Nawanshahr, February 5
Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today gave a call to oust the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre because it was responsible for ruining the industry and the slowing down agricultural growth in Punjab due to its economic policies inimical to the interests of the state.

“Though you have already won the assembly poll two years ago, winning the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled in April this year, was a must for accelerating the pace of development,” said Badal.

Addressing a series of public rallies at Banga and Nawanshahr, the Chief Ministetr held the Congress responsible for following a discriminatory approach against Punjab aimed at destabilising its economy. The Congress since Independence adopted an indifferent attitude while formulating its policies and devolution of funds under centrally sponsored schemes, said Badal while stressing the need for installing an NDA government at the Centre to accelerate the development.

Badal said it was the high time to tell the Centre to shun its indifferent attitude towards Punjab’s farming community and industry. He said agriculture was no more a profitable occupation due to the non-remunerative and stagnant minimum support prices.

The Chief Minister released the first issue of a souvenir of the Fan Club Jalandhar for 2008-09 on his life and achievements, titled “Ek Saal Badal Sahib De Naal”.

He disbursed cheques for Rs 1.81 crore for undertaking development in 101 village panchayats and Rs 2 crore for the Banga municipal council. At Nawanshahr, cheques amounting to Rs 1.57 crore for 111 villages, Rs 2 crore for the municipal council and Rs 1 crore for the Rahon municipal council were disbursed.

Badal announced relief amounts for the families of the victims of the school bus tragedy at Nawanshahr on January 25 last year and a youth of Tajowal village who lost his legs while averting erosion of the Dhussi bundh in August last year. A grant of Rs 55 lakh was also given to Adarsh School, Khatkar Kalan, for construction of the boundary wall and buses for ferrying students.

The others who spoke included MLAs Jatinder Singh Kariha and Chaudhary Mohan Lal, SAD-BJP nominee for the Anandpur Sahib seat Dr Daljit Singh Cheema, SGPC general secretary Sukhdev Singh Bhaur, Markfed chairman Jarnail Singh Wahid, district SAD chief Mohinder Singh Hussainpur and district BJP chief Sudesh Sharma.

Batala, February 5
He took several benefits posing as the dietician of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal but his luck ran out when he himself walked up to the SHO Civil Lines trying to trick the police. A person named Harmit Singh was arrested when the police verified his identity, Batala SSP Naresh Arora said here today.

On January 6, he came to SHO Civil Lines Batala Balwinder Singh and introduced himself as Dr Harmit Singh, dietician of the Chief Minister.

He showed a visiting card bearing a special number 10017 and reverse of the card bearing fake signature of Sukhbir Singh Badal with remarks “he is my personal doctor”.

On suspicion, the SHO verified the antecedents from the office of the DIG and Chief Minister Security, Chandigarh. The said doctor was found to be a fake one. The police registered a case against Harmit under section 170, 466, 468, 471 of the IPC.

During interrogation, the accused revealed that he was selected as multi-purpose health worker in the health department in 2006 after he got training in food sampling from the State Institute of Health and Welfare, Chandigarh. He confessed that many times he used his visiting cards as personal doctor of Sukhbir Singh Badal.

Hoshiarpur, February 5
Resentment prevails among employees of the Hoshiarpur Doaba Transport Company against the Model Town police for not registering a case against Karamjit Singh, alias Babloo, son of chief parliamentary secretary Mohinder Kaur Josh and his two accomplices for allegedly beating a company’s driver Satnam Singh on the evening of February 3 as a result a portion of his teeth got damaged and the jaw dislocated.

Employees’ union president Kulwant Singh, in the presence of Satnam Singh, told mediapersons here this afternoon Satnam Singh was driving bus (PB-07H-0695) from Hoshiarpur to Jalandhar at about 6.10 pm. He stopped the bus on the turning of local Prabhat Chowk for boarding and de-boarding of passengers. Karamjit Singh along with his two companions, came there in a jeep and tried to overtake the bus. But on account of narrow road, the bumper of Karamjit Singh’s jeep hit the rear of the bus. This infuriated Karamjit and he along with his companions allegedly thrashed Satnam Singh.

He further alleged that at least seven traffic constables on duty were present there, but they did not interfere and remained silent spectators.

Later, some passers-by came to the rescue of Satnam Singh and Karamjit Singh and his companions left the scene in the jeep.

Employees of the company reached there and got Satnam Singh admitted in the Civil Hospital. They also approached the Model Town police station, but it had failed to register a case against Karamjit Singh.

They demanded registration of a case against Karamjit Singh and his companions and their immediate arrest.

The munshi of Model Town police station said that no written complaint against Karamjit Singh had been received. However, a complaint of the incident under section 323 of the IPC without mentioning the name of anyone had been received so far.

Mohinder Kaur Josh and Karamjit Singh denied any such incident and said that some of their opponents were falsely propagating against them to tarnish their image. Karamjit Singh claimed that he never assaulted the driver.

Jalandhar, February 5
The rejection of minister of medical education and research Tikshan Sud’s resignation by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal is a farce generated by the alliance partners to attain high moral ground and divert criticism after the death of five infants in the Rajindra Medical College and Hospital, Patiala.

Bholath Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira alleged that the BJP was a party of conflicting political ideology and paradoxical standards. It forced Lalu Parsad Yadav to quit as the Bihar Chief Minister when he was charge-sheeted in the fodder scam but chose to support Badal who also stood charge-sheeted in a similar case.

The reality was that Badal was afraid of accepting Sud’s resignation on moral grounds since in doing so he would also open himself to cries on emulating the same since both the CM and his son stood charge-sheeted in a Mohali court.

The Congress urged the BJP to apologise to the people of the state for the drama enacted by a lightweight minister and clarify as to what had changed in the past five days to allow Sud to continue in the cabinet once again.

He said it was sad to note that while the infants lost their lives due to poor medical facilities, the state coffers were thrown open for the lavish swearing-in ceremony of SAD chief Sukhbir Badal as Deputy Chief Miniser.

Khaira said as per information gathered under the RTI Act, the annual expenditure on the CM’s helicopter was over Rs 6 crore.

“I wonder if the government has spent this money on core sectors like health and education, then probably the lives of those five children could have been saved,” Khaira remarked.