The Tribune, Chandigarh, India

Tuesday, September 5, 2000,
Chandigarh, India

THE TRIBUNE SPECIALS

50 YEARS OF INDEPENDENCE

TERCENTENARY CELEBRATIONS

M A I N N E W S

Karnataka sticks to stand on Veerappan

BANGALORE, Sept 4 (PTI) — After a cabinet meeting and parleys with the Opposition, the Karnataka Government today ruled out a change in its strategy for resolving the Rajkumar hostage crisis or seeking central help, saying that the issue had reached a “decisive” stage.

Meeting in the backdrop of adverse comments from the supreme court on the handling of the crisis, Chief Minister S. M. Krishna held an urgent Cabinet meeting where he got the unanimous backing of his colleagues for the government strategy.

Later, he held an all-party meeting, the third since the crisis erupted, and made it clear to the Opposition leaders that the government would not deviate from the present strategy.

The Opposition did not support the government’s “excessive” dependence on journalist-emissary R. R. Gopal’s mediation and asked him to explore other possibilities.

Dhindsa’s son SAD nominee
Tribune News Service

CHANDIGARH, Sept 4 — Mr Parminder Singh Dhindsa, general secretary of the youth wing of the Shiromani Akali Dal headed by Mr Parkash Singh Badal, will be the SAD’s candidate for the Sunam byelection. This was announced here today by Mr Badal following approval of the name of Mr Parminder Singh for the party ticket by the Political Affairs Committee of the SAD.

Mr Badal, after the meeting, told mediapersons that Mr Parminder Singh was the unanimous choice of the party. He further claimed that the party’s Sangrur district unit had also recommended the name of Mr Parminder Singh for the party ticket.

Mr Parminder Singh, son of the Union Sports Minister, Mr Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, obtained the MBA degree in 1997 from Panjab University. He did BCom from Government College for Men, Chandigarh, and earlier attended St Kabir Public School. Holder of the President of India Award for Scouts, Mr Parminder Singh belongs to Ubhawal in Sangrur district.

Mr Badal has called a joint meeting of SAD and BJP ministers, MLAs and other leaders on September 8 at Sunam to plan strategy to gear up the election campaign in the constituency, where the polling will be held on September 29. A meeting of the party’s district unit will be held tomorrow.

Quizzed about the statement made by Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra that he would extend support to the SAD’s candidate if it put up a person other than Mr Parminder Singh, Mr Badal said that if Mr Tohra really wanted to back the SAD’s candidate he should not impose any condition. He said the SAD would win with an impressive margin. “Our main enemy is the Congress, which has caused immense harm to Punjab during the past 50 years”, he added.

He said that all parties which wanted to defeat the Congress should support the SAD’s candidate. The Sunam area had remained underdeveloped for several decades and even basic necessities had not been provided though the Congress had ruled for 40 years or so in the State.