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SAD’s poaching strategy paid off
Dwindling cadre a worry for Congress
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Where rejected votes made all the difference
Nakodar, Nurmahal results unsettle SAD
A day after, protest in Dharamkot
Ruling party tag helps SAD script landslide win in Ludhiana dist
Akalis sweep poll in Muktsar
SAD loses in CM’s ancestral village
Cong-BSP victorious in Phagwara
SAD-BJP sweeps Ropar zila parishad poll
Memorial for riot hit at Rakabganj Sahib
Bathinda education officer suspended
Smugglers attack policemen, tax officials in Patiala
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SAD’s poaching strategy paid off
Chandigarh, May 22 The SAD has been poaching Congress workers and leaders for more than a year now ever since the 2012 assembly victory. The objective is to take on board anybody who is effective in his or her area. While this strategy saw senior Congress leaders, including Joginderpal Jain, Mangat Rai Bansal and Deepinder Dhillon, entering the Akali fold, at the junior level, the exodus from the Congress has been even more. The poaching of Congress workers has been the most in the Malwa and Majha belts. Hundreds of local Jat leaders have opted to go with the ruling party. Sources said this exodus of the Congress grassroots cadre to the SAD demoralised senior Congress leaders who realised they had lost their base in the traditional pocket boroughs. Even the parliamentary seat of Patiala, which has always looked safe for the Congress, appears no longer so following the massive win registered by the SAD there. Another reason for the poor Congress showing was that though Punjab Congress president Partap Bajwa led an aggressive campaign and took on the Akalis fearlessly, he failed to understand that the Congress cadre was not ready to take on the Akalis in a similar manner. With four years to go for the next assembly elections and already facing the wrath of Akali workers at the village level, even committed Congress cadres seem to be biding their time. Besides tackling the demoralised cadre, the Congress needs to reckon with some legislators who at the best offered a “friendly” opposition to the Akalis in the rural elections. These MLAs are more concerned about getting works done in their constituencies by “cooperating” with the Akalis. With Bajwa opting for competitive politics with former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, senior leaders close to the latter took little interest in the elections. This did not send the right message to the cadre. Bajwa’s aggressive posturing would have paid off against SAD president Sukhbir Badal. But the latter kept away from the poll, pitting Bajwa against Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The latter focused on peace and communal harmony to offset the Congress attempts to make “repression” of Akali workers a mass movement.
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Dwindling cadre a worry for Congress
Chandigarh, May 22 This realisation dawned upon the party during campaigning for the just concluded elections. Party leaders did not have adequate number of workers to mobilise voters in villages. “This has, perhaps, happened because the party has been out of power for the past six years. Also, intimidated by Akali workers, Congress activists have opted to lie low and keep away from active politics,” said a senior Congress leader. Congress spokesman Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the party would introspect and identify the loopholes so as to plug these well before the Lok Sabha elections next year. “Money and muscle power played a major role in the elections. Moreover, the police and the State Election Commission played a partisan role,” maintained Khaira. He said there was nothing spectacular about the SAD-BJP victory. “The alliance had won these elections in 2008 in a similar fashion. However, a few months later, the Congress jolted the SAD-BJP alliance, winning eight of the 13 Lok Sabha seats,” said Khaira. He said history showed that elections to panchayati raj institutions were always won by the ruling party of the day. The Congress, perhaps, needs to stitch a coalition, considering that it benefited in Phagwara, Nakodar and Nurmahal areas of Doaba where it had reached a pact with the BSP. Congress leaders claim that the poor sections that earlier voted for the Congress had now moved towards the SAD. “The main challenge before us is to bring our traditional support base, such as the poor sections, back to the party fold besides raising the morale of party activists,” said a senior Congress leader.
‘All is not lost’ —SS Khaira, Cong leader
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Cong out of reckoning for LS poll: Sukhbir
Deputy Chief Minister and SAD president talked to Jangveer Singh on a variety of issues after the outcome of the zila parishad and panchayat samiti elections. Excerpts:
On the impact of election results First, the Punjab Congress will have to substitute the unseemly confrontation with a meaningful agenda. Second, these elections are normally a better barometer of the mood at the grassroots level. The results clearly show that the Congress is no longer a serious political stake-holder in Punjab and it is out of the reckoning for the Lok Sabha poll. If being in power helped In elections, it is always disadvantage government. There are so many factors. There is the anti-incumbency factor, which any government has to guard against. If it still wins, that means the government performance has been creditable. If development was a factor Zila parishad, block samiti and panchayat elections are all about development. This is especially so at the grassroots level. There are micro-level issues that play a big role in deciding popular support. On the impact on the Pradesh Congress There are already rumblings within that party against the leadership. It is one of the worst starts for any new PPCC chief. I had said that Partap Singh Bajwa would taste a humiliating defeat. I don’t know where that leaves him, especially after all that big talk about rejuvenating the party. On violence and ‘misuse’ of government machinery Look at the results. The Congress has lost everywhere, even where they did not complain. Their allegations were a strategy to mislead the people. But it didn’t work. On the winning formula It is very simple. Look after the job that the people give you, and people will look after you. I keep it simple. There are no secret strategies. I inherited this zeal for hard work from my father. He also keeps things simple and people love him for that. He focuses on the job at hand. There is simplicity in this approach and I try to follow that.
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Where rejected votes made all the difference
Bathinda, May 22 The Congress and the Sanjha Morcha appear to have made inroads into Akali strongholds at several places. Several candidates of the ruling party have won with a wafer thin margin. Congress leader Harminder Singh Jassi has demanded recounting and a probe into the veracity of “rejected” votes. Amarjit Kaur of the SAD won from Mandi Kalan with a margin of 83 votes while 174 votes were rejected. Jarnail Singh of the SAD won from Jeond by a mere 45 votes while 108 votes were rejected. Paramjit Kaur of the SAD won from Bhunder by 112 votes while 119 votes were rejected. From Pakka Kalan, Harjeet Kaur won with a margin of 796 votes while 1,253 votes were rejected. In Mansa, the SAD-BJP alliance suffered a setback in the Budhlada, Mansa and Bhikhi panchayat samitis, conceding seven of the 15 seats to the Opposition in Bhikhi, 12 of the 25 seats in Budhlada and six of the 17 seats in Mansa. Harsimrat has been focusing a lot on these areas, hoping to be re-elected from here. The SAD-BJP alliance lost the Joga and Borrawal zila parishad zones to the Congress. In Bathinda, the SAD lost from Bir Behman village, the native village of Bathinda Mayor Baljit Singh.
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Nakodar, Nurmahal results unsettle SAD
Jalandhar, May 22 The SAD, which has won with a landslide margin in other samitis across the state, managed to win only three of the 15 seats in Nurmahal with eight going to the Congress and four to the BSP. The Congress and the BSP had fought together. The outcome has come as a jolt for the sitting SAD legislator, Gurpartap Singh Wadala with Congress candidate Parvinder Singh Sanghera winning with a huge margin of 1,231 votes. In the Nakodar block, the SAD won nine of the 18 seats, five went to the Congress and four to its ally, BSP. Two of the four zila parishad seats won by the Congress in Jalandhar also fall in Nakodar. Shankar and Talwan zones in the Nakodar block have been won by the Congress. Congress candidate Darshan Nahar won by a margin of 1,048 votes and Amandeep Singh Pharwala by 1,944 votes against the SAD candidates. Former Congress MLA AS Samra claimed that shocked at the results, SAD leaders demanded a recount. Additional DC (D) Harminder Singh said since the margin in some seats was thin, there were demands for recounting. These were rejected.
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A day after, protest in Dharamkot
Dharamkot (Moga), May 22 Leading the protest, SGPC member Sukhjit Singh Kaka Lohgarh, who had joined the Congress in the last assembly elections, alleged the Akalis in connivance with the local police and civil administration intimidated the rural folk to vote in favour of their candidates. He urged the Election Commissioner to cancel elections in the Dharamkot sub-division. Congress workers had last night boycotted the counting process at Kot-ise-Khan block alleging that it was not done in a fair manner. Even the media was not allowed to enter the counting centre, Kaka alleged. PPP leader Kuldip Singh Dhose alleged the Akalis had also pressured presiding officers, polling staff and the counting staff. "I have never witnessed such lawlessness in any election," he said. District president of the Congress Jagdarshan Kaur, former MLA Vijay Sathi and Mahila Congress president Malti Thapar also alleged misuse of official machinery by SAD candidates to rig the elections.
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Ruling party tag helps SAD script landslide win in Ludhiana dist
Ludhiana, May 22 In Ludhiana, 22 zila parishad zones out of 25 have been bagged by the SAD. Out of the 226 block samiti seats in 12 blocks, 171 have gone to the SAD while the Congress won just 43 seats. For the beleaguered Congress that had to face a defeat in the assembly elections as well as the civic poll, the zila parishad poll seemed an unequal contest, with the SAD having the incumbency factor loaded in its favour. However, the Congress, despite its defeat, has some reason to cheer as in Doraha block, it has bagged nine out of 16 seats. Besides Gill zila parishad zone, the party has also emerged winner in Kaddon and Ramgarh Sardaran zones where former Chief Minister Beant Singh's family is said to have a good hold. In Doraha also, this factor is hard to ignore as the former CM's son Tej Parkash Kotli campaigned actively there. During the campaign, even as the Congress focused on issues like corruption and downslide in the state's economy, the SAD took credit for development in the state. Local issues for both the parties took a backseat. However, unlike some other districts, the elections in Ludhiana remained clear of political mudslinging. The campaigning of the Akali Dal was led by Punjab Vidhan Sabha Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, PWD Minister Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, MLAs Manpreet Ayali and Darshan Singh Shivalik while Union Minister of State for Information & Broadcasting Manish Tewari was one of the key leaders to campaign for the Congress.
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Akalis sweep poll in Muktsar
Muktsar, May 22 For the panchayat samiti poll, the SAD was victorious in all 21 zones in the Lambi block. However, the Congress got two of the 25 seats in the Muktsar block, Rupana and Maha Badhar. In the Gidderbaha block, the Congress won just one seat at Kotli Ablu. The PPP won a seat at Gurusar, the home turf of PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal. In the Malout block, 19 seats were won by SAD candidates and one was taken by BJP candidate Burj Sidhwan. He was unopposed. The BJP was defeated in the Khapianwali, Goniana, Muktsar rural and Malout village zones where it had fielded candidates against the SAD. All prominent SAD candidates, Lakhveer Kaur, daughter-in-law of Akal Takht chief Giani Gurbachan Singh, Mandeep Singh Pappi Tarmala and Dera Sacha Sauda follower Lal Singh, were victorious. The SAD candidate contesting the panchayat samiti polls from Badal village got 1,021 votes whereas the Congress candidate could get only 393 votes. The PPP candidate got 62 votes. In Mann village, the SAD got a lead of 170 votes. At booth number 103, which was allegedly captured, the SAD polled 271 votes and the Congress 187 votes.
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SAD loses in CM’s ancestral village
Bathinda, May 22 However, the village voted for the SAD candidate for the Zila Parishad seat, which is reserved for Scheduled Castes. Akali candidate Surinderpal Kaur lost to Mandeep Kaur (Independent) by 586 votes, much to the embarrassment of the SAD. Ghudda has been developed into a major education and sports hub on the Bathinda-Badal highway. Besides the upcoming Central University of Punjab, it has a regional campus of Punjabi University, a sports school, a modern hospital and an NCC centre. Akali candidate Surinderpal Kaur blamed infighting for her defeat. "Certain aspirants for the panchayat elections supported the rival candidate on the understanding that the rival parties would return the favour in the panchayat elections. “We have already complained about them to the Kotfatta MLA, Darshan Singh, in whose constituency the village falls." Leela Singh Fauji of the People’s Party of Punjab (PPP) and Harmel Singh of the Youth Congress said the vote was against the Akalis as the projects in the village had brought prosperity to a favoured few.
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Cong-BSP victorious in Phagwara
Phagwara, May 22 Congress-BSP candidate Harbhajan Khalwara won the seat with a huge margin of 4,310 votes while SAD-BJP candidate Sarwan Singh Kular, won by 700 votes. Despite the efforts of BJP's chief Parliamentary Secretary Som Parkash, the BJP could win only one of the four seats it contested. — OC
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SAD-BJP sweeps Ropar zila parishad poll
Ropar, May 22 The SAD candidates won at the zila parishad zones of Kiratpur Sahib, Takhtgarh, Kotla Nihang, Kalawan, Bela, and Mundian. Jasvir Singh, a SAD candidate from Morinda (rural), had already been elected unopposed. BJP also opened its account in the zila parishad when its candidate Nipun Soni was declared elected from Daroli. Congress could win only one seat through its candidate Darshana Devi from Bibhor Sahib. The PPP was also able to mark its presence in the zila parishad as its lone candidate in the fray Manjit Kaur defeated SAD candidate Pritam Kaur Bheora in a straight contest at Bharagarh zone. Congress could not field its candidate from the seat as its nominee Davinder Kaur shifted its loyalty and joined SAD on May 10. Out of 89 zones in five block samitis of Ropar, Anandpur Sahib, Nurpur Bedi, Morinda and Chamkaur Sahib, the SAD candidates were declared elected in 53 seats. Its partner BJP was able to win from 14 seats, 11 of which are in Anandpur Sahib zone.
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Memorial for riot hit at Rakabganj Sahib
New Delhi, May 22 The DSGMC president, Manjit Singh (GK), said a committee consisting of architects and Sikh historians would decide the shape of the memorial. About 14,000 Sikhs are believed to have been killed during the 1984 riots, about 4,000 in Delhi alone. The government puts the casuality figure in Delhi at 2,733. “As the victims have not been given justice, we decided to raise a building in their memory. Last year we had decided to construct the memorial at a park in Punjabi Bagh. But this was opposed by the government,’ Manjit Singh said. Asked about government permission, he said this was not required. The SAD in charge of Delhi affairs, Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, said the memorial would be for all those who believed in justice. General secretary of the DSGMC Manjinder Singh Sirsa said a resolution to construct the memorial was passed by the general House, with three members against it and five in its favour. A senior member of the DSGMC, Avtar Singh Hit, said: “We will raise the memorial at any cost.”
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Muktsar, May 22 At 2:10 pm, when a security guard accompanying cashier Harish Chander took out the cash box from a Maruti Alto car, the assailants shot at him and decamped with the cash. The guard sustained bullet injuries on his chest and a foot. He was admitted to the local Civil Hospital where his condition was said to be critical. SP (H) NPS Sidhu said: "We are recording the statements of bank employees. Though the bank has CCTV cameras installed inside the building, there is no such surveillance outside the premises.” Sulesh Kumar, Deputy Manager of the bank, said: "The assailants also took away the guard’s rifle." — TNS
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PPCB raids an eyewash: Seechewal
Patiala, May 22 He termed the PPCB raids as a mere eyewash that were conducted to hoodwink the government and ensure that selective industrialists "close to the political lobby and those enjoying PPCB patronage" went unnoticed. Seechewal was reacting to the recent raids on seven dyeing units in Ludhiana of which only two such units were said to be found where Effluent Treatment Plant (ETP) was not in operation. PPCB has denied all allegations claiming that their functioning is completely transparent. It all started when the PPCB member secretary Dr Babu Ram today issued statements that six teams headed by Harbir Singh, a Senior Environmental Engineer, raided the seven dyeing units situated on the Tajpur Road where Kairavi Processor and Shri Bala Ji Processor were caught for not operating the ETPs. “While the other units, M Tech Processor, started the ETP just on the entry of the raiding team, another unit was found having bypassed the system though its ETP was operational,” he stated. Reacting to the selective raids, PPCB appointed member Balbir Singh Seechewal threatened to take up the matter pertaining to selective sampling and lackadaisical attitude of the PPCB functionaries with the Punjab chief minister in his next meeting. “PPCB in the past six months has done nothing to check the growing menace of pollution. Instead, it conducts raids on some factory units as a mere eyewash while many other industrial units that are hand-in-glove with the PPCB officials in the field go scot-free,” he told The Tribune. Seechewal further said that it was high time that the government appoints a senior officer to monitor the working of PPCB, as usually PPCB raids are conducted days before a meeting with the chief minister or with other senior officials. "There should be checks and balances on PPCB officials and they should answer how no unit owned by a politician was ever found defaulting,” he said. “We want a joint mechanism where NGOs can play a role and can help the officials at the grassroot level do sampling of the effluents being discharged from the factory units so that responsibility could be fixed,” stated Seechewal. Reacting to the allegations, Babu Ram denied that sampling was done in a selective manner or there was any leniency towards the units releasing polluted water, be they politically connected or not. “Our raids are regular and we are not involved in selective sampling,” he claimed.
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Bathinda education officer suspended
Chandigarh, May 22 Maluka, along with the Principal Secretary, School Education, inspected a lot of such books. It has been pointed out that the books distributed among the schools under the inspection of Director General School Education (DGSE) Kahan Singh Pannu are of sub-standard quality and contain vulgar text. Maluka found that 70 per cent of the books were irrelevant for the students. — TNS
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Smugglers attack policemen, tax officials in Patiala
Patiala, May 22 The incident speaks volumes of the brazenness of tax evaders. While one of the persons was arrested on the spot, a case pertaining to attempt to murder and cheating has been registered against the assailants who fled from the spot, challenging the excise and police officers. Punjab government and its law-enforcing agencies have failed to rein in the growing terror of the tax evasion mafia that has been operating in the state for the past many years, causing crucial revenue loss worth hundreds of crores every year. The mafia was tamed to a larger extent when senior police officer Mandeep Singh Sidhu was posted as SSP excise and taxation wing, but once he was shifted, the mafia is back on the prowl. Known tax evader Gogi Sood and his goons attacked an on-duty police team after it had confiscated two trucks loaded with iron scrap from near Lohsimbli village. “Trucks escorted by two cars had Gogi Sood, Mani and Billa. While the policemen saved their lives, a motorbike of an on-duty policeman was hit by the truck,” says the FIR lodged at police station Ghanaur. "They are all habitual offenders and have many cases against them for smuggling goods without paying any tax," claimed DSP IRB Gurchain Singh.
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Dharamkot (Moga), May 22
