M A I N   N E W S

Capt wants to shed PPCC post
P. P. S. Gill
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 11
Sensing the growing skepticism and politico-administrative drift, Capt Amarinder Singh has decided to respond decisively. As a first step, he has asked the party high command to relieve him as President of the PPCC.

Second, he has asked the Chief Secretary to finetune the requisite ordinances and notifications related to the ‘’sacking’’ of all tainted appointees recruited during the tenure of Mr Ravinderpal Singh Sidhu as PPSC chief.

Third, he has asked that suitable amendments to the General Sales Tax Act, 1948, and related rules be made to initiate the process of realisation of additional resource mobilisation, as also do weekly review of the progress of implementation of the financial reforms, as enunciated in the Budget 2002-03.

Since the Governor, Lt-Gen. J.F.R. Jacob (retd), is going abroad on July 14, the Chief Secretary today set in motion the process of finalising the requisite ordinances. These are to be placed before a special meeting of the Cabinet to be held here tomorrow.

Meanwhile, a word is awaited from Rashtrapati Bhawan, New Delhi, on the prosecution of Mr Sidhu in two cases, one related to the trap laid to nab him and second is related to the acquisition of wealth disproportionate to his known sources of income. The file, it is learnt, has been cleared by the Prime Minister’s Office. A Superintendent of Police from the Vigilance Bureau is pursuing the file in New Delhi.

Chief Secretary, Mr Y.S. Ratra, at a meeting with the Administrative Secretaries concerned today, has asked the Law Department to vet the General Sales Tax Rules, 1949, to enable the government to introduce “modified” sales tax on at least 10 items. While three amendments to the Act are required to abolish surcharge on automobiles, which is 1.2 per cent at present; cover ‘’dhabas’’ to impose sales tax; and introduce Exim forms to plug evasion of sales tax, as part of additional resource mobilisation, this will mean an additional revenue of Rs 800 crore in a full year. These measures were approved by the Council of Ministers on June 18 last.

To devote more time to administration Capt Amarinder Singh, sources say, has forwarded three names for the post of the President of the PPCC — Mr Sant Ram Singla, Mr H.S. Hanspal, and Mr Gurmel Singh. He has already given appropriate representation to the Scheduled Caste MLAs in the Council of Ministers. His view is that the President of the PPCC should be from an urban area and preferably be a Hindu. In the last Assembly elections, urban voters had voted overwhelmingly for the Congress.

The following are the revised sales tax rates (present sales tax rates are given in the bracket) in respect of 10 selected items: chemical fertilizers — 4 per cent (no tax); pesticides, weedicides, fungicides, herbicides and insecticides — 4 per cent (2 per cent); De-oil cakes — 4 per cent (no tax); rice bran — 4 per cent (no tax); husk of grains and pulses — 4 per cent (no tax); cement — 12 per cent (8 per cent); purchase tax on milk — 4 per cent (no tax); pan masala and gutka — 20 per cent (no tax); all goods consumed in the execution of works contract pertaining to printing, dyeing, bleaching or processing by the processor of cloth — 4 per cent (no tax) and inter-state sale of vegetable oils — 2 per cent (1 per cent).

Dullo frontrunner for PCC chief’s post
Prashant Sood
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 11
Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo, MP, tops the list of names being considered by the Congress high command for appointment as PCC chief in Punjab even as several DCC chiefs met Congress President Sonia Gandhi today demanding that Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh be allowed to continue as Congress chief.

Sources said that at their meeting with the Congress President, 15 district Congress chiefs stressed that the Congress government had performed remarkably well under the leadership of Capt Amarinder Singh and had made inroads into the areas which were retained by the Shiromani Akali Dal in the last Assembly election. Pointing to the party’s success in the municipal corporation, zila parishad and block committee polls, the DCC chiefs said that the Chief Minister had nicely led both the government and party and there was no need to replace him.

Maintaining that the past experience of having a separate PCC chief had not been very successful, they pointed to the possibility of some friction developing between the PCC chief and the Chief Minister. Led by Mr Krishan Kumar Bawa, District chief of Ludhiana (urban) and Mr Gurdev Singh Laparan, district president of Ludhiana (rural), the DCC chiefs said that the Congress government had earned lot of goodwill on the issue of fighting corruption and nothing should be done which could affect the drive.

It is learnt that more DCC chiefs would be coming to Delhi tomorrow to urge the high command to retain Capt Amarinder Singh as PCC chief. The DCC chiefs also met senior Congress leaders, including Mr Arjun Singh, Ms Ambika Soni and Mr Motilal Vora. They yesterday met Ms Mohsina Kidwai, general secretary in charge of Punjab.

AICC sources said that the high-command had conveyed to the DCC chiefs that a new PCC chief would be appointed in Punjab as the Chief Minister had himself offered to resign due to pressure of work. They said that an exception could not be made to one man-one post norm when PCC chiefs had been appointed in other states having Congress governments.

Meanwhile, Mr Shamsher Singh Dullo has emerged as the frontrunner among the names being considered for the PCC chief. An MP from Ropar, Mr Dullo is seen as a mobiliser and a leader who can rally the partymen. A close associate of Beant Singh, he is a Dalit leader from the hometown of BSP supremo Kanshi Ram. Sources said that the high command was now ascertaining the truth about the charges of corruption levelled against him though he had been given a clean chit by the Lok Ayukta.

Other name recommended for PCC chief is of Mr H.S. Hanspal Announcement about the PCC chiefs in Haryana and Punjab is expected before July 15.