B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Shant eyeing LS ticket from Faridkot
Faridkot, September 17
Days after he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal, Ajit Singh Shant, a former Congress MLA, has become highly active in political circles in Faridkot. Said to be optimistic about his chances of contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha election from Faridkot (reserve) seat, Ajit Singh Shant is making whirlwind tours of the villages in Faridkot area, holding meetings with the newly elected Akali sarpanches and seeking their support.

No chance of terrorism revival, claims Sukhbir
Ferozepur, September 17
Pakistan-based agencies, including Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), were trying to foment trouble and revive terrorism in the state. However, the state police is cautious enough to thwart all such sinister designs, said the Deputy CM while reacting to reports regarding the busting of Khalistan Liberation Force ( KLF) sleeper cell in Gurdaspur.

In 2 yrs, Punjab to become hottest destination for investors: Dy CM
Moga, September 17
Amid the debate over the poor fiscal management in the state, Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal today claimed that Punjab will emerge as the hottest destination for investments in the next two years as compared to the other states in the country.

Fiscal troubles: SAD pins hopes on NDA’s win
Ferozepur, September 17
The SAD-BJP government in the state seems to be pinning its hope on the success of NDA in the coming Lok Sabha elections to bail it out of the financial muddle in which it has landed.

BKU to block traffic on Sept 20
Moga, September 17
The Punjab unit of the BKU has announced that it will block traffic on the national and state highways across Punjab on September 20 if the state government does not release its 49 activists in Amritsar and Taran Taran districts.

Shant eyeing LS ticket from Faridkot
Balwant Garg
Tribune News Service

Faridkot, September 17
Days after he joined the Shiromani Akali Dal, Ajit Singh Shant, a former Congress MLA, has become highly active in political circles in Faridkot. Said to be optimistic about his chances of contesting the forthcoming Lok Sabha election from Faridkot (reserve) seat, Ajit Singh Shant is making whirlwind tours of the villages in Faridkot area, holding meetings with the newly elected Akali sarpanches and seeking their support.

Though the uncertainty over the candidature of this new entrant in Akali Dal continues to persist, Shant has embarked on a mass contract programme in Sadiq, Golewala and Pakhi Khurd villages. Though Shant has not been able to rope in senior Akali leaders in Faridkot so far, he is positive of garnering their support in the coming days.

Paramjit Kaur Gulshan of the SAD is the sitting MP from Faridkot which constitutes some assembly segments of Moga, Muktsar and Bathinda districts also. There are already talks of Gulshan shifting to Fatehgarh Sahib where her husband is also an elected MLA. Therefore, Shant is weighing his chances from Faridkot.

“I have been directed by SAD (B) president Sukhbir Badal to interact with the people to mobilise the party workers in the area for the forthcoming election,” said Shant.

It is not the first time that Shant, a former MLA from Nihal Singh Wala assembly constituency in Moga, is testing the waters to weigh his political chances in Faridkot.

Last year in March, 2012, when the UPA government was on a sticky wicket, Shant had shifted to Faridkot to strengthen his chances of being fielded as a Congress candidate.

But one year down the line, Shant is back in Faridkot, but in a new avatar, as a SAD candidate. While in Congress, Shant had upset the applecart of Sukhwinder Singh Danny, a Congress leader who lost to Paramjit Kaur Gulshan in the 2009 Lok Sabha election. But now in Akali Dal, Shant is displeasing many supporters of Gulshan. As Nihal Singh Wala assembly segment is part of Faridkot Lok Sabha seat, Shant see his political resuscitation from Faridkot (reserve) seat only.

No chance of terrorism revival, claims Sukhbir
Our Correspondent

Ferozepur, September 17
Pakistan-based agencies, including Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), were trying to foment trouble and revive terrorism in the state. However, the state police is cautious enough to thwart all such sinister designs, said the Deputy CM while reacting to reports regarding the busting of Khalistan Liberation Force ( KLF) sleeper cell in Gurdaspur.

The Deputy CM ridiculed media reports regarding the presence of more than 350 terrorists in the state as reportedly revealed by suspected KLF activists arrested during the last few days. Meanwhile, sources in various intelligence agencies said that even as no major terrorist related activity has been reported in this border state for the last few years, security agencies continued to receive inputs about the sinister move of certain foreign based subversive outfits to create violence and restore insurgency in the state.

“The reports assume significance in wake of the fact that all efforts to deport the Pakistan-based pro-Khalistan militants to India have failed till date,” said an intelligence official. Last week only, the BSF had seized a huge cache of drugs and arms along the Indo-Pakistan border in this sector which included some Pak-made grenades. “The grenades have been recovered after a long time, though more than 40 sophisticated weapons including firearms have been seized along the border during the last two years,” said a BSF official, adding that they too have been regularly receiving inputs from their sources about the plans of Pakistani based militant outfits to push arms, ammunition and explosives inside India to renew insurgency and create unrest by triggering blasts in the hinterland of Punjab.

In 2 yrs, Punjab to become hottest destination for investors: Dy CM
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, September 17
Amid the debate over the poor fiscal management in the state, Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal today claimed that Punjab will emerge as the hottest destination for investments in the next two years as compared to the other states in the country.

Speaking to media persons after inaugurating a sewerage treatment plant constructed at a cost of Rs 27 crore on the outskirts of the city today, Sukhbir said the state government would focus on growth-oriented policies and would extend all possible help to set up industries. He said tax relaxations had already been announced to set up agro-based industries, which have a great potential for export as well as in the domestic market.

Earlier, he announced Samalsar as a sub-tehsil and also announced a grant of Rs 15 crore to the Municipal Council of Baghapurana for upgrading the sewerage system of the town, besides doling out another grant of Rs 75 lakh for the development of large villages in the area. The local body president Bal Krishan Bali, a BJP leader, thanked the Deputy CM and said Baghapurana town had remained neglected for decades. Later, he inaugurated a sewerage treatment plant constructed at a cost of Rs 27 crore at Moga.

Fiscal troubles: SAD pins hopes on NDA’s win
Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, September 17
The SAD-BJP government in the state seems to be pinning its hope on the success of NDA in the coming Lok Sabha elections to bail it out of the financial muddle in which it has landed.

Addressing a public gathering after inaugurating sewerage laying project in the town, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal said people should not bother about grants as the day is not far when BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi will be in the saddle in New Delhi. "You will get huge sums of money for pending development works from both the state as well as the Centre," he said.

BJP state chief Kamal Sharma, Irrigation Minister Janmeja Singh Sekhon, Sher Singh Ghubaya, MP, were present along with the other SAD-BJP leaders.

Earlier, during his whirlwind tour of the district, Sukhbir laid foundation stone of projects worth Rs 111 crores including the sewage treatment plant. He inaugurated the road from Ferozepur city to Pharymal Bhalla and laid the foundation stone of the water supply scheme at Mallanwala. On VAT refunds, Sukhbir said under the new VAT policy, the disbursement of refunds would be started soon. He also assured that the pending DA of the state government employees would be given soon.

Meanwhile, a section of disgruntled leaders belonging to the BJP said the Deputy CM was just relaying the foundation stone of those projects which had already been inaugurated in the recent past.

Cong MLA miffed

Congress MLA Parminder Singh Pinki today came down heavily on Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. "BJP MP from Amritsar, Navjot Singh Sidhu’s stand, has been justified today as Sukhbir has become habituated to exercising extra-constitutional powers, unmindful of the democratic norms," Pinki said.

The Congress MLA further alleged that the Deputy Chief Minister was befooling people by making false promises and trying to build castles in the air.

BKU to block traffic on Sept 20
Tribune News Service

Moga, September 17
The Punjab unit of the BKU has announced that it will block traffic on the national and state highways across Punjab on September 20 if the state government does not release its 49 activists in Amritsar and Taran Taran districts.

In a press release issued here today, Sukhdev Singh Kokri, general secretary of the BKU, stated that a special meeting of the farmer organisation is being held on Wednesday to select the locations where the protests would be held.

He alleged that the arrested farmers were carrying out peaceful demonstrations against the PSPCL for installing electricity meters outside the houses on September 8 and 9 when the cops swooped down on them. He alleged that the criminal cases of attempt to murder were fake and registered fraudulently against their activists.