Jalandhar, February 7
Tableaux of bedecked palanquins bearing photographs of Guru Ravidass, kirtan by jathas, band and dance shows, langars and political speeches marked the nagar kirtan programme that passed across the city in view of the birth anniversary of Guru Ravidass.

Devotees turned out in large numbers to participate in the massive nagar kirtan that started from various points along the Nakodar Road, en route various intersections including Ambedkar Chowk, Jyoti Chowk, Company Bagh Chowk, Patel Chowk and other parts of the old city.

Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal paid only a flying visit to the city in this connection.

He was off after getting a couple of photographs clicked with the representatives of the community. The political rivals, SAD-BJP leaders and Congressmen, were a part of the same procession. Former minister Ch Santokh Singh unfurled a commemorative flag at Kishanpura.

It was perhaps because of an endless chain of devotees across the old GT Road and Nakodar Road that various parts of the city remained inaccessible from either side. The commuters faced many glitches because of poor traffic management by the police. Many felt that they had made a mistake stepping out of their homes. Even the ambulances had to take a longer route. 

Batala, February 7
Pawan Kumar Pamma, head trustee of the Achleshwar Mandir Trust, was beaten up by villagers of the nearby areas on the temple premises here today. The temple is located six km from Batala on the Batala-Jalandhar road.

Sarpanches of Salo Chahal, Chahal Kalan, Chahal Khurd villages, Baljinder Singh Babla, Sukhwinder Singh and Kulwinder Singh, respectively, and dozens others reached the temple and raised slogans against Pamma for the alleged misappropriation of the temple funds. Thereafter he was beaten up by the public.

The head trustee was rescued by the policemen, who took Pamma to the temple office after disbursing the mob.

The sarpanches alleged the he was raising communal tension in the nearby areas.

Pamma, who is also a Congress leader, denied the allegations saying that this all was the manipulation of the BJP-SAD leadership to take control of the temple by throwing him out.

Nawanshahr, February 7
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal called for ‘economic federalism’ in the country with a view to enable the state governments to formulate policies and programmes as per the particular needs and aspirations of the people.

Addressing a gathering at a ‘Sangat Darshan’ programme at Balachaur here today, he said, “Most of the financial powers have not been decentralised by the Centre and the states are merely allocated just 30 per cent of the revenue collected by the Central government in form of the central taxes. Moreover, the parameters set up by the Centre for utilising various central-sponsored schemes are not in accordance with the needs and aspiration of the people of the state.”

He substantiated his statement citing examples of allegedly wrong parameters laid down by the Centre as well as discriminatory policies towards Punjab.

“The discriminatory and lopsided agriculture and industrial policies of the Centre have been playing havoc with the state, while the agriculture has already reached at saturation point, the incentives given to the neighbouring states has been proving fatal for Punjab. The industry of the state has been migrating to the neighbouring states due to various incentives, thus, hampering the industrial growth and employment generation in the state,” further lamented Badal.

He distributed cheques amounting to Rs 1.79 crore among 189 village panchayats and Rs 1 crore for the municipal council, Balachaur. 

Jalandhar, February 7
Former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Shamsher Singh Dullo batted for current PPCC chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee and said there was no need to change him right before the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.

Dullo said, “If PPCC chief is changed now, it will prove lethal for the Congress in the upcoming Lok Sobha elections.”

Dullo, accompanied by PPCC secretary Virendra Sharma, was in Jalandhar to participate in the Sri Guru Ravidass Prakash Utsav.

“The rumour of possible change of PPCC chief is spread only by those separatist leaders who had joined the Congress after leaving SAD,” he said without naming anyone. “I had opposed these separatists whey they were joining the party.”

Elaborating his point, Dullo said, “The present incumbent represents 62 per cent Dalits of Punjab which include 41 per cent SCs and 21 per cent minorities and others.’

To a query, he said the Congress high command had directed senior leaders of the Punjab Congress to present a united show to win maximum seats in LS elections.

In reply to a question, he said he was ready to contest the elections from any place, if the party high command wanted him to do so.

On Anandpur Sahib resolution issue, Dullo said that such an issue, which is separatist in nature, should not be raised by Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal nearing the parliamentary elections. It would disturb the peace of the state, which has already seen more than 15 years of turmoil during terrorism, he added.