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Sushma has a dig at Sonia

Amritsar, May 4 Lashing out at Sonia Gandhi’s repeated declarations of being an Indian at heart, the Union Health Minister, Ms Sushma Swaraj, said the Congress President had only one home and that too in Italy, as declared by her to the Election Commission at the time of filing her nomination. Union Health Minister Sushma Swaraj shows the victory sign with Navjot Singh Sidhu, candidate for Lok Sabha, joining in at a rally in Amritsar on Tuesday. — Photo by Rajiv Sharma

BJP roadshow to neutralise Sonia’s rally

 Chandigarh page
Sonia can’t feel for Indians, says Sushma

Cong, SAD (A) receive setback in Doaba
Jalandhar, May 4
The Congress and the SAD (A) today received a major setback in Doaba region with a senior leader each of the two parties joining the SAD (Badal) along with their supporters.

2 SAD men join Cong

Bollywood stars campaign for Congress Batala/Amritsar, May 4 The Congress today inducted two superstars of yesteryear to provide much-needed momentum to its poll campaign. Former Miss Asia Zeenat Aman, spearheading the campaign, said Mr R. L. Bhatia, a former Union Minister, had the experience and calibre for his seventh innings in the Lok Sabha. Bollywood stars Zeenat Aman and Shakti Kapoor campaign for Congress candidate R. L. Bhatia in Amritsar on Tuesday. — PTI photo

Shift Moga SSP, directs EC
Chandigarh, May 4
In less than a week before the Lok Sabha polls, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed the shifting of Moga’s Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Mukhwinder Singh Chhina with immediate effect.

Poll officials check an electronic voting machine during the last day of four-day training camp in Patiala on Tuesday. — Photo by Rajesh Sachar.

Amarinder seeks votes for Preneet
Dera Bassi, May 4
The Punjab Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today appealed to people to vote in favour of his wife, Ms Preneet Kaur. The Chief Minister was addressing a public rally here.

Bhattal’s loyalist told to campaign for Preneet
NDA govt distorting history, says Preneet

SAD not to be part of third front: Badal
Jalandhar, May 4
Responding to the media reports about formation of a third front by INLD, SAD and the National Conference in the post-poll scenario, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, president of the SAD, today ruled out any such possibility.

Atwal lists NDA’s achievements
Only NDA can give stable govt, says Nilaware

Khalsa panchayat to back Mann
Chandigarh, May 4
Accusing the BJP of making an attempt to achieve the hidden agenda of Hindutva and the Congress of duping minorities, the Shromani Khalsa Panchayat yesterday declared support for Mr Simranjit Singh Mann from Sangrur and some other candidates “who had agreed to their conditions”.

Paramilitary personnel hold flag marches Patiala, May 4 Paramilitary personnel have started flag marches and exercises to instil “a sense of security and confidence” among voters of this constituency, where electoral battle has started shaping into a “mini-war” of allegations and counter allegations between the SAD and the Congress. BSF jawans at Fountain Chowk in Patiala on Tuesday. — Photo by Rajesh Sachar

BSF takes out flag march
Gujral seeks deployment of Central forces
236 booths sensitive in Muktsar district
Gupta flays move to deploy BSF in Ferozepore, Patiala
BSF to be deployed at 17 polling booths

Badungar to meet CEC today
Phagwara, May 4
A delegation headed by Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar, former SGPC chief, will meet the Chief Election Commissioner at New Delhi tomorrow and seek the deployment of the paramilitary forces in Punjab, for free and fair elections.

Caste-based campaign worries Vedanti

Reallocate poll duties: PCCTU
Phagwara, May 4
In a representation sent to the Chief Electoral Officer, Punjab, and the Chief Secretary, the Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers Union (PCCTU) today demanded reallocation of election duties of teachers as per court orders in commensuration with their seniority and pay scales.

Lawyers to oppose Karan Brar
Faridkot, May 4
Members of the District Bar Association, here, have decided to oppose the Congress candidate, Mrs Karan Brar, in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections from the Faridkot constituency if the government failed to announce any package to restrengthen the district by May 5.

SJP (R) to back Cong-CPI alliance
Bathinda, May 4
Mr Darshan Singh Jeeda, president of the Samajwadi Janata Party (R), Punjab, today said that the state unit of the party had decided to support the Congress-CPI alliance candidates, except in Hoshiarpur, on the directions of party’s national president, Mr Chandra Shekhar.

CPM to back BSP
BJP favoured MNCs: CPI
Bhattal to canvass for Khushal Bhaura

Vasundhra Raje to address poll rally
Bathinda, May 4
Mr Om Parkash Sharma, District Press Secretary of the SAD (B), in a press note issued here said that Chief Minister of Rajasthan, Ms Vasundhra Raje Scindia, will visit Bathinda on May 6 to address an election rally in favour of Ms Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, joint candidate of SAD (B) and BJP from Bathinda reserve seat.

Election expenditure reviewed
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 4
Mr Rajat Bansal, expenditure observer for the Ropar parliamentary constituency, today reviewed the expenditure-related issues with the district election officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner.

SFI to oppose BJP-SAD combine
Patiala, May 4
The Students Federation of India (SFI) has decided to oppose the BJP-SAD alliance in the coming Lok Sabha elections.

Councillor to support Libra
Mohali, May 4
Mrs Daljit Kaur, a Municipal Councillor from ward No. I, has decided to support Mr Sukhdev Singh Libra, SAD candidate from the Ropar Lok Sabha seat, in the forthcoming elections.

Warring groups in Khalsa Diwan bury hatchet

Amritsar, May 4 A 21-member committee, constituted by Akal Takht today, succeeded in hammering out a solution by bringing both the warring groups of the Chief Khalsa Diwan, the oldest Sikh institution, on a single platform. Mr Tarlochan Singh (extreme right), Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities, and Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta (extreme left), secretary, SGPC, attend a meeting of a 21-member committee, appointed by Akal Takht, to bring together the two warring groups of the Chief Khalsa Diwan.—  Photo by Rajiv Sharma

Prosecution defends court jurisdiction
Ropar, May 4
The prosecution today defended the jurisdiction of the special court at Ropar to try the disproportionate assets and corruption case registered by the Punjab Vigilance Bureau against the former Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal.

COMMUNITY

Hostile gestures at Indo-Pak border
Hussainiwala: The ongoing peace process notwithstanding, the retreat ceremony at the Indo-Pakistan joint checkpost here still portrays a picture of abhorrence and disgust as BSF jawans and the Rangers continue to exchange belligerent gestures.

Bureaucrats hindering development, says Bir Devinder
Mohali, May 4
Most of the bureaucrats in Punjab are not interested in the development of the state, which is evident from their attitude. They are not people-friendly and keep postponing decisions.

Kala Afghana ready to appear before Takht
Chandigarh, May 4
Controversial Sikh author Gurbakhsh Singh Kala Afghana today said he was ready to appear before Akal Takht, but only in the presence of Sikh ‘sangat’ (community). The writer was ex-communicated by Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Joginder Singh Vedanti.

CM promises funds for hospital
Moonak, May 4
In violation of the model code of conduct, the Chief Minister, Capt Amarinder Singh, today said he would get the funds sanctioned for the construction of an SDM’s office complex and a 25-bedded hospital here. He said it was a matter of concern that Moonak had been made a subdivision eight years ago but it did not have a complex for the SDM’s office.

Long wait for reimbursement
Patiala, May 4
He sits in front of you with his head bowed. Worry has etched deep furrows on his forehead which make him appear older than his 55 years. Roshan Lal Kalra who is working as a Senior Lecture Assistant in Government Mohindra College here seems all but defeated at the hands of apathetic officials who have made him run in vain from pillar to post for the last two years in order to receive the reimbursement due to him.

“Sham-e-Ghazal” organised
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 4
The District Cultural Society organised a colourful cultural programme “Sham-e-Ghazal” at the Giani Dit Singh Auditorium of BBSB Engineering College.

Surjeet complains of uneasiness
Hoshiarpur, May 4
Mr Harkishan Singh Surjeet, CPM secretary, could not address a press conference here this morning following sudden discomfort in his chest. The Civil Surgeon along with a team of doctors reached the hotel where he was staying and examined him.

Sikh warrior remembered
Kapurthala, May 4
The three-day 286th birth anniversary celebrations of the Jassa Singh Ahluwalia, a Sikh warrior and founder of Kapurthala princely state, concluded at State Gurdwara last night.

COURTS

High Court
SSP summoned
Chandigarh, May 4
The High Court on Tuesday directed Senior Superintendent of Police, Ropar, to be present in the court along with record in a case relating to death by negligence.

2,477 cases settled at Lok Adalats
Fatehgarh Sahib, May 4
Lok Adalats were held at Fatehgarh Sahib today in which 4,540 cases were put up and of these 2,477 cases were settled amicably and compensation to the beneficiaries was awarded. At the district-level Lok Adalat 3,411 cases were put up and of these 1,749 cases were settled amicably.

ADMINISTRATION

10 vehicles impounded
Jalandhar, May 4
The police has booked several persons under various Sections of the Excise, NDPS and Arms Acts.

Drive to check smuggling
Abohar/Lambi, May 4
The police has sealed the border of Punjab in Muktsar and Ferozepore districts in order to check smuggling of narcotics from Haryana and Rajasthan. Punjab, particularly Bathinda, Muktsar and Ferozepore districts, has witnessed an increase in the number of narcotics cases these days.

CRIME

3.83 lakh looted at gunpoint
Sangrur, May 4
Three unidentified persons today looted Rs 3.83 lakh at gunpoint from two employees of the Cooperative Society, Kakra village (near Bhawanigarh), about 23 km from here.

Woman succumbs to burns
Jalandhar, May 4
A woman, who was allegedly set afire by her husband on April 22 in the Malsian area, today succumbed to her injuries at the Civil Hospital here.

3 arrested for screening blue films
Jalandhar, May 4
The police today arrested three persons, including an owner of a cyber cafe, for screening blue films.

SGPC member roughed up; three held
Amritsar, May 4
The Jhabal police today rounded up three persons on charges of roughing up Mr Sukhwinder Singh Jhabal, an SGPC member, who was campaigning door to door along with Akali supporters at Jhabal, about 20 km from here today.

Copying case: 3 arrested
Bathinda, May 4
Mr Kapil Dev, SSP, here today said that the police had arrested three persons, including one woman, who were helping a candidate to copy during her MA (Hindi) paper. The exam was conducted from 2 pm to 5 pm by Punjabi University, Patiala.

Man robbed of cash, jewellery
Abohar, May 4
A retired officer of the Irrigation Department was robbed of a bag containing cash and ornaments worth Rs 1.80 lakh.

EDUCATION

Punjabi varsity to start new vocational courses
Patiala, May 4
Punjabi University is all set to introduce three new vocational courses in the coming academic session. Two-year degree courses in M. Pharma (Pharmaceutical Medicine) and M. Pharma (Pharmacology) will be introduced in this session.