Cong to name candidates next month: Channi

Tribune News Service

Ropar, November 7

The Congress is likely to release the list of its candidates for the state Assembly elections in the first week of next month. This was stated by Congress Legislature Party chief Charanjit Singh Channi.

Channi today began his second phase of “Jawani Sambhal Yatra” from Morinda, which will culminate on November 11 in Amritsar after covering 22 Assembly constituencies.

Channi criticised the state government over a protest by the family members of freedom fighters during the inauguration of Jang-e-Azadi memorial in Jalandhar yesterday. He said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal should publicly apologise for it.

PPCC senior vice-president Lal Singh, while flagging off the yatra, claimed that the Congress would eradicate drug addiction, unemployment and corruption from the state. “The state youth have suffered the most in the last 10 years. Drugs have affected every household of Punjab owing to police-politico nexus under the SAD-BJP government,” he alleged.

Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, president, Indian Youth Congress, said the youth would bring a revolution in Punjab and strengthen the Congress to form the government in 2017.

Time for Rahul to take over party reins’

Chandigarh: Channi on Monday said Rahul Gandhi should take over the reins of the party “as has been recommended by the Congress Working Committee”. Channi said his taking over was crucial in the context of Punjab elections. The party would get a big push under his leadership, he added. TNS

Police go into overdrive, ask people to deposit weapons

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, November 7

The Punjab Assembly elections are yet to be announced, but the police seem to be acting in haste. They have started asking arms licence holders to deposit weapons with them or arms dealers.

Arms licence holders are getting calls from the police to deposit their weapons.

The process has started without forming a screening committee, which is a must as per a 2009 direction of the Bombay High Court, and without increasing the limit of arms dealers, which cannot keep more than 82 weapons on their premises.

The Bombay High Court had directed all states and UTs not to issue a blanket order, asking every citizen to deposit licensed weapon with the police before the elections.

As per the EC guidelines, weapons should be deposited only after elections are announced and a ban on carrying weapons in public places is imposed under Section 144 of the CrPC.

ADGP Viresh Bhawra, nodal officer for the elections, said the process to deposit weapons started early to ensure peaceful, free and fair elections. He, however, said he would get the EC guidelines checked pertaining to the deposition of weapons.

“As The Tribune has highlighted the matter, we will examine it and act accordingly,” he said, adding that in view of the tension at the border, it would be better to keep all weapons in custody.

Ajay Sehgal, an RTI activist, called it a futile exercise. “Crime is mostly committed with unlicensed weapons. So what is the need to deploy extra force to safeguard weapons kept in police stations,” he said.

Cong MLA addresses Sangat Darshan in CM’s presence

Our Correspondent

Fatehgarh Sahib, November 7

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders and officials at the Sangat Darshan programme were taken by surprise when Congress MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra and his supporters entered the venue at the district’s Jakhwali village today.

The police tried to stop him, but Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal asked officials to let the Fatehgarh Sahib MLA come in.

Nagra took the microphone and claimed that the government function had been converted into a party function. He alleged the MLA was being ignored, whereas a so-called halqa in-charge was being promoted.

The Congress MLA asked Badal why he did not come to his constituency earlier. He demanded that like Bathinda, every big village should be given Rs 50 lakh and a small one, Rs 30 lakh.

Akali workers tried to snatch the microphone and push Nagra, but Badal stopped them. The Chief Minister asked the MLA to come to his house, assuring him of hearing him out patiently and sorting all his problems.

Later in the programme, Badal demanded the resignation of Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal, as “schools, colleges and industry are closed because of his inexperience. People are living in a hell-like situation”.

On the “Sarbat Khalsa”, he said some elements wanted to create communal tension in the state, so the police did not approve their plans.

Minister’s son opens sewa kendra

Arun Sharma

Tribune News Service

Anandpur Sahib, November 7

Local MLA and Cabinet minister Madan Mohan Mittal’s son Arvind Mittal, who does not hold any government or constitutional post, inaugurated a government-run sewa kendra at Agampur village yesterday.

Arvind, former Additional Advocate General of Punjab, claimed that the inauguration was done in his presence by government officials, including the local SDM, district vice-president of the Zila Parishad, Block Development Officer (BDO) and the tehsildar.

When asked that he was seen in the pictures wearing a garland and holding the scissors to cut the ribbon, he said the others had prompted him to take part in the inauguration.

Anandpur Sahib SDM Rakesh Kumar said eight sewa kendras were inaugurated yesterday. He added that he opened three sewa kendras along with Arvind and then left.

Blatant violation: AAP

Chandigarh: AAP leaders Himmat Singh Shergill and Chander Suta Dogra on Monday asked Mittal in what capacity his son had inaugurated a govt-built facility. The AAP leaders said this was a blatant violation of the Representation of People’s Act, 1951. TNS

No SAD-BJP pact on seat swapping yet

Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 7

In spite of series of informal meetings between SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal and state BJP chief Vijay Sampla, the two parties have failed to reach a consensus on the exchange of seats.

The sticking point has been has been four major constituencies under consideration — Rajpura, Barnala, Mansa and Batala.

The ruling alliance will stick to last time’s ratio of 94 seats going to the Akalis and 23 to the BJP. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has intervened to work out a formula of exchange but nothing materialised, said a senior BJP functionary.

There has been no formal meeting to date. The BJP is learnt to be working on an exchange for the Rajpura seat because its leader Raj Khurana is not keeping good health.

Barnala is being demanded for Harjit Grewal, the blue-eyed lieutenant of Sampla, while BJP’s Neeraj Tayal has made a strong case for himself for the Mansa constituency.

SAD president and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has reportedly said no for the Barnala seat; the name of Trident president Rajinder Gupta is doing the rounds for SAD ticket. Gupta has kept his cards close to his chest.

As for the Mansa seat, the Chief Minister has reportedly not agreed for giving it to the BJP. And for the Batala segment, the BJP is seeking the seat on the grounds of a traditional base and a stronghold in the local bodies.

If there are chances of any seat being exchanged, it is Ludhiana (West). In the last elections, former state BJP president Rajinder Bhandari had lost by more than 23,000 votes. Sources said a strong RSS backing for Bhandari would not make even this exchange easy.

Anganwari workers gherao Majithia’s residence

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 7

The Anaganwari Employee Union today gheraoed the house of Punjab Cabinet Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia, demanding upgraded pay scales under the 7th Pay Commission and other benefits as promised by the Chief Minister. Staging a dharna outside his house, the president of the employee union, Gurminder Kaur Majitha, said, “The workers and helpers are being treated with unfriendly intentions. We were promised that contractual workers and helpers will be made permanent and their pay scales will be fixed according to the 7th Pay Commission. But instead, the government is taking decisions against our interests by announcing admissions under pre-nursery and nursery in all government schools. Over 52,000 Anganwari workers will be affected with this decision,” she said.

She also mentioned that similar to the Haryana Government, which has implemented the 7th Pay Commission pay scales for the Anganwari employees, the union demanded implementation of similar pay scales. They also said that Rs 1 lakh ex-gratia amount be fixed for Anganwari workers and Rs 75,000 for helpers, in addition to fixed pension and gratuity amount. The work experience demanded for employment of workers should also be reduced from 10 years to three years.

“We will continue this stir and protest across Punjab and take up the issue until our demands are heard by the government,” said Kaur.

Cong to include freedom fighters’ successors demands in election manifesto, says Verka

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, November 7

The Congress MLA and vice-chairman of the National SC Commission, Raj Kumar Verka, today condemned the mistreatment of members of successors of the Freedom Fighters Association, who had gone to meet Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Kartarpur during the inauguration of Jang-E-Azadi Memorial with a hope that the state government would announce to fulfil their genuine demands.

Verka said the Congress would include their demands in the party’s election manifesto for the upcoming Assembly elections. He said they would also fulfil their demands after the Congress Party comes to power. He also urged the Chief Minister to form a high-power committee to look into genuine demands of successors of freedom fighters’ within the next 15 days.

Meanwhile, members of the Punjab State Freedom Fighters’ Successor’s Organisation submitted a memorandum to Verka seeking his help and intervention today. Association president Gian Singh Saggu said the CM had assured them to fulfil their genuine demands and its subsequent announcement during the inaugural ceremony of Jang-E-Azadi Memorial. However, it did not happen as the government dragged its feet from its promises, he added.

The association had sought linking of the pension of freedom fighters with inflation index. It had demanded monthly pension at par with employees of the Central government. Association members were also demanding reviewing of the Freedom Fighter Policy formulated 45 years ago by including sons and daughters of freedom fighters’ first family in the pension facility. They also demanded free travel on Punjab Roadways buses for successors of freedom fighters, besides exemption from toll taxes.

Verka said, “It is unfortunate that successive governments have failed to review freedom fighters pension policy even after four decades. There are only 200 freedom fighters left in the state. Therefore, the Punjab government should resolve their problems on priority basis.”

He said as per a notification by the Central government the state governments would give 10-acre land to freedom fighters. Though many other states had implemented the instructions, the Punjab government was lagging far behind.

Manpreet joins residents’ protest against Improvement Trust

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, November 7

Residents of Patel Nagar, Green Avenue and Tagore Nagar today staged a protest against the Improvement Trust over the enhancement amount issue outside the Bathinda Improvement Trust office.

Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal also joined the protest today and announced support to residents. He took away documents related to the matter and told the protesters that he would again get in touch with them over the issue after going through the documents.

Patel Nagar president Tara Singh Brar said in 1996, the land was acquired by the Trust on two different rates in Patel Nagar. Around 47.13 acres in Patel Nagar was given Rs 8 lakh compensation per acre and 2.71 acres, which was irrigated land, was given Rs 20 lakh per acre.

Later, 26.33-acre land owners out of the 47.13 acres moved the court against the differences in compensation. While hearing the complaint, the lower court announced the verdict and told the Trust to pay a compensation of Rs 20 lakh per acre to them as per the compensation given to irrigated land, after which both parties went to the high court, which also upheld the decision of the lower court, he added.

He said a total of only 28.36-acre land owners demanded enhanced compensation, but the Trust is calculating the enhancement on the total 47.13-acre land and is putting extra burden on residents.

Brar also claimed that “the Trust has fixed the enhancement amount at Rs 740 per sq yd, but the actual enhancement amount is Rs 363 per sq yard and we are ready to pay this amount.”

Tagore Nagar president HK Kapoor said the Trust had issued a notice by putting interest without any reason and Trust officials are not telling any basics of collecting the correct amount.

Green Avenue president Darshan Maur said the Trust on one hand in the Income Tax Department terms itself as a charitable trust and on the other, instead of selling the properties worth crores in three localities, is issuing notice to take the money from residents.

They also announced that “if their issue was not resolved, they would install boards in the city in which we would appeal people not to vote for the SAD-BJP, in the upcoming elections. They also demanded that the Trust should take back the issued notice at the earliest. Charanjit Singh, Sanjiv Kumar, Sukhwinder, Gulshan Puri, Gurjant Singh, Sohan, OP Kansal, Satpal Gupta, Mahavir Prashad, Pramod Gupta, Tarsem Goyal and others were among others present.

SGPC’s new chief

Election sans democracyThe Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee has a new President. The General House of the SGPC went through the motions of an election, but the nature of this particular poll was clear from the fact that the name of the new President was announced after an envelope — purportedly sent by the Shiromani Akali Dal chief and Deputy Chief Minister, Sukhbir Singh Badal — was opened and his choice announced. Muted dissent was ignored and 74-year-old Kirpal Singh Badungarh was made the new President. Members to various committees and bodies were quickly elected. The 41st President of the SGPC is a man who has held the position before, and it is reasonable to expect that he will be as competent this time as he was during his previous tenure.

The manner in which the new President of the highest body of the Sikhs has been (s)elected leaves much to be desired. Why is the SGPC not seen as a broadly representative body of the Sikhs? Why should the name of its President come in an envelope? What exactly was the process followed in his selection? Were electoral considerations not at the forefront when various nominees were selected? How is it that the contenders who do not belong to SAD find no place in the highest religious body of the Sikhs?

Most of the Sikh leaders have been active in the SGPC before going full time into politics. We do not have to go far into history to see that they took active part in debates on important religious matters. Sarbat Khalsa discussions were held and points of view were advanced. The overall attitude was respectful of dissent and various contentious issues were sorted out. Sometimes, when necessary, the regime of the day was confronted through peaceful agitations. Today, the distinctions between the SGPC, SAD and even the Punjab Government have got blurred. They are distinct entities with diverse roles. In the SGPC elections the focus should be on the moral values of the individuals, not on political expediency. This, sadly enough, cannot be said of Kirpal Singh Badungarh’s installation.

Mixed response to AAP protest over tardy procurement

BATHINDA: Despite the Aam Admi Party (AAP) having already announced its manifesto for the farmers in Punjab, it received a lukewarm response from the farming community during its protest against tardy paddy procurement in the region on Monday.

In Mansa, party volunteers led by MLA candidate Nazar Singh Manshahiya visited the grain market and held a protest against the state government for providing poor facilities to the farmers.

While the AAP leader roamed around the grain market, most farmers didn’t join him. “I am here for the last nine days and nobody from the market committee has contacted me,” said Pragat Singh of Moosa village.

AAP volunteers said details of debt-ridden farmers are still being collected and a special counter has been set up in the mandis for the same.

In Bathinda, AAP volunteers failed to gather a crowd at the main grain market. The party’s Bathinda parliamentary zone coordinator KC Bagga, along with a handful of volunteers, spoke with farmers and enquired about payments.In Muktsar district, AAP’s Malout candidate Baldev Sing Azad could manage to gather only a handful of volunteers at the grain market.

No protest was witnessed at the Faridkot mandi. In Moga, AAP workers outnumbered the farmers. They raised anti-government slogans in front of the Moga deputy commissioner’s office. However, no official from the deputy commissioner’s office entertained them to receive their memorandum. They finally handed it over to the district food and supplies controller.

LACKLUSTRE AFFAIR IN JALANDHAR JALANDHAR: Only six prominent AAP leaders and 10 others turned up for the dharna organised by the party in the grain market to protest against Punjab government’s alleged “apathy” towards farmers.

The gathering was addressed by party candidates, Gulshan Sharma from Jalandhar North, Darshan Bhagat from Jalandhar West. Party joint secretary Major Singh and party’s observer for Jalandhar Lok Sabha seat Rajiv Chaudhary were also present.

WORKERS LAY SIEGE TO MANDIS IN AMRITSAR AMRITSAR: Accusing the state government of looting and harassing farmers, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Monday staged protests at grain markets in Amritsar district. During the protests, AAP candidates and volunteers raised slogans against the Punjab government. They flayed the government for meagre and untimely payments to farmers during the procurement season.

“As the farmers are not being paid their rightful dues for paddy procurement in mandis of Punjab, the AAP has staged these protests,” said AAP Amritsar labour and kisan wing in-charge Jagjot Singh, who led the protest at Rajasansi grain market and Majitha.

Govts can’t waive farmers’ bank loans: CM

Punjab wants justice as per the riparian principle on the issue of sharing of river water with Haryana. The spectre of the agrarian state turning into a desert looms large due to falling water levels. PARKASH SINGH BADAL, chief minister

FATEHGARH SAHIB: Terming the Congress’ “karza mukti” (debt waiver) drive and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal’s promise to waive farmers’ loans illogical, chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on Monday said the governments have no role in waiving farm loans.

“Banks give loan and they do recover the same. If we fail to repay, they do not give another loan. How the government is a party here?” the CM questioned.

Speaking on the sidelines of a “sangat darshan” here, Badal said the AAP government in Delhi had failed on all fronts and now its leaders were trying to shift the onus of their nonperformance on others, he said, refuting charges that stubble burning in Punjab was one of the reasons for pollution in Delhi.Seeking Kejriwal’s resignation, Badal said that any CM who fails to discharge his duties has no moral right to remain in office. “Kejriwal has failed in Delhi and is now making false promises in Punjab,” he said.

SUKHBIR RIDICULES AMARINDER CHANDIGARH: Punjab Deputy chief minister Sukhbir Singh Badal on Monday said Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh didn’t know the SAD-BJP government had already taken steps to resolve problems being faced by farmers at the hands of commission agents.

Ridiculing Amarinder for announcing that the Congress will resolve the issue of farmer loans taken from commission agents once it came to power, Sukhbir said: “You seem to be living in a gilded cage surrounded by a coterie which keeps you busy in leisurely activities so you missed the passing of the Punjab Settlement of Agricultural Indebtedness Bill, 2016, by the state assembly.” The bill, he said, “envisaged exactly what you aim to do”. “It provides a framework for assessment and settlement of non-institutional agricultural debt, which has been a major burden on debt-ridden farmers of Punjab.”