Jalandhar, March 27
The polarisation of Dalit votes in the state is likely to hit the Congress hard in the elections with a particular section of the community appealing to its brotherhood to vote against the party candidates.

The battle lines have been drawn between the Valmiki/Mazbhi and Ad-dharmi sections with the former claiming that they had been shortchanged in terms of political power and had been kept away from savouring the fruits of reservation since Independence by the latter.

This is one of the points strongly put across by Dr Raj Kumar Verka, PPCC general secretary, who has virtually raised a banner of revolt on the issue. His case has since been referred to the disciplinary committee of the party.

At a meeting of various Valmiki and Mazbhi organisations held here today, those present were of the view that they should not take things lying down and the only way to get their due was to repeat the result of the assembly polls, especially in the Doaba belt, where they enjoy numerical superiority over the Ad-dharmis.

Citing from the census of 2001, they pointed out that SCs comprise nearly 40 per cent of the population of Punjab and out of this Valmikis and Mazbhis alone account for more than half the percentage. In this scenario, it was only fair that their candidates should have been allotted two seats by the Congress instead of one presently.

Inderjit Kalyan, president of the Sri Guru Valmik Sabha International, says the discrimination against them is evident in the choice of candidates by the Congress. “Our brotherhood has the wherewithal to make or mar many a contest in Faridkot, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Fatehgarh Sahib, Ferozepore, Bathinda, Gurdaspur and Amritsar,” he pointed out.

Amritsar, March 27
The Election Commission today took notice of “provocative” Nanakshahi calendar, carrying the picture of damaged Akal Takht during Operation Bluestar in 1984, released by SGPC president Avtar Singh on March 19 after the enforcement of the election code of conduct.

The SGPC was asked to submit its reply by 3 pm on the basis of the complaint lodged by Dr P.S. Ranu, national president of the Sehajdhari Federation.

However, in his reply, Dalmegh Singh, secretary, Shiromani Committee, informed that as per Nanakshahi calendar the New Year starts from March 14. The SGPC had been releasing the Nanakshahi Calendar in March for the past six years when it was released by Akal Takht/SGPC. He also clarified that the resolution to publish the picture of damaged Akal Takht was passed by the SGPC’s Dharm Parchar Committee, much before the announcement of parliamentary elections. The SGPC also clarified that the picture of damaged Akal Takht was published to coincide with the 25th anniversary of the infamous Operation Bluestar.

The caption of the damaged Akal Takht picture gives broad hints that the ruling SAD wants to take political mileage in view of the coming elections. The calendar has mentioned the assassins of late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Gen A.S. Vadiya, former Army Chief, as “shaheeds” (martyrs). The caption has most derogatory remarks against the Indian Army. The SGPC president in his message on the calendar also condemned the anti-Sikh riots of 1984.

The Nanakshahi calendar, authored by a Canada-based Sikh, Paul Singh Purewal, is basically a solar calendar and makes a complete departure from the lunar calendar. The dates of the Hindu festivals have been fixed on the basis of the lunar calendar.

In his complaint Dr Ranu alleged that such type of activities of the SGPC, “remotely controlled organisation of the Shiromani Akali Dal”, were being done only with a motive of alluring voters against the Congress by reopening the healed wounds of the Sikh community and its a part of very petty politics. He alleged that such fanatic actions needed strict exemplary action by the Election Commission.

Dr Ranu alleged that the country was already going through a tough time facing the challenges of national terrorism and these type of irresponsible activities of the Akalis could damage the peaceful process of elections and give way to disturbance by anti-national forces because Punjab had already suffered a lot in the past decades due to terrorism and now also the state had been declared sensitive for elections by the Election Commission of India. Hence the SGPC be requested to stop the supply and display of such calendars which directly effected the religious sentiments of a particular community.

Hoshiarpur, March 27
A district-level committee for monitoring the cable operators in connection with exhibiting any of the election material and advertisements relating to the coming Lok Sabha elections has been constituted here.

Disclosing this at a meeting of the cable operators, representatives of the political parties and government officers, Deputy Commissioner-cum-District Election Officer N.K. Wadhawan said the District Magistrate would be the chairman of the committee, whereas the SSP, the Additional Deputy Commissioner, the District Public Relations Officer and the Assistant Returning Officers of the assembly constituencies had been nominated as its members.

Cable operators have to obtain prior permission from the committee for exhibiting the election material and advertisements by submitting CDs of the material before telecast.

He instructed the cable operators to get prepared their required licence and show the same to the committee at the earliest.

He further instructed them to strictly follow the election code of conduct.

Wadhawan told representatives of the political parties that they should submit the statement of expenditure incurred on the election-related material or posters well in time. Additional Deputy Commissioner Kabita Singh, SP (H) Opinderjit Singh Ghuman, SDM Dasuya Rahul Gupta were also present in the meeting. — OC

Jalandhar, March 27
Threatening to oppose the SAD-BJP alliance in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, members of the Punjab state aided schoolteachers and other employees union burnt the effigy of the state government and shouted anti-government slogans in front of the District Administrative Complex (DAC) here today.

Addressing a rally, district secretary of the union Kulwaran Singh said there were 484 aided schools in the state in which approximately 10,000 teachers were working. “The pension scheme was notified in 1992 and started on February 5, 1994, by the then Chief Minister Beant Singh in the welfare of the teachers. However, this scheme was scrapped by the previous Congress government,” he said.

Secretary of the union K.C. Chaudhary said the Badal government used the aided teachers’ pension as a poll issue and promised to fulfil the demand once in power. “Two years have passed and our genuine demands are still lingering on,” he added.

Jalandhar, March 27
A head constable posted with the Punjab Armed Police (PAP) was found murdered at his residence on the high-security PAP campus here today.

The body was noticed by a cousin of the deceased who found it lying in a pool of blood in a room, the police said, adding that on getting the information, senior police officials, including the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), rushed to the spot.

The Deceased was identified as head constable Bhupinder Singh posted with 27th battalion of the PAP, the police said, adding that he was alone at home as the family had gone to their native village in Gurdaspur.

It seems the deceased was attacked with some sharpedged weapon as the injury marks were noticed on the back side of the head and neck, sources added.

When contacted, SSP R.K. Jaiswal said investigation was still on to identify the criminals as well as the possible motive behind the crime.

The security on all the gates of the campus had been tightened and entry register was being scrutinised to know about the entry of any suspicious visitor to the campus during the past 24 hours, he added.

Meanwhile, a case regarding the murder has been registered in the cantonment police station and body was sent to the Civil Hospital for a post-mortem examination, the police added. — TNS/PTI