While talking to media persons, Mr Badal, who was here to address a meeting of Akali workers, said, “Our doors are open for anyone who wants to relieve the people from the tyranny of the Congress by defeating it in the forthcoming elections”.

He also declared that if his party came to power after the polls, a commission would be set up to probe inot the excesses allegedly inflicted on the people of during the present Congress regime in the state.

“The state government is surrounded by a network of liquor and land mafias. Corruption in the state has multiplied in the past four years, even though the eradication of corruption was a plank the ruling party used in the last assembly elections,” Mr Badal alleged.

Commenting on the resignation by Ms Sonia Gandhi from the Lok Sabha seat and the Chairmanship of the NAC, Mr Badal said it was no sacrifice, “rather it was a compulsion”.

“The Congress wanted to pass an ordinance on the office of profit in the Parliament, and when the party failed in achieving this, she had to resign”, the SAD (B) leader claimed.

He also claimed that no MLA from SAD(B) had held any office of profit during his tenure as the Chief Minister of Punjab.

Mr Badal said that he had written to the Punjab Governor to take note of the 19 MLAs from the Congress party, who were reportedly still enjoying such privileges.

On the issue of delegating powers to the panchayats and local bodies, the former Chief Minister said the transfer of power to the local bodies would serve no purpose until sufficient funds were provided to these to run various health and education programmes.

He claimed neither he nor any MP from his party had received any response from the Central government regarding the conversion of the Rail Coach Factory (RCF) into a Public Sector Undertaking, even though the party had taken up the issue with the Prime Minister and the Railway Minister.

Stating that the RCF was the only project allotted to the state since Independence, the SAD (B) president announced that his party would not let it go in private hands.

The Congress received a setback when the former President of the Municipal Council, Mr Mohinder Kumar Aggarwal, shifted his loyalty towards the Shiromani Akali Dal (B), at a function held here today.

Mr Aggarwal, a councillor from ward number 19, along with his supporters, joined SAD (B) in the presence of the party chief, Mr Parkash Singh Badal.

The other prominent leader who joined the Akalis was Ms Gurdev Kaur, president, Women Wing of the District Congress Committee.

Mr Aggarwal had been the president of the Municipal Council for more than 10 years, while his younger brother, Mr Sudesh Kumar Aggarwal, is presently the president of the council. — TNS

Jalandhar, March 30
Officials of the district Police Department are now forced to spend more time on “special” duties than on policing the city. The occasions include the visits by politicians and the VIPs, religious and government functions, and rallies. Even the police officials from higher levels are required to spend time at these functions.

The officials, on the condition of anonymity, admit that the functioning of the department to some extent is getting affected due to these events.

They say the department must be left to do what it is meant to do: maintaining law and order among the common citizens.

The examples of special duties are galore. On January 7, heavy police deployment was seen when the Governor of Punjab, General (retd) S.F. Rodrigues, visited the city.

The next day, as a Union Minister, Mr H.R. Bharadwaj, came here. The policemen were again sent on special duties. On January 10, the police force could be seen controlling the Hindu Shiv Sena and the RSS workers who had ‘gheraoed’ the Mayor’s and the Commissioner’s office.

Four days later, the department was again busy making arrangements for the “Maghi Mela” at Meham. On January 16, the police was deployed for the peaceful conduct of a gurdwara committee elections in Talhan. Two days later, the policemen in large number could be seen around another Union Minister, Mr K.H. Muniyappa.

On the Republic Day, Guru Gobind Singh Stadium was filled with the police officials and on January 30, a protest rally by BJP workers at Sai Das Public School also kept the local police busy.

In February, the department was busy with security matters at a SAD (A) rally at Nakodar.

On February 5, the Chief Minister, Captain Amarinder Singh, had visited the city and the policemen were put on guard.

On February 11, the Governor of Manipur was in the city to attend a college function, which naturally called for heavy police deployment.

The next day, the police had made security arrangements for religious functions at Divya Jyoti Jagriti Sansthan in Nurmahal. The Governor of Himachal Pradesh passed through the city on February 13 and the security had to be beefed up.

On February 18, a state-level “Dalit Chetana Rally” organised by SAD (B) at Dana Mandi in Kartarpur had engaged most of the police department officials.

On February 19, the Chief Minister was in the city again and the policemen were again put on special duty.

The India-Pakistan Hockey match at Burlton Park on February 25 also required heavy police presence. 

Phagwara, March 30
In order to boost industrialisation in the state, the Punjab government has given its nod to the setting up of the Punjab Investment Commission on the pattern of the National Investment Commission constituted by the Central government.

Stating this here today, Mr S.C. Gupta, Chairman, Punjab National Bank, said that an eminent personality from the industry would head the commission as its chairperson.

The commission would interact with investors and would invite them to invest in Punjab.

It would also make recommendations to the state government on improvement and procedures that have an impact on the investment climate in the state.

This would help in increasing the level of industrialisation in the state and would enhance the credit absorption capacity of the economy, Mr Gupta added.

He also discussed various strategies and action plans for the effective contribution of the banking industry to the development of the state.

He said that agricultural advances had increased from Rs 7,300 crore to Rs 10, 221 crore showing a record growth of 40 per cent, as against an increase of 21.6 per cent during the corresponding period last year. 

Jalandhar, March 30
Five youths from the city were picked up by the police last night from outside the Apeejay College on the Mahavir Road here for allegedly assaulting a police PCR constable, Sukhdev Singh.

Those rounded up were Sanchit, a resident of Jawahar Nagar, Karan Oberoi, Vishal Oberoi, Manav Oberoi, Rajneesh Oberoi, all residents of Nakodar Road.

The accused have been booked under Sections 160, 151, 353, 186, 506, 148, 149, and 511 of the IPC and Sections 25/54/ 59 of the Arms Act. — TNS