Jalandhar, May 18
India was not a soft state but a tolerant country where the law of the land prevailed and human rights were paramount. Other countries should not confuse tolerance with inherent weakness.

This was stated by union finance minister P. Chidambaram while speaking at the 98th distribution function of the Shaheed Parivar Fund, here today. Financial aid of Rs 16.80 lakh was given to 112 terrorism-hit families at the function.
Referring to the serial bomb blasts in Jaipur, he said every country feared a terrorist threat these days because terrorists have no religion or nationality. All those who believe in the values of democracy and peace should stand up against terrorism and fight this menace, he added.

The minister also thanked farmers of the state for contributing maximum wheat and paddy to the central pool.

Chidambaram revealed that the government had earmarked Rs 25,000 crore for the Krishi Vikas Yojna to encourage horticulture, organic farming, production of high quality seeds, up gradation of irrigation system and building of godowns throughout the country.

Besides, the government was providing crop loan at the rate of seven per cent and by June 30 a sum of Rs 60,000 crore would be waived off as loans of the farmers.

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda said to weed out militancy from the country the first thing needed was public awareness and local support. “Terrorism has no relation with humanity and no religion preaches violence. It emerges where the feelings of patriotism are weak,” Hooda added.

Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Gulam Nabi Azad advocated the bullet for bullet policy to fight terrorism. He said sympathetic attitude was not the need of the hour to check terrorist activities.

“After getting trained from across the border, a terrorist is not coming here to love but to kill us and before he kills us, we need to kill him,” he added, calling for a joint fight against militancy. He said no politician or religious leader should show sympathy towards terrorists, just for the sake of vote bank.

Among others present were Madhya Pradesh governor Balram Jakhar, PPCC chief Rajender Kaur Bhattal, SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, Punjab local bodies minister Manoranjan Kalia. 

Nawanshahr, May 18
Accusing the SAD-BJP government of manipulating official machinery to get the nomination papers of Congress candidates rejected on “false or flimsy” grounds, a large number of party leaders and workers met the Nawanshahr ADC Dr Amarpal Singh today.The leaders apprised the ADC of the alleged high-handedness of the officials concerned.

District Congress president Rana Kuldip Singh said, “Around 100 nomination papers of Congress candidates have been rejected in the district.” Citing an example, he alleged that papers of Jaswinder Singh, a candidate from Punnumazara, were “rejected” by declaring his no dues certificate missing from the file. Showing photocopies of the papers submitted, Rana claimed that the certificate was attached. Among those who met the ADC were former parliamentary secretary Gurvinder Singh Atwal, Market Committee former chairman Chaman Singh Bhanmazara, former president of the district youth congress Satvir Singh Palli Jhikki and Joginder 
Singh Chhoker.

Talking to The Tribune, former parliamentary secretary Gurvinder Singh Atwal said, “It seems that the SAD is too desperate to win the panchayat poll that they are even ready to play with the democratic traditions.” What to talk about the Congress, even BJP workers had faced the wrath of their alliance the SAD in the recently concluded zila parishad poll, he added.

Terming the plight of BJP workers more deplorable than the opposition Congress, Atwal made a satire that while BJP workers were maltreated by the SAD, its leadership had been trying to pacify them.

“Though BJP leadership has been trying to show a ‘brave face’ before the party workers, they actually bow before Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal,” he added. However, ADC Dr Amarpal Singh said the officials on poll duty had been instructed to perform their duty impartially.

The concerned returning officers might have rejected the nominations papers on some grounds. “I have told the complainants that if they are not satisfied then they can file a petition with the election commission,” the ADC added.

Hoshiarpur, May 18
The joint forum of the Punjab State Electricity Board has decided to observe a two-day strike from May 28 throughout the state in protest against the Power Act, 2003.

In a release issued to the press here, joint forum leader Om Parkash said the Punjab government had only increased the period of the PSEB up to May 31, 2008, which was a clear indication of the plan to abolish the board. He said it had been decided to stage a dharna before the head office of the PSEB at Patiala from May 20 to 22.

During the recent meeting between the employee leaders and the chairman of the PSEB, it was decided to resolve the issue of the victimisation of employees, fill 450 vacant posts of junior engineer, 250 of the SSA, 200 of the SDO and 150 of cashier under the CRA. It was decided that new units would be departmentally developed for the generation of 500 MW of electricity at the Bhatinda and Lehra Mohabat thermal plants.

Amritsar, May 18
We would oppose the SAD candidate in the bypoll to the Amritsar south constituency, to be held on May 22, if the SAD-BJP government failed to release old age allowance by May 19.

Stating this to the media here on Sunday, Birjinder Singh, former senior vice president of the Punjab Headmasters and Principals Union (PHPU) said if the state government continued to ignore the interests of pensioners they would not be left with any other choice but to oppose SAD candidate.

He also urged the pensioners of the state to form a political party for making their presence felt in the political arena of the state and also to get their grievances redressed through it.

He further alleged that the state government was withdrawing the facilities, which they had got after a great deal of struggle, in a planned way. He said the finance department had withdrawn the widow family pension and the dearness allowance which were still being disbursed in the neighbouring states of Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. — TNS