M A I N   N E W S

CM flags off Punjab Vikas Yatra politics
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Nangal/Ropar, November 8
Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh took to the streets today to seek the blessings of the people in helping him regain power for another term. Riding the crest of achievements which he claimed as "unprecedented in Punjab's history", the Chief Minister traversed a historic path - one which the Tenth Sikh guru followed to salvation.

The route of his Punjab Vikas Yatra was carefully chosen. His massive cavalcade of 30 VIP and 200 other vehicles moved along Gobind Singh Marg which connects Anandpur Sahib with Talwandi Sabo. The route was lined up with Congress party flags and cutouts of AICC President Ms Sonia Gandhi, Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Mr S.S. Dullo and the Chief Minister himself.

Flagging off the five-day Yatra from Nangal which he upgraded to a subdivision today, the Chief Minister crossed Anandpur Sahib and Ropar before winding up the first day's show at Chamkaur Sahib. On the way, his high-security jeep was greeted by a few revellers on horseback, a police band, drummers and loads of youths drawn from the ranks of the Punjab Youth Congress. Some of them were aggressive enough to confess: "We have been given free petrol of two litres each."

Petrol apart, they suffused the atmosphere with zing by their repeated show of strength. They were all bearing Congress flags. Such was the decoration along the highway that it was difficult to say whether the show was a Congress party show or the ruling government's show. Actually, both were hand in hand today.

The Chief Minister, for his part, halted at 29 designated locations where hundreds had gathered to catch his glimpse or to air their grievances. Although the show lacked spirit in general, some enthusiasts like Mahender Singh and Darshan Singh of Dhadhi village, kept it going.

They had been waiting for five hours before the Chief Minister appeared on the scene. And as he went about shaking hands with people, his multi-utility vehicle, especially crafted for the Yatra, followed listlessly. He hardly used it after people requested him to "unveil himself".

Soon after crossing Nangal, which was bedecked for the Congress show of strength today, the Chief Minister shifted out onto a jeep. Mr Dullo accompanied him, putting up a united front. The MUV followed, seating Deputy Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal and Nangal MLA Rana KP Singh, who managed a decent show at Nangal Staff Club where the Yatra was launched during a Sarav Dharam prayer meeting.

At Nangal, the show was one of political strength. In presence was everyone who matters in the state cabinet. From the stage, whose backdrop was laced with portraits of Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh, the party leaders challenged the Akalis into elections.

The Chief Minister declared: "We have revived the state economy which had collapsed during Akali rule." He was referring to two things -- Rs 1 lakh crore of investment expected in Punjab by December-end and the second green revolution through a diversification programme in Punjab. "We have fulfilled all our 66 poll promises. Through the Vikas Yatra we plan to learn more about people's grievances so that we can adapt our upcoming manifesto accordingly," he said.

Only he could not spend much time with people, for whom today's road show was perhaps the last chance of sharing their woes. The Chief Minister, however, said he had designated his officers to collect people's applications and he would read them up later. Today, he covered the assembly segments of Nangal, Ropar and Chamkaur Sahib. The promise is to cover all 117 assembly segments during the 5800-km-long Yatra, which marked an informal launch of the ruling party's election campaign in the state today.

A very tough yatra for some, as many as twelve hours
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

Nangal/Ropar, November 8
Despite the deployment of a 500-strong police force drawn from six districts of the state, Punjab Chief Minister’s Vikas Yatra brought its share of troubles for some.

Traffic diversions along the Nangal-Chamkaur Sahib and Nangal-Chandigarh route, although publicised by the Ropar police in advance, proved to be backbreaking for several passengers and some patients who were on their way to the PGI, Chandigarh.

Bina Sharma, one of them, who had left her home in Hamirpur at 6.30 am, had not reached Chandigarh till 8 pm. The journey otherwise takes just about five hours. But, her bus was diverted endlessly to facilitate the Congress’ show of strength.

Likewise three patients on their way to the PGI, Meher Singh, Kamla Sharma and Sukhwinder Kaur (all from Himachal Pradesh), had to suffer due to heavy diversions along the highway.

Where the Vikas Yatra was a nuisance for some, for others like sitting MLAs and politicians, it was an occasion for maximisation. All along the route, ambitious politicians exhibited their strength in the hope of getting ticket to contest elections during the coming Assembly elections.

A massive show in Chief Minister’s support was put up at Ropar by Amarjit Singh Saini, former president of the Ropar District Congress Committee. Although the CM was accompanied by sitting Congress MLA from Anandpur Sahib Mr Romesh Dutt Sharma, it did not deter Mr Saini from putting his best foot forward. Mr Saini aspires to get ticket from Anandpur Sahib, so does Harchand Singh Barsat, political secretary to the Chief Minister.

In fact, Mr Saini’s supporters found a befitting match in Mr Barsat’s. And as the two groups vied for Chief Minister’s attention, it was advantage Punjab Vikas Yatra.

Joining the pack of aspirants for Congress ticket was Charanjit Singh, chief of Kharar Municipal Committee, who stage-managed a decent show.

At the launch of the yatra, he was accompanied by PPCC president Shamsher Singh Dullo and Deputy Chief Minster Rajinder Kaur Bhattal.

Day of siropas

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh paid obeisance at Takth Sri Kesgarh Sahib before launching the yatra from Nangal this morning. By the end of the day, he had collected about half a dozen of siropas.