Tarn Taran Diary: What cost Major Singh Ubboke dear politically

Two political mistakes committed by senior SAD leader Major Singh Ubboke proved costly for his political career. Major Singh Ubboke represented Valtoha (now Khemkaran) assembly constituency in 1980 and 1984 in the Vidhan Sabha. He was the Minister for Revenue in the Surjit Singh Barnala government and was elected a Lok Sabha member from Tarn Taran (now Khadoor Sahib) constituency in 1996 on a SAD ticket. In the 1996 elections, he defeated Surinder Singh Kairon (who was the father-in-law [husband’s father] of SAD leader Parkash Singh Badal’s daughter), the Congress candidate in a close contest. After the 1996 Lok Sabha elections, when the SAD was making preparations for the 1997 elections to the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, Parkash Singh Badal was trying to bring his son-in-law Adesh Partap Singh Kairon into active politics by making him join SAD from his native constituency, Patti. The move of the party leaders was opposed by the traditional old leaders of the SAD of the area with an eye on elections. These leaders called a meeting to oppose the admission of Adesh Partap Singh Kairon into SAD as the family had a Congress background, as the grandson of former Chief Minister Partap Singh Kairon, who allegedly committed atrocities on rival SAD leaders. Major Singh Ubboke participated in the meeting and opposed the move of SAD leadership. In the meantime, when elections to the Lok Sabha became imperative with the fall of Atal Behari Vajpayee government, the SAD started choosing its candidates for the parliamentary elections. Major Singh Ubboke sensed that the party ticket would be denied to him for one reason or the other. One day, he left for Chandigarh to see Parkash Singh Badal who was the SAD president and Chief Minister to put forward claims for his candidature from Tarn Taran seat. Ubboke showed Badal his certificates of having gone to jail for the interests of the state, including Punjabi Suba. He told Badal that he went to jail 17 times, which was more than the period that even Badal underwent in prison. On his jail claim, Badal quipped that in that way, Ubboke was even ‘senior’ to him (Badal) also. In the 1998 elections, Major Singh Ubboke was not given the party ticket and was replaced by Prem Singh Lalpura who was then the SAD MLA from Tarn Taran. It is clear that Parkash Singh Badal spared none who challenged his supremacy. Taking part in the meeting of dissident SAD workers and leaders to block Adesh Partap Singh Kairon’s entry into SAD and his words that he had been jailed on more occasions than even Badal himself, proved dear to Major Singh Ubboke. The political jolt was so severe that till his death (November 3, 2020), the then 69 years old Major Singh Ubboke remained passive in active politics.  

PSEB Class V topper wants to be an Army officer

Ekamdeep Singh secured 490 (95 per cent) marks out of 500 in the annual exams for Class V conducted by the Punjab School Education board (PSEB). His achievement brought laurels to his family and the government schools. He ranked first in the Chohla Sahib block and has been honoured at a function organised at the Focal Point in Tarn Taran by the followers of Babasaheb Ambedkar on his birth anniversary recently. Ekamdeep Singh’s father Sarwan Singh, a resident of Brahampur village, is a daily wager and mother a homemaker who takes cares of goats as is the traditional work of the family. The family belongs to Sansi caste, and belongs to the poor class in the Scheduled Caste community. There is only one family in the village which belongs to the community. Ekamdeep did his Class V from Government Elementary School, Brahampur, and got admission in Class VI in Government Girls Senior Secondary, Brahampur (boys are to be admitted in the school up to Class X). Sushil Kumar Tulli, District Education Officer (Secondary), who holds the additional charge of Elementary Education Department too in the district, said the performance of Ekamdeep Singh has brought honour to government schools as parents may think of getting their kids admitted in government schools, taking inspiration from Ekamdeep. The parents have started thinking that the standard of education in government schools has improved with better administration. Ekamdeep Singh has high aspirations and wants to be an Army officer. Ekamdeep has become a role model for kids. He never touches the mobile phone and prefer to go and graze goats in his spare time. (contributed by gurbaxpuri)

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