‘Graft’ probe against Kejriwal, kin in Delhi

New Delhi, January 24

The Delhi Police have launched a preliminary inquiry into allegations of forgery, cheating and fraud against Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, his brother-in-law and a public servant for alleged irregularities in grant of contracts for roads and sewer lines.

The Economic Offences Wing has initiated a preliminary inquiry into the allegations, a senior officer said today, adding no FIR had been lodged so far. A complaint was lodged by Kislay Pandey, a lawyer, on behalf of the Roads Anti-Corruption Organisation (RACO), an NGO.

The complainant accused Kejriwal, his brother-in-law Surender Kumar Bansal, the proprietor of a construction company, and PK Kathuria, the then Executive Engineer in the Delhi government's Public Works Department (PWD), of indulging in corruption.

The NGO alleged Bansal had submitted fake bills and invoices to the PWD. It also claimed that there were documents that showed no material was actually purchased for completing the works. — PTI

Kejri trying to divide me, Captain: Sidhu

STATEMENT COMES AMID REPORTS THAT RAHUL GANDHI MAY ANNOUNCE AMARINDER AS THE PARTY’S CM FACE ON HIS VISIT TO PUNJAB

TANDA (HOSHIARPUR): Ending speculations on whether he is in contention with Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh for the party’s CM face in Punjab, Navjot Singh Sidhu on Tuesday said AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal was trying to divide him and Amarinder over the issue.

Addressing the first rally outside the Amritsar district at Tanda and Sham Chaurasi in Hoshiarpur, Sidhu said, “Kejriwal knows Sidhu’s name sells so he tweets to ‘Maharaja saab’ that Sidhu will be made CM. They put posters of Sidhu will be Congress CM in my constituency. Ae bari cheez ae. Bara shatir banda ae .... phoot paunda, aag launda (he is very cunning. He is trying to divide us).”Sidhu’s statement comes amid reports that Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi may announce Amarinder as the party’s CM face during his threeday visit to Punjab from January 27. The three will together hold rallies in Lambi, Jalalabad and Majithia, the bastions of the ruling Badals.

Sidhu’s attacks on AAP don’t end here. Referring to AAP as ‘Khaas Aadmi Party’, he warns people not to buy their promises.

“Kejriwal is so cunning that heads he wins, tails you lose. He is like a handpump -- four feet above the ground and 120 feet below. When he got to know I was joining Congress, he sent me proposal that I can be deputy CM. His emissaries told me for two years, let Kejriwal be CM. I dared them to first ask Kejriwal to announce he will be CM,” Sidhu said. He then went on call AAP’s team of 60 from outside Punjab as “kaale angrez”.

“They are like the East India Company. They want to rule Punjab by remote control. He has promised many the CM’s post and AAP will disintegrate the day he announces one,” Sidhu said.

Badal resort: EC demands report

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 24

Dissatisfied with the Punjab Government’s reply on the proposed road connecting Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal’s luxury resort Sukhvilas to the international airport, the Election Commission (EC) has sought a report “within 24 hours” on email.

The notification to acquire land for the road was issued on January 3, a day before the code of conduct came into effect. The “most urgent” communication has been sent by VK Singh, Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), to the Special Secretary, Department of Housing and Urban Development.

The government has been asked to clarify the exact alignment and end point of the proposed road. “The alignment shown includes the present road from Kurali to Siswan and Baddi. If the road is already there, then for what purpose is your department acquiring land on this section?” the communication asked.

“Your report mentions that the end point is 5-6 km from the said resort,” it added, asking that the area of the resort be marked on a map.

Two weeks ago, the CEO had sought a report from the government. The Tribune had highlighted that the notification to acquire 112 acres of eight villages was issued in haste and that several other projects for which the Social Impact Assessment was done were overlooked. EC officials said they had acted on a complaint given by AAP.

Capt: Badal knew about Op Bluestar

Varinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 24

PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh alleged here today that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had known about the Centre’s plans regarding Operation Bluestar.

Amarinder was one of the emissaries between the then PM Indira Gandhi and Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. Corroborating the CIA’s “disclosures”, he said, “Badal was constantly in touch with the Centre, particularly Indira Gandhi.”

He accused Badal of sabotaging the peace process initiated first by Indira and later by Rajiv Gandhi. “For the sake of attaining power, he kept provoking innocent youths in the name of the Sikh cause,” Amarinder said in an interview with The Tribune.

“Badal was even aware of the date when the 1984 operation was to be launched. It was he who had given a sort of green signal to the Centre. His subsequent arrest was stage-managed,” he said.

Rejecting the allegations, SAD spokesperson Manjinder Singh Sirsa said: “Badal has spent more than 16 years of his life in jails for the cause of Punjab. Has Amarinder done so? Rather, he belongs to the party which was responsible for Operation Bluestar. No authentic CIA documents exist and no one can prove the charges.”

‘Rape accused’ on dais in Akalis’ Mansa rally

Gurdeep Singh Mann

Tribune News Service

Bathinda/Mansa, January 24

Former Mansa Municipal Council president and Akali worker Balwinder Singh Kaka, who was recently booked on the charge of raping a head constable, shared the dais with Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal during an SAD rally at Arvind Nagar in Mansa today. Kaka also addressed the gathering.

The victim, a resident of Rampura, slammed the police for failing to arrest the accused.

“The case was registered three months after the incident only after the matter was taken up by the office of the Director General of Police (DGP),” she added.

She alleged that she was raped by the SAD leader on September 30, 2016.

Bathinda Cantt SHO Abhinav Chauhan said, “We are busy with election duty, so we have not been able to spare time to trace the accused. The police are unaware of his whereabouts.”

SSP Swapan Sharma claimed that the FIR against the SAD leader had been cancelled recently. He added that Kaka was found “not guilty” during the police inquiry.Sources said the inquiry was still pending, even as the victim said she had not withdrawn her complaint.

Defiant Kejriwal attacks EC again

New Delhi, January 24

A defiant Arvind Kejriwal on Tuesday once again attacked the Election Commission accusing it of promoting corruption by restraining him from asking people to take money from his rival parties and vote for the AAP.

"EC fails to stop this. EC prevents me from saying - 'Take money from them n vote 4 us'. EC's msg - 'vote 4 those who give u money' (sic)," the Delhi Chief Minister tweeted.

Kejriwal was responding to a tweet by AAP leader Ashutosh on money allegedly being distributed to voters in Cumbaruja constituency in Goa.

Kejriwal also retweeted a tweet by an AAP volunteer, which said, "Why should we budge if we are right? When court has termed Arvind Kejriwal's statement right, then why is the EC against it."

When sought comments on the sidelines of an event, Election Commissioner A K Joti refused to respond to Kejriwal's latest remarks but said, "The person concerned should also have thought on the statements made. Everybody is bound by rules and regulations."

"In democracy, there will be some people who will be speaking. You cannot stop everybody."

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said, "We are in the public domain. We will not comment on it."

In a letter to Zaidi, Kejriwal had yesterday told the poll panel that his remarks were aimed to containing graft and sought a review of its order to allow him to repeat the comments.

Holding that the EC misinterpreted his comments, he also asked the poll panel to make him the brand ambassador to put an end to bribery in elections, alleging its order against him will encourage corruption.

On Saturday, Kejriwal was censured by the EC for his comment asking voters in Goa to take money from rival political parties, but vote only for AAP. The commission had also warned of strong action, including derecognition of AAP, if the Delhi chief minister repeated his comments. —PTI

Amarinder blames Badal for terrorism, Operation Bluestar

KOTSHAMIR (BATHINDA): Amid the disclosure in United States’ Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) declassified documents that Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal sided with Sikh extremists after the Operation Bluestar, state Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday launched a twin-attack on the CM, blaming him for helping militants and attack on the Golden Temple.

Punjab Congress chief Captain Amarinder Singh with party’s Bathinda Rural candidate Harvinder Singh Laddi during a rally at Kotshamir village on Tuesday.

Addressing a gathering in support of Congress candidate from Bathinda Rural constituency, Harvinder Singh Laddi, at Kotshamir, Captain Amarinder said Badal was responsible for thousands of innocent people killed by the terrorists. He referred to the CIA report, as reported in Hindustan Times, to point out that Badal had always been working “to promote his personal agenda by colluding with the Sikh extremistsBlaming Badal for the attack on the Golden Temple, Amarinder said, “In response to an invite by Harchand Singh Longowal to Badal, Surjit Singh Barnala and Gurcharan Singh Tohra for discussion a day before the attack on the Golden Temple, Badal didn’t turn up and ran away. Badal had earlier swore at the Akal Takht that he will stop the army at any cost, even if it meant sacrificing his life. But he ran away when the crisis erupted,” said Amarinder. Badal even conveyed to Delhi that things were not in their control and they could do whatever they wanted, Capt said.

Reiterating his promise to get all the recent incidents of sacrilege in the state investigated once Congress forms government in Punjab. “In the 1980s when Akali Dal was losing the people’s faith, Badal had played the communal card to promote his political and electoral interests and recent incidents of sacrilege appeared to be an attempt by the Akalis to create similar communal polarisation ahead of the assembly polls. I will put Badal in jail if found guilty of a role in these incidents,” said Amarinder.

Dubbing both Badal and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener Arvind Kejriwal as ‘slimy’ individuals, Amarinder criticised presence of outsiders in Punjab elections.

He said Punjabis were deliberately being kept out by Kejriwal’s party to alienate them from the poll process as the AAP leader did not trust Punjabis and had no interest in their welfare.

PUNJAB POLLS 2017

Amarinder promises to cancel false cases

Says fake cases registered against 5 lakh persons by SAD-BJP govt; assures revival of industry, more jobs

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, Janaury 23

Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) president Capt Amarinder Singh today gave an assurance that false cases registered against five lakh persons in the state by the SAD-BJP government would be cancelled once the Congress comes to power.

He said police officers who registered these cases under political pressure would not be spared.

Capt Amarinder Singh arrived in the city this evening at 5 pm. He addressed a rally in support of Congress candidate Manpreet Badal at Subhash Market.

The PPCC chief said farmers, traders, industrialists and all sections of society were affected in the state due to the wrong polices of the SAD-BJP government.

Capt Singh said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was busy holding sangat darshans like royal kings whereas his son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal was busy in building hotels.

Speaking over contesting elections from Lambi, he said, “In the AICC meeting when leaders were discussing whom to field from Lambi, I expressed my will to do so. I pray to the almighty to give me the power to defeat the Chief Minister so that nobody takes politics for granted. It will send a clear message that leaders who don’t care for people, especially farmers and traders are bound to be voted out.”

“We want two third majority so that we can pass legislation in the interest of Punjab,” he added.

“We will come up with new policy to revive industry in the state and create jobs for the youths. We will slash power tariff to Rs 5 per unit,” Capt Singh claimed.

He said in the last two years, Punjabis had set up business to the tune of Rs 6 lakh crore in Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Madya Pradesh as they didn’t want to invest here.

Former SAD MLA Gurjant Singh Kuttiwal and district TMC president Ranbir Singh Sidhu joined the Congress in the presence of the Capt Amarinder Singh.

It’s fight for youth of state: Capt

Capt Amarinder Singh claimed that his last election was a fight for the youth of the state as 70 per cent of its population was less than 40 years of age.He said his party has given tickets to many youth candidates this time.Amarinder claimed that Manpreet was also a youth leader and he would be made a senior minister if the Congress came to power.He reiterated his promise of farm debt waiver and jobs to the unemployed youth to wean them away from drugs.The party manifesto has several schemes to gainfully employ the youth and bring agriculture and industry back on track in the state, he added.
Amarinder Singh said it was the time to hand over the reins of the state to the youth.
He urged government employees, who had suffered ‘extreme discrimination’ at the hands of the Badal government, to join hands with the Congress to revive the state’s growth

political punch of the day

Ah Majithe wale nu putha tang ke halao, reta hi reta nikluga (Hang Majithia upside down and shake him. Only sand will trickle out) NAVJOT SINGH SIDHU, Congress leader

Sidhu diyan latan vich inni jaan nai ki mainu hath pa sake... mai Sidhu nu bande da putt bana dunga (Sidhu cannot take me on... I will set him straight). BIKRAM SINGH MAJITHIA, Akali leader

PUNJAB POLLS 2017

The family that has been holding fort for 15 years

Logo: Know your candidate

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 23

A tall, robust politican with twisted, grey moustaches who wears an attitude on his sleeves. That’s how one can identify Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh.

He was initially known for the use of his muscle and money power in Punjab elections. He was often blamed for starting the trend of paid news in Punjab elections. This time, everyone knows him as the richest man in poll fray, with his assets coming to Rs 170 crore, almost three times higher than in 2012.

Owing big businesses, including sugar mill and big agricultural farms, two-time Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh and his family has been holding on in the town for the past 15 years. Rana was first elected as MLA from Kapurthala in 2002 and became Jalandhar MP too in 2004. His sister-in-law Sukhjinder Rana became MLA in the 2004 bypoll. His wife Rajbans Rana got elected from the same seat in 2007. He lost MP elections from Khadoor Sahib in 2009, but again came to power in 2012.

In all, Ranas have contested six elections and won five. Defeating former Akali Transport Minister and two-time MLA Raghbir Singh thrice in 2002, 2004 and 2007, mighty Ranas have completely finished his political career. Losing from him last time, even Akali leader Sarabjeet Makkar left his turf in the last days, preferring to shift from Kapurthala to Jalandhar Cantonment. This time, SAD has fielded MC councillor and Valmiki leader Paramjit Pamma from the general seat.

On the last day of the withdrawal of the nomination forms, BSP candidate from the seat Jaswant Singh Bhandal also came in Rana’s support. Rana, however, claims, “It will give me a gain of just 1,500 votes. Nothing more. When I came here, the BSP used to bag as many as 14,000 votes. The numbers dropped to 8,600 and were around just 800 last time. Now, I am the leader of the Dalits too.”

Having his businesses in Uttar Pradesh and Uttrakhand, Rana says he was offered an entry in Punjab politics by former CM Beant Singh in 1992. “That time I told him, I am here for business and not for politics. But my mind changed eventually and I am a full-time politician now, with my sons and brother taking care of the businesses,” he says. He, however, quickly adds up, “My origin is Punjabi. My grandfather hailed from Baar Mujara village in Nawanshahr district, just 7 km from Phagwara.”

………………..

Rana Gurjeet Singh (64)

Party: INC

Qualification: Matric

Constituency: Kapurthala

Poll record: Contested and won from Kapurthala in 2002, 2012, was Jalandhar MP in 2004-09

Focus: Development works

SAD has insulted Punjabis in its manifesto: Shakeel

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, January 24

The Congress leader, Shakeel Ahmad, today said that there was no bigger insult to Punjab and Punjabis that the Shiromani Akali Dal itself is promising to settle them abroad after buying land for them there. “People of Punjab love Punjab, swear by the its soil. They have have been insulted by the Shiromani Akali Dal in their manifesto. What can be bigger insult to the land of Punjab, to the honour of Punjabis and its farmers, that they are being promised to be ousted and shift them out to land abroad,” Ahmed said.

Indirectly alleging that the BJP and the AAP were hand-in-glove. He alleged that it was not a coincidence that the AAP was only contesting in those states which are ruled by the BJP or its alliance. He said the AAP was not contesting elections in those state where Congress was in power. He said that the motive of the AAP was to split the vote of the Congress to give advantage to the BJP and allies.

“I have been saying from beginning that Kerjiwal is ‘chhota-Modi’ and Narendra Modi is ‘chhota-Kejriwal’ and both of them are trying to create a political mess in the country,” Ahmed said.

Responding to the BJP leader Arun Jaitely’s response that the Congress was not confident of contesting alone, he commented that the Congress had contested alone in several states including Chhatisgarh and Karnataka.