Amritsar, March 15
The SGPC has allotted the kar sewa of planting saplings in the surroundings of the Golden Temple to Baba Amrik Singh, who is on bail.

In an official letter dated March 14, Darbar Singh, a manager, has mentioned that the kar sewa was allotted to Baba Amrik Singh through a resolution of the SGPC (No. 304) passed on February 26, 2009.

Talking to The Tribune, SGPC president Avtar Singh said Baba Amrik Singh would be allotted kar sewa to raise a memorial at the birthplace of Bhagat Kabir.

Baba Amrik Singh has a vast experience of undertaking kar sewa in India and Pakistan, including the Golden Temple and Nankana Sahib, before he was expelled by the Dera Kar Sewa of Jagtar Singh, Tarn Taran, following charges of embezzlement a couple of years ago.

Baba Amrik Singh told The Tribune that he would start the kar sewa from today itself to create greenery in the surroundings of the Golden Temple and other Sikh shrines. The flowers and plants mentioned in Guru Granth Sahib would be planted on a priority basis.

Earlier, on a complaint of Baba Mohinder Singh, treasurer of the dera, a case under Sections 420 and 406, IPC, had been registered by the Tarn Taran police in 2006 against Baba Amrik Singh and two of his relatives. Refuting the charges of embezzlement of Rs 2 crore levelled by Baba Jagtar Singh, Baba Amrik Singh said the fact was that he had dedicated his life to kar sewa. 

The Almighty knows that he was innocent, Baba Amrik Singh said, alleging that he was defamed under a deep-rooted conspiracy by his detractors.

Baba Amrik Singh said he had developed differences with Baba Jagtar Singh since he had objected to his (Baba Jagtar Singh) anti-kar sewa activities.

Baba Amrik Singh, who is only about 40 years of age, had joined the dera of Baba Jagtar Singh at the age of 15. He had visited many developed countries, including the US, with a view to collecting donations on behalf of Dera Baba Jagtar Singh.

Baba Amrik Singh said Sikh intellectuals and conservationists would be consulted before starting any kar sewa.

Chandigarh, March 15
Recession notwithstanding, Punjab is all set to create a new record in the run-up to the draw of lots for retail liquor outlets in the state. The Department of Excise had, by today evening, already received over 19,000 applications for over 6,000 vends, pocketing almost Rs 25 crore as application fee.

 The number of applications is likely to double by tomorrow, the last date of receiving applications. Interestingly, recession seems to have pushed a large number of businessmen into the “safe” liquor business. 

“Real estate developers and even educational institute owners from Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan have applied for liquor vends. In fact, this year the number of persons applying from outside the state is also substantially high,” said a highly placed source in the department.

The applications from Haryana have almost doubled from what the state received last year. “This is mainly due to the fact that there is still uncertainty regarding the second phase of tendering of the vends there,” the source added.

Within the state, the largest number of applications have been received from Ludhiana, Bathinda, Moga, Ferozepur and Tarn Taran where the competition for these vends will be the most intense.

Another reason for the sharp increase in the number of applications is that this year the earnest amount to be paid by the applicants has been fixed at Rs 1 lakh. Last year this was 5 per cent of the total cost of each vend. “In Ludhiana the earnest amount paid by the applicant is Rs 18 lakh for a vend last year,” added a source.

This year the price range of the vends varies from Rs 86 lakh for a vend in Ludhiana city (which is the highest) to Rs 16 lakh in some rural areas of the state. The number of applications received for rural vends is almost three times those received for urban vends.

Excise and Taxation Commissioner, Punjab, A Venu Prasad confirmed that the number of applications received till today had crossed the 19,000 mark. “The final picture will be clear by tomorrow 5 pm when the last of the applications will be received,” he said.

The Election Commission of India has given the state the go-ahead to hold draw of lots for the allocation of liquor vend on March 20. Presently, there are 4,553 Punjab Medium Liquor (PML) vends and 2,144 Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) vends.

Sangrur, March 15
Six cops, including Moonak DSP Sharanjit Singh, were hurt today in alleged stone-throwing by Dera Sacha Sauda followers and Sikhs at Chural Kalan village, 10 km from Moonak.

DSP Sharanjit Singh said in the evening that Dera followers today started naam charcha at the naam charcha ghar at Chural Kalan village without taking permission or informing the police. When the police asked them about it, they came out of the naam charcha ghar and blocked traffic on the road, he added.

The DSP added that when Sikhs came to know about the naam charcha in the village, they also reached near the naam charcha ghar and started opposing the holding of naam charcha there. On this the police tried to disperse members of sides, but they started hurling stones on the police in which he and five other cops were injured, he added.

The injured were DSP Sharanjit Singh, Moonak SHO Gobinder Singh, constable Balwinder Singh, two home guards Karamjit Singh and Beant Singh, and his driver Jaswant Singh. He said a case would be registered against those who had stoned the cops.

Sources said the police also resorted to a mild lathi charge to disperse the Dera followers and Sikhs from there, but no one was injured in the lathi charge.

Most of the Dera followers were from Haryana’s Jakhal area. When the Dera followers starting coming to Chural Kalan village from the Haryana side the police tried to stop them, but they started heading towards the naam charcha ghar. An altercation between the police and the followers also took place. 

Amritsar, March 15
Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MP Rajesh Ranjan, alias Pappu Yadav, and his MP wife Ranjit Ranjan today praised Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and president of the Indian National Congress Sonia Gandhi, indicating that he (Pappu) is an aspirant for the Congress ticket from his home state Bihar.

Talking to mediapersons after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple here, Yadav said Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister had been appreciated by leaders of various countries, including the US, hence should be given another five-year term to take the country to new heights.

According to sources in the Congress, Yadav has been lobbying hard to get party ticket from Bihar.

In July last year during the confidence vote in Parliament, his wife had criticised Akalis for opposing the Congress. It was after her speech that many Punjabis came to know that she was the daughter of a former Sikh priest of Bihar, originally belonging to Jalandhar.

Ranjit said she was still a baptised Sikh and recited hymns from Sikh scriptures every day. She was elected MP from Saharsa (Bihar) on LJP ticket. She said initially she was opposed to joining politics, but “when my husband was implicated in a case, I was compelled to join politics”.

The daughter of Ripudaman Singh Raina and Narinder Kaur Raina, Ranjit married Pappu Yadav on February 6, 1994, as per Sikh rites, a condition laid down by her family.

She said being a baptised Sikh, she could not tolerate the criticism of Dr Manmohan Singh, a Sikh, by the SAD. The SAD had lost a golden opportunity to support the first Sikh Prime Minister.

Pappu, MP from Madhepura in Bihar, was granted bail by the Patna High Court on February 21 in the murder case of Purnea CPM MLA Ajit Sarkar. He has been sentenced to life imprisonment in the case. 

Chandigarh, March 15
Decks have been cleared for sitting Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) MP Sukhdev Singh Libra joining the Congress. Libra was the lone SAD MP who voted in favour of the no-confidence motion brought about in Parliament over the signing of the nuclear deal with the United States. 

Libra was expelled from the SAD for voting against the party whip. After induction, Libra is likely to be allotted the Congress ticket for the newly created Fatehgarh Sahib parliamentary constituency.

Sources in the Congress said Libra had been summoned to Delhi for his formal induction into the party. Libra too confided in his close aides that he was in negotiation with the Congress and would change his party if assured the party ticket. The SAD has already given the Fatehgarh Sahib seat to Deputy Speaker of the Lok Sabha Charanjit Singh Atwal, who had contested the last Lok Sabha seat from Phillaur.

Party sources said the Congress was considering allotting at least two seats to Youth Congress, based on Rahul Gandhi’s formula bringing in 30 per cent new faces in the party. The two seats being considered for allotment to Youth Congress leaders are Anandpur Sahib and Faridkot. 

There was speculation Ambika Soni contesting the Anandpur Sahib seat, but with the party deciding to refrain from giving party tickets to sitting Rajya Sabha members, her name is now considered to be out of the list.

Congress General Secretary and in-charge of party affairs Mohsina Kidwai, who was in Chandigarh to address a rally in favour of sitting Congress MP and Union Minister of State Pawan Bansal, did not deny when asked if Libra was likely to join the Congress. “We will welcome him, if he decides to cross over. 

We are in touch with him,” was her short reply. About clearing other names for Punjab said, “The list will be out in two or three days”.

Libra, if granted the party ticket, will face Atwal, who has had a head start over others, having already met a wide cross-section of people in his predominantly rural constituency over the past three months.

Even though the Fatehgarh Sahib constituency is new to him, Atwal, who is known to enjoy the confidence of the Akali Dal that he can be fielded from any constituency of the party’s choice, has used his good offices to get several long-pending railway, electricity and other projects back on the rails and work started on them.

Chandigarh, March 15
The citrus programme in Punjab is floundering in the face of the government apathy with Rs 22 crore being approved for the Council for Citrus and Agri Juicing since November but not reaching it till now.

This means the programme, which is now heavily dependent on the government funding with the global meltdown resulting in weakening of interest by multi-national companies, is unable to pay farmers Rs 3 crore on account of lease money taken for 5,000 acre of land. The lease, which is to be paid annually, is due since November last year.

The council is also saddled with liabilities of Rs 12 crore and virtually no money to look after the nutritional needs of the 4,300 acre of citrus orchards planted mostly in Muktsar, Bathinda, Ferozepur and Hoshiarpur districts. It also had around 12 lakh overgrown plants on its hands at its ultra- modern Jallowal nursery near Jalandhar because the programme, which was earlier scheduled to cover 20,000 acres under citrus plantation, was curtailed to only 5,000 acre due to a resource crunch.

Daisy Tangerine, Hamlin, W Murcot and a few varieties of sweet oranges have been planted under the programme.

A further resource crunch has now forced the citrus council into deciding to return 700 acre back to farmers and restrict itself to maintaining the present 4,300-acre under plantation only.

According to sources, the citrus council is in such a state despite the fact that Finance Ministry has approved a sum of Rs 22 crore for it since November. The council had asked that it be given Rs 16 crore immediately and the remaining amount till March end. However, it has not got anything till now.

“Our reputation is getting tarnished for no fault of ours,” said a senior official of the council and added presently, farmers as well as suppliers were upset with the 
council.

“This will affect our future plans as the plants are not getting the needed nutrients as well as pest-attack treatment in time,” he added.

The citrus programme, which was conceived during Capt Amarinder Singh’s regime, is not able to get the adequate government support presently. Earlier, against a projected government guarantee of Rs 70 crore for the 5,000-acre pilot project, it was offered a guarantee of Rs 20 crore only on which it took a loan of Rs 17 crore.

The council tried to raise the remaining funds from multinational Cannazaro Holdings but the latter showed no interest following a change in the world-wide economic situation.

Council CEO VS Chimni, when questioned on the issue, said the government was supportive of the council. When asked whether the vast nursery of 20,000 plants had become redundant, he said, “We are controlling their growth and hope to use them once we increase our acreage.” The sources said the council was informally considering selling the plants to Maharashtra and Rajasthan. 

Jalandhar, March 15
In an alleged violation of the model election code of conduct, the Municipal Corporation, Jalandhar, is continuing with the construction of about 1-km road from Shashtri Chowk to Alaska Chowk.

A team of The Tribune found today that nearly 25 personnel were laying premix on the road, one of the busiest roads of the city.

Taking note of the construction of the road about a fortnight after the code came into force, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) secretary Virendra Sharma said he would send a formal complaint to the Election Commission (EC) of India and Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kusumjit Sidhu in this regard.

However, corporation SE Kulwinder Singh claimed the code was not being violated at all as the road project had been allotted in September last year. The construction of the Kapurthala and Old Subzi Mandi roads was going on as the project had been allotted much before the code came into being. The work of laying premix was being done now as the same could not be done during winter, he added.

Meanwhile, Sharma alleged that the MC was initiating several works after showing the allotment of the works retrospectively. The MC should send to the EC a list of those projects, the work orders for which had been allotted before the code came into effect, he demanded.

Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 15
Contrary to the expectations of leaders, traditional gusto for the election campaign will be missing among farmers in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections.

Consistent occupation of peasants and farm labourers in agricultural chores during the coming weeks has been cited as the main reason behind apprehended political indifference among rural masses.

However, the rural youth is expected to devote more time for campaigns of their respective candidates.

Investigations by The Tribune revealed that a majority of the farmers, who had earlier been taking part in active politics, had disappointed their senior leaders by not accepting responsibility to organise meetings and rallies in their respective areas.

The political indifference was found to be equal among supporters of the SAD and the Congress.

Though farmers and agricultural labourers are almost free these days, coming weeks are told to be of immense activity for them. With the mustard crop nearing maturity, early sown wheat will be ready for harvesting within three weeks. 

As peasants in the state practise both early and late sowing of wheat, farmers will remain occupied in harvesting and transporting their produce to grain markets. In case food agencies fail to procure wheat and mustard within stipulated period, farmers will not be in a position to participate in election campaigns in the last week of April too.

Agricultural experts pointed out that the last week of April and the first week of May will be spent in growing green manure crops and preparing fields for paddy transplantation.

Baldev Singh Latala, senior vice-president, Punjab Kisan Sabha, averred that the alleged indifference of leaders of the SAD and the BJP towards genuine demands of farmers had swayed them to nurture their crops instead of wasting time and energy on canvassing for candidates. 

Mandi Ahmedgarh, March 15
Relatives of Dr Pritam Singh Sekhon, former KLF chief and main accused in Romanian diplomat Radu’s kidnapping, observed his death anniversary at Dulman village, near here, today.

However, the radical Sikh leaders, who had come to attend the bhog ceremony, were not allowed to address the gathering.

The leaders, who had claimed close association with Dr Sekhon, declined to comment on the sequence of events leading to his reported death. A majority of villagers stayed away from the anniversary programme.

Dr Arash Deep Jawanda, one of Sekhon’s nephews, said the latter did not have enmity with any individual or a class. He had laid his life for rights of the Sikh community, he added.

“Though the administration has asked us not to allow anyone address the gathering, we are restricting the function due to scarcity of time,” said Jawanda, adding that the day would be observed in future also.

Over 70-year-old mother of Sekhon, Gurnam Kaur, alias Bebe Thakri, and his two sisters said Sekhon had not contacted them after he left his house in 1989. Receiving no report about their kin for so many years and nonspecific reports in certain vernacular newspapers made them believe that he had died somewhere in Pakistan. The family had also organised the bhog last year.

Sekhon had been on Interpol’s wanted list since 1997. His posters can be seen on notice boards of certain police stations in the state.

According to the intelligence reports, he is alive and is either in the US or Pakistan.

Though no special security had been arranged, the police in plain clothes apart from intelligence personnel were present at the venue.

Dal Khalsa spokesman Kanwarpal Singh, Jasbir Singh Rodey (former Jathedar of Akal Takht), Daljit Singh Bittu (president of the Panj Pardhani Dal) and Baljinder Pal Singh (leader of the SAD-A) attended the programme but they declined to issue any statement on the death of the terrorist.

Amritsar, March 15
The state government’s holding of class V examination from tomorrow in affiliated schools of the state has surprised many. Earlier it was to be conducted by government high and secondary schools.

Decrying the decision, district president of the Punjab Teachers Union Sardool Singh Usman alleged that it seemed to be politically motivated, as the government had changed the venue to oblige private educational institutions keeping in view of the Lok Sabha elections.

The state government took this decision after representatives of the Recognised and Affiliated School Association (Rasa) had urged Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal to change the venue of the examination from government schools to affiliated schools.

Usman alleged that changing of the venue violated the model code of conduct as the venue had been changed two days before the start of the examination. He said if the government wanted to hold the examinations in affiliated schools, it should have taken the decision earlier so that the students, parents and the staff were not put to harassment. 

He had talked to the state president of the union to take up the matter with the authorities concerned, Usman said.

He said this would harm not only interests of the students living in far-flung areas of the state, as there were no private institutions, but also harm the government-run educational institutes.

Chandigarh, March 15
Fiza, the “divorced” wife of former Haryana Deputy Chief Minister Chand Mohammad (earlier name Chander Mohan) today received support from unexpected quarters with the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) coming out openly in her support and demanding the National Commission for Women (NCW) to take suo motu notice of the alleged rape.

“In a civilised society, you cannot establish sexual contact with a woman and then get rid of her by saying talaak over an SMS three times,” party president Simranjit Singh Mann said.

Speaking to The Tribune Mann said: “The act smacks of feudal mindset and cannot be allowed in a civilised society. My party appeals to both the NCW and the state Women Commission to take notice of this and issue a notice to Chand Mohammad and his family, which is apparently involved in the conspiracy to exploit the woman”.

Mann said the SSP, Ropar, should have taken immediate cognisance of Fiza’s complaint and registered an FIR. “The Supreme Court has ruled that when a wife alleges rape, the police must take it seriously and investigate after registering a case”. There is obviously political pressure on the police, he said.

Strongly condemning the alleged stoning at the house of Fiza, Mann said the government should immediately provide Fiza with security to safeguard her life and property. 

He said his party stood for safeguarding the rights of women and would provide any assistance to Fiza in securing justice. “The state must take action to deter such acts in society otherwise offenders get emboldened and repeat their activities, ruining many lives”.

Describing the entire incident as “unfortunate”, Mann said, “In this modern world you cannot ‘abuse’ a woman and hide behind an SMS sent from ‘Vilayat’ repeating the word talaak thrice”.

The SAD (A) president said his party would raise voice against all such atrocities at public forums.

Bathinda, March 15
Annoyed with the “anti-farmer” attitude of the Punjab Farmers Commission, a parallel Peoples Commission for Farmers to encourage organic farming was set up today following a series of deliberations with the farming community. The initiative for constituting the commission has been taken by an NGO, Kheti Virasat Mission (KVM).

The KVM and some progressive farmers, who reverted to organic farming, were annoyed with the recent report of the Punjab State Farmers’ Commission, which broadly stated that organic farming in Punjab would jeopardise the national food security.

The farmers meeting organised by the KVM concluded with a strong statement that organic farming could indeed feed the country and that what Punjab needs today is a sustainable agriculture revolution and not technologies and agricultural models that would push farmers into a deeper crisis.

Announcing formation of ‘People’s Commission for Farmers’, Umendra Dutt, executive director of the KVM, said the parallel Commission would signify people’s aspirations and a pro-nature, pro-farmer, and pro-people view of analysing ecological crises, like contamination of natural resources and environmental health, and thus evolving sustainable and environmentally just solutions. “This commission will shortly bring its report on prevailing agro-ecological crises of Punjab, role of chemical farming in devastating rural economy and ecology of the state, and the need for a shift towards natural and organic farming. It will also counter the “motivated” reports brought by some institutions apparently at the behest of agro-chemical corporations, including pesticide companies and companies promoting genetically modified crops,” he said, adding that the Commission would examine the ongoing agriculture policy debate so as to bring farmers concern in the mainstream. Besides, it would also promote chemical-free food harvests.

The Commission will constitute of members drawn from diverse fields, including research, academic, media, culture, politics and civil society. The primary task of the commission would be to provide an analytical and well-articulated response to the Punjab State Farmers Commission report in a reasonable period of time. The Commission, when constituted, will determine timeline for short, medium and long-tem activities and create sub-groups for diverse activities, including resource mobilisation.

It will not stick only to responding the farmers’ commission report on organic farming but will work as a forum to address the problems of farmers, agriculture issues with a holistic perspective and broader framework that includes the current challenges to agriculture, including corporate control of land, seeds and market.

Hoshiarpur, March 15
The Dal Khalsa organised a convention in memory of a gurdwara built in the memory of Sikh warrior Baba Baghel Singh. On this day, 226 years ago in 1783, Baghel Singh unfurled the Nishan Sahib atop the Red Fort in Delhi establishing the Sikh rule there.

Besides being a warrior, Baghel Singh was strategist and statesman who forced the then Delhi rulers into submission in a battle at Ghanaur, near Patiala in 1778, states a resolution adopted by the convention.

Speaking on a separate management committee for gurdwaras in Haryana, Dal Khalsa chief Harcharanjit Singh Dhami said whether to remain with the SGPC or have a separate body rested with Sikhs of Haryana. "The Sikhs of Haryana could be given the right to express their choice". 

However, he admitted, the Sikhs who had been at the helm of gurdwara affairs, had erred in allowing the problem to linger. He condemned the Akali Dal for failing to win trust of Haryana Sikhs and the Congress for exploiting the situation.

The radical group’s views assume significance in the wake of the tug of war between the Akali Dal and the Congress government in Haryana and also Akal Takht summoning HSGPC (ad hoc) president Jagdish Singh Jhinda on March 17 to explain stand on the issue. The radical group leader urged Akal Takht Jathedar Gaini Gubachan Singh not to act in a biased manner.

Dhami said it was ironic that the Badal family had a monopoly on all important Sikh institutions. He alleged that “Badalisation” of Sikh polity had led to denigration of Sikh institutions. "The father and son, who are devoid of ideology, are controlling the historical institutions," he rued. 

To save institutions from decline and damage, he suggested that SGPC elections should not be held on party ticket and symbols. Candidates having religious bent should manage the shrines.

Let the sangat of the particular constituency elect the candidate on merit and not due to political affiliation.

He said to Baghel Singh the interests of Sikhs and Punjab were supreme, while today Sikh leadership was unaware of achievements of our heroes. He urged the community to observe the 25th anniversary of Army attack in a grand way.

Ranbir Singh, president, Sikh Youth of Punjab (SYP), said political leadership in Punjab did not have role models so the need of honouring Sikh generals of yesteryear.

General secretary Dr Manjinder Singh criticised the re-arrest of Ranjit Singh Kuki and demanded his release. He appealed to affected sections to join hands for justice for people of Punjab. 

Bathinda, March 15
The number of mentally retarded children in Punjab is on the rise as high level of uranium has been detected in children of Punjab, which has causes birth deformities. Apart from birth deformities and mental retardation, the uranium is responsible for disorders like lung cancer, intestinal ulcer, impotence, infertility among women and damaging of brain apart from other cancers.

Not only Punjab, but Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Delhi too willl now bear the impact of uranium.

According to doctors of the Baba Farid Centre for Special Children, an NGO, operating from Faridkot, winds coming from Afghanistan carry high quantity of uranium and countries like China, Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan are getting affected by it.

Experts say uranium is used by Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan to destroy bunkers and tanks. It is called depleting uranium and is very poisonous.

When used, uranium gets mixed in soil, air and water. Areas within 1,000 miles from the place where uranium is used get affected. Iran is 932 miles from Punjab and Afghanistan barely 332 miles.

The experts say 1,000 tonnes of uranium is already present in Iran, Iraq and Afghanistan. People from these areas have 100 times more uranium in their urine compared to people from other areas.

Mentally retarded children from South Africa had come to the NGO for treatment. After the children were discharged from the NGO went back to their place.

Later, Dr Karen Smith, who works with the Defeat Autism Now, a UK- based NGO, came to Faridkot and suggested naturopath Prithpal Singh, president of the NGO, to get heavy metal toxicity test conducted on Indian children.

“Hair samples of 149 children were sent to the Micro Trace Mineral Lab, Germany, in June last year. The result of the test came in February this year, which stated that samples had high quantity of uranium. Out of 149, 116 samples were of children below 12 years and the rest were those of above 13 years. Samples of those below 12 years had 82 per cent of uranium while 13 years and above had 87 per cent. The results are astonishing as there is no atomic plant near Punjab,” Prithpal said.

Dr Smith is visiting Faridkot on March 27 and test for the toxicity will now be conducted on urine samples of the children. 

Chandigarh, March 15
If distribution of party tickets for the coming Lok Sabha elections is any indication, women candidates continue to be low on the priority list of both national and regional political parties. So far, of 27 candidates declared officially, only one is a woman.

Though the Congress is yet to come out with its list of candidates, it is unlikely to field more than two women candidates in Punjab. The ruling Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janta Party alliance has on their so far released lists of 12 candidates, only one woman candidate, Paramjit Kaur Gulshan, from Faridkot.

The CPI and CPM have jointly named only three candidates so far.

Even the Bahujan Samaj Party has not named even a single woman candidate in its already released list of 12 candidates.

In the 2004 elections, there were 10 women candidates in the fray. Only two of them, Preneet Kaur (Congress-Patiala) and Paramjit Kaur Gulshan (SAD-Bathinda) were successful. Of total 1.66 crore electors in 2004, 79.63 lakh were women voters. Though women voters are almost 49 per cent of the total electors, their representation in the Lok Sabha is only little over 15 per cent.

Looking back at the LS seats till 2004 elections, four of 13 Punjab parliamentary constituencies, Amritsar, Taran Tarn, Sangrur and Ferozepur, had never returned a woman candidate. In fact, in these four constituencies, no woman candidate even finished runner-up.

Gulshan also became the first-ever woman candidate to win from Bathinda after reorganisation of the state in 1966.

Prime Ministerial candidate and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati has been the only woman candidate who finished runner-up in 1991. Hoshiarpur is yet to elect a woman candidate. Now the seat is reserved.

The only constituency which gave women a fair representation in the LS has been Gurdaspur from where Sukhbuns Kaur Bhinder got elected for five terms. Twice she ended runner-up from the same constituency.

The only time Jalandhar had a woman candidate a close second was in 1999 when Prabhjot Kaur, widow of Darbara Singh, lost to the Congress.

Phillaur also returned Santosh Chaudhary twice. But after delimitation, this constituency is gone. Instead, Hoshiarpur has become reserved.

Ropar, now replaced by Anandpur Sahib, returned Bimal Khalsa in 1989 and Satwinder Kaur in 1998. In the subsequent 1999 LS elections, Satwinder finished second.

Preneet, sitting MP, Patiala, had won the same seat in the 1999 elections as well. In 1984, Amarjeet KIaur, also of Congress, had finished runner-up.

The only time Punjab had elected three women MPs was in 1989 when Sukhbans, Bimal Khalsa and Rajinder Kaur Bulara were declared successful.