Bundala (Jalandhar), August 10
The CPM is finding it hard to dispel the notion that the party had ever tried to project BSP chief Mayawati as prime ministerial candidate in the forthcoming parliamentary elections.

After the shraddhanjali samaroh held here to pay homage to the late Harkrishen Singh Surjeet, Politburo member Sitaram Yechury said they were keen to forge a third front in the larger interest of people before the poll scene hotted .

On who will become the PM if the new alliance wins, he replied they were devoting energy in forging such a front and would decide on a candidate after they win.

When the same query was posed to party general secretary Prakash Karat later, he questioned who had projected Mayawati’s as the prime ministerial candidate in the first place? These were mere conjectures, he quipped.

“We, along with the BSP and other political parties, have decided to launch a nation-wide campaign to inform people about five core issues, including the Indo-US nuclear treaty and the price rise, and that is all for the time being,” he added.

Earlier, Yechury said he was coming straight from Jammu and Kashmir after attending the all-party meeting to resolve the ongoing crisis due to the Shri Amarnath shrine land row.

“The ground situation is bad and the divide among Hindus and Muslims is total. But the decision of the Shri Amarnath Yatra Sangharsh Samiti to come to the negotiating table is a positive development and is the first step in amicably resolving the dispute in the coming days,” he added.

Refusing to reveal what transpired at the meeting, he said he would be submitting a report to his party following which their strategy would be adopted.

However, he said some parties were trying to fan communal passions by issuing provoking statements. “We are a secular nation and the only way to co-exist is to believe in the democratic system and resolve all issues through dialogue,” he said.

He also expressed concern at the warning of valley leaders to force open the Muzaffarabad road to Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in case the current blockade of Kashmir did not end. This would mean efforts made to integrate and allay fears of the minority community over the decades had been wasted, he pointed out. 

Mohali, August 10
Anurag Saxena, a co-accused with former Punjab DGP S.S. Virk has alleged in a local court here that it was not S.S. Virk, but the current Vigilance Bureau chief Sumedh Singh Saini who was involved in the process of buying security equipment for the police department from him in 2001-2002.

It has been alleged that Virk used his position as the ADGP Intelligence to procure equipment worth crores for the police department through Saxena who is a close "family friend" and runs a security equipment supply agency. It was further alleged in the FIR that Virk had taken monetary gratification for the favours granted to Saxena.

The VB had reportedly found transactions through banks in crores between the Saxena and his wife on the one side and Virk and his family on the other. Which, sources in the VB said, was an exercise to launder ill-gotten money.

Appearing for Saxena before the special judge here Virk's son Pradeep Virk told the court last week that Saini had as IG intelligence paid for security equipment in February 2002. Saini, he further pointed out had now as VB chief drafted the FIR registered against his father.

He told the court that the current investigating officer in the case S.K. Asthana who is now posted as SSP, Patiala, was member of the purchase committee involved in the buying of equipment from Saxena's firm in 2003. As member of the committee Asthana had called for tenders and evaluated the equipment which was bought.

Countering these allegations, Saini was not even IG Intelligence in February 2002 and these allegations amount to perjury. Saini became IG Intelligence in the first week of March. "During his tenure as IG Intelligence no purchases whatsoever were made by him. A file was put up before him pointing out that a certain amount had to be spent before March 31 to avoid it from lapsing. On the file Saini noted that there was no need to utilise the money in a hurry, said the source.

In 2001-2002 the security equipment was purchased when S.S. Bhullar was the IG Intelligence and the entire process finished before Saini succeeded him.

Pradeep Virk admitted that equipment was not bought during Saini's time. However he alleged that payments for the equipment already bought would have been made by Saini.

Sources said Asthana was the member of not the purchase committee but the technical committee. The technical committee did not take any decisions regarding the buying of equipment.

For the purchases of 2001 -2002 MPS Aulakh was the ADGP intelligence and for 2002 onwards SSVirk was the ADGP Intelligence and all decisions regarding purchase of equipment were taken by them, added sources. 

Amritsar, August 10
Even though the viscera test of singer Ishmeet Singh at Patiala confirmed his death by drowning his father,Gurvinder Singh, has sought an independent probe into the incident to bring out the truth.

Gurvinder, who was here to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple, along with his wife, daughter and other relatives, said such tests would not bring out the cause of downing. The Central government should mark an inquiry into the incident to reveal the actual causes of drowning.

He said he had never asked for any probe as he had already lost his son, but it would help bring out the truth behind the incident. He had come here to thank the Almighty for sending Ishmeet to his house and he was proud to be his father. He said if anyone had played any mischief with his son, the Almighty would himself take action against the accused person, if any.

He appealed to Panthic organisations to pressure the state government to ask the Central government for a probe into the cause which led to the drowning of Ishmeet in a swimming pool. People at the Golden Temple complex, who recognised Ishmeet’s family, expressed sympathy with the bereaved family. Some could be seen touching their feet. 

Amritsar, August 10
The Khalsa Action Committee (KAC) will hold an all-religion conclave in Chandigarh on September 7 to expose Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh for his alleged attempts to undermine ethos of not only Sikh religion but also of others.

Stating this here today, Bhai Mohkam Singh, convener of the committee, said repeated pleas of Sikhs before the government of India as well as the Chief Ministers of both Punjab and Haryana for immediate steps against the dera head for his alleged calculated outrage of Sikh sentiments had gone unheard. The government authorities instead have further precipitated things by extending official patronage to him, he added.

Mohkam Singh said the Punjab government should take control of Punjab University in Chandigarh by providing full financial assistance to it. He said the a recent move of the state government to give full control of the university to the Central government would harm the interests of the people of the state. He said interests of many educational institutions that were affiliated with the university would be at stake in that case.

The KAC convener termed the removal of Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti as Akal Takht Jathedar as “unceremonious” and unprincipled. He said they had no sympathy for the ousted Jathedar, but the manner in which he was asked to submit his resignation had lowered the dignity of the temporal seat of Sikhism. He said there was need for a codified procedure involving the SGPC, DSGPC, Sikh religious organisations and the established Sikh “groups” for taking any important decision on such important religious posts. 

Chandigarh, August 10
The New Moti Bagh residence of former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh in Patiala has become a centre of Punjab politics again after one-and-a-half years with Congress leaders and legislators, including loyalists of Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, seeking appointments with him.

Amarinder seems set to assume control of the Punjab Congress even though he has been appointed chairman of its Campaign Committee by the high command. Amarinder said he would be forming campaign committees at the district level to direct the campaign. This will mean readjustment of all Amarinder loyalists in the state who will report to him and make District Congress Committees subservient to the campaign committtees as the latter will have a final say on all campaign matters.

On the rationale behind the move, the former Chief Minister said though district presidents were senior Congressmen, they were not the best campaigners. He said since the party’s goal was to take on the Akalis in parliamentary elections it needed appropriate people for the job.

Meanwhile, Amarinder loyalist Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu said the former Chief Minister would accompany Mohinder Singh Kaypee when he took over as acting president of the PPCC on August 14. Both leaders are scheduled to hold a joint press conference. Amarinder will address his first public meeting on August 16 on the occasion of Rakhar Punia at the Beas. “The morale of the Congress workers has been at its lowest in the past one-and-a-half years and Amarinder is scheduled to meet party workers, legislators, MPs and defeated party candidates to rejuvenate the party,” he added.

Amarinder loyalists said legislators loyal to the Bhattal group like Gurchet Bhullar, Randeep Nabha, Balbir Singh Sidhu and Sadhu Singh Dharamsot had welcomed the former Chief Minister on his return from Delhi to Patiala two days back. They said similarly the National Students Organisation (NSO), which had been blessed by Bhattal at a function in Chandigarh only a few days back allegedly due to the fact that the Youth Congress under Vijay Inder Singla was toeing Amarinder line, has also switched sides. NSO leaders welcomed Amarinder besides promising to work under his leadership. 

Chandigarh, August 10
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal said today there was no threat to prospects of the SAD-BJP alliance in the Lok Sabha elections following former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh being made chairman of the Election Campaign Committee.

The Chief Minister was talking to mediapersons on the sidelines of the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the 156-acre residential housing colony, Ajitgarh, being developed by a housing society on the Chandigarh-Rajpura road at Karala village.

On the appointment of chairmen of the boards and corporations in the state, Badal said these would be made soon before the Lok Sabha elections.

Earlier, addressing members of the housing society, Badal appreciated the initiative of the management to rehabilitate and resettle the Delhi-based residents after 1984 riots victims by developing this colony.

Cooperation minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh outlined how this project was conceptualised in 1985 and passed through difficult situations and today the dream of 1,765 members of the society had been translated into a reality.

Chandigarh, August 10
The fates of Capt Amarinder Singh and Sukhbir Badal seem to be intertwined. Both have come to a stage where they will again have a face-off with each other for the leadership of Punjab. Former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has been given a chance to reclaim his lost mantle by the Congress which has cleverly put him in a perform-or-perish position by giving him charge of the party’s election campaign, but refused to give him total control of the party. 

Sukhbir, who is in a much more comfortable position as the heir-apparent to the chief ministership of the state, however, has to prove his mettle by steering the party to victory in the forthcoming parliamentary elections to come out of his father’s shadow.

Amarinder has made it clear after being given charge of the party’s poll campaign that he will make the issue of poll violence and registration of “false” cases against Congress workers and their supporters an election issue. The SAD, on its part, had given Sukhbir credit for the party’s victory in elections to the Panchayati Raj institutions, which had witnessed unprecedented violence.

Senior Akali leaders admit that Sukhbir could be the focus of Amarinder’s attack in the coming months. This was also Amarinder’s compulsion as he had to campaign on state issues and ensure issues like inflation, which could hit the party hard in the coming elections, remained on the back burner in Punjab.

Amarinder had used a mixture of ridicule, outright humiliation and playing of the Sikh card by reaching out to the traditional votebank of the Akalis to keep the SAD as well as Sukhbir unsettled during his stint as Chief Minister.

Though the SAD does not admit to paying him back in the same coin, Vigilance cases were slapped on Amarinder during the Akali rule. However, instead of being cowed down, Amarinder went to the extent of alleging that a few Congress leaders were hand in glove with the Akalis to ensure he did not make a comeback to active politics. Earlier, he had accused PPCC president Rajinder Kaur Bhattal of being soft on the Badals.

SAD secretary Dr Daljit Singh Cheema says it is difficult for Amarinder to face Sukhbir again after the defeat of the Congress in the last elections. A person who had failed and was a spentforce could not now give competition to Sukhbir who never felt there was any competition between the two. 

‘Panchayat elections not held in fair way’
Chander Parkash
Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, August 10
In a significant development which could embarrass the ruling SAD-BJP in the state, additional deputy commissioner-cum-additional district election officer M.P. Singh has alleged that certain areas of the district witnessed “murder of democracy” in connection with the election of sarpanches of different panchayats.

M.P. Singh made this statement when this correspondent asked for his comments in connection with the denial of opportunity to various members of different village panchayats to participate in the election of sarpanches of their respective units. He said he had discussed the matter with director, Rural Development and Panchayat, Punjab.

He alleged that a section of returning officers (ROs) defied the orders of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and even the directions given to them by deputy commissioner-cum-district election officer for holding the election of sarpanch in a free and fair manner and, thus, made those members panchayat sarpanches who were not having adequate majority.

He said so far he had received about 22 complaints pertaining to bunglings made by ROs in the election of sarpanches of different panchayats by violating the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. He added that in such complaints, it was alleged that members of their groups were not made sarpanch despite the fact that they were having adequate majority of members.

Ludhiana, August 10
Punjab Agricultural University (PAU) here will survey suicide deaths by farmers in the state. The Punjab government has sanctioned a grant for it from the disaster management fund.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had entrusted the survey of suicides by farmers due to debt to PAU three months ago. He wanted the survey to be completed in one month. But it took three months to get the grant sanctioned.

Dr R.S. Sidhu, professor and head, and Dr A. S. Bhullar of the Economics Department, PAU, said Sangrur and Bathinda districts would be surveyed.

Survey teams have been formed and work will be completed within a month. The department has recruited 18 persons. They will work under the supervision of economic experts of the department.

The teams will visit villages to collect data on suicide deaths.

There have been reports of largescale suicide deaths by farmers in the past few years owing to debt. Punjab farmers are said to have been under debt of Rs 24,000 crore.

Some farmer organisations have put the number of suicide deaths at 21,000. However, government figures vary.