Jalandhar, August 23
The BJP’s new mechanism, Sehyog, projected as a system for assuring better coordination with workers as well as the public has evoked a mixed reaction among the local political groups.

While most BJP men have hailed it, leaders of the SAD believe that it was being conducted like a parallel SAD’s sangat darshan, though with several modifications.

The SAD workers also pointed out that this could have been an afterthought since the BJP men were upset over the episode of inclusion of several independent councillors who had defeated BJP candidates in various wards in the SAD wagon.

The BJP leaders had openly groused after a series of such joining-in ceremonies. The SAD leaders had then gone a step further claiming the post of the mayor which as per the prior arrangement between the two parties was to go to the BJP.

Even today when one-to-one interactions were conducted by BJP secretary Ashwini Sharma with the losing party candidates in the MC poll at Circuit House here, the issue was raised by many.

They even declared that their reason of losing the poll was in most cases a candidate supported by the SAD who wished that the BJP ward could have been allotted for his party.

Hinting towards an increasing polarity between the allies who, it is being said, could have created a common platform to redress public grievances.

Local SAD leader said there would have been no need to set up such a system had the BJP leaders been simply attending the phone calls of their workers and general public and assured an easy reach even after attaining power.

A BJP leader too flayed the scheme saying that instead of holding meetings at Chandigarh, the party could have held them at the local level with local ministers or chief parliamentary secretaries representing the party there.

“Conducting such meetings would only burden the public or party supporters of spending on commuting and wasting a whole day for the purpose”, he complained.

State BJP president Rajinder Bhandari, when contacted, said the scheme was in no way a parallel sangat darshan.

“We had implemented the scheme even earlier when Avinash Rai Khanna used to preside over. Our aim is to ensure that there is no gap between the ministers and the party. Even the public is welcome with their own problems”, he explained.

Jalandhar, August 23
Pardeep Kaur (30), wife of an NRI, Satpal Singh, who is living in Italy, was found murdered at her house in Talhan village, falling under Sadar police station, here today.

According to information, Pardeep Kaur’s sister-in-law Prabhjot Kaur saw her lying dead at her Talhan house when she came from her house in Jandu Singha village to meet her.

When Prabhjot was entering Pardeep’s house, she noticed two persons Bhinda and his nephew Inderjeet Singh coming out of her house. She informed the police, which took the body into its possession.

Sadar police station SHO Tarsem Singh said it seemed that Pardeep had been strangulated to death. The motive of the murder would be known only after investigation, he added.

Meanwhile, an FIR has been lodged against Bhinda and Inderjeet under sections 302 and 34 of the IPC. Both are absconding.

According to information, Pardeep Kaur was living with her mother-in-law and two children at Talhan village.

At the time of her murder, she was alone at her house. Her mother-in-law had gone to Cantonment Board School, whereas her children had gone to attend their school.

Hoshiarpur, August 23
Activists of the Shiv Sena (Bal Thackray) led by their Punjab unit vice president Ranjit Rana, burnt effigies of the deputy commissioner, the assistant commissioner (general), the SSP, the SP (H) and the Bahujan Samaj Party.

The agitators blocked traffic for more than one-and-a-half-hour here this evening on Railway road at Shastri Market while four of their leaders sat on a fast unto death, to show their resentment for non-arrival of SP (H) to put an end to their agitation.

Rana told newsmen that party activists had started an indefinite fast on August 20 to pressurise the police authorities to register a case and arrest the activists of Ambedkar Sena for their alleged disrespect to the Hindu deities at the Dera Baba Fattu Shah Bibi Sahiba temple of Sri Rameshvar Mahadev, Rahimpur, and for pelting stones and taking forcible possession of it on the night of July 11.

Tehsildar along with the DSP (H) reached the spot to sort the matter, which further angered the activists.

A dharna would be organised on Saturday, said S Kumar, district secretary,
NFTE (BSNL).