu in the context of his son’s admission against an NRI seat in the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC)-run Sri Guru Ram Das Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Amritsar, where Sandhu, then a working journalist, had reportedly sought fee-waiver from the apex religious body.

Advising Sandhu to refrain from “fabrications and deceptions” to divert public attention from various “personal and professional favours he has taken from the Akali Dal over the years”, Congress leaders said the AAP leader “should first come clean” on the alleged multiple favours.“How did his (Sandhu’s) son get admission through the NRI quota in the medical college? Did he not seek favours from the then SGPC president, Bibi Jagir Kaur, who was then embroiled in a controversy over the death of her daughter?” the statement said.

Congress leaders also questioned Sandhu’s “failure to pay his son’s education fee”, asking: “Isn’t it true that he was served several notices for the same?” They alleged that Sandhu’s son was appointed Punjab Civil Medical Service doctor during the Akali regime. “But soon after, the PCMS recruitment scam hit the headlines and went to the Punjab and Haryana high court. Apprehending that his son would face action due to the fact that he made it to the PCMS by taking undue favours and not on merit, Sandhu made his son resign after one year of service,” they said.

Congress leaders alleged that Sandhu also got a plot allotted in Chandigarh’s Medicity in an illegitimate manner. “Sandhu should also explain why he took favours in the form of a plot in Medicity, which later turned out to be the infamous Chandigarh Medicity scam?” they said.

Dismissing Sandhu’s statement about nexus between the Akali Dal and Congress over sand mining, the Congress said mining auctions were open to everyone, while questioning the logic of terming the mining business illegal. “There is no question of illegal mining as contracts are auctioned by the industries department of the state government,” they said.

AAP starts signature campaign to push for SAD leaders’ arrest

VICTIM JAGTAR SINGH COMMITTED SUICIDE ALONG WITH HIS WIFE AND TWO DAUGHTERS ON SEPT 20, HAD NAMED THREE AKALI LEADERS IN SUICIDE NOTE

BATHINDA: An action committee formed by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Gurdit Singh Sekhon started a signature campaign on Tuesday to demand arrest of Akali leaders named by the Faridkot-suicide-pact case victim in his suicide note.

Jagtar Singh had committed suicide along with his wife Salwinder Kaur and daughters Harbhajan Kaur and Parveen Kaur on September 20 by jumping into the Rajasthan Feeder Canal in Faridkot.

Jagtar had allegedly named his neighbour Lal Singh and his family members besides Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders Harjit Singh Bhooluwala, who is also the Faridkot planning board chairman, and Balbir Singh and Jarnail Singh in his suicide note. The victim reportedly had a fight over a minor issue with their neighbours, and they had threatened to harm his daughters.While the Faridkot police booked and arrested Lal Singh, Baljit Singh, Jaspal Kaur, Gurdev Kaur and Kala Mistri, the SAD leaders were not even named in the FIR, alleged the action committee.

AAP candidate from Faridkot Gurdit Singh Sekhon, along with heads of some other social organisations, joined the campaign and said that if the administration fails to arrest the SAD leaders named by Jagtar Singh in his suicide note, they will launch a massive stir.

However, no one from Jagtar’s family joined the campaign. The administration had announced a compensation of `10 lakh for the bereaved family. The kin, however, decided not to perform the bhog ceremony. They are divided over the issue, as some want to take the compensation while other are not willing to accept it.

A relative, on the condition of anonymity, said while some family members are being influenced by the AAP, the other want to side with the SAD and accept the compensation and end the matter.