Chandigarh, March 29
Always smiling and relaxed, Capt Kanwaljit Singh was a politician with difference. Firm and polite, he made a mark not only in the Shiromani Akali Dal but also in Punjab politics.

Born in Nabha, princely town in Malwa, on September 1, 1942, he had education in Patiala and Chandigarh before joining Indian Army. The soldier in him made him follow self-drawn strict discipline after joining politics in early 80s.

Sitting in front seat of his car, he was returning after attending a function in support of party candidate Daljeet Singh Cheema, when a truck coming from the opposite side rammed into his vehicle that in turn hit another truck injuring him seriously. Timing and type of the accident prompted Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann demand probe by a sitting high court Judge into the mishap. His death sent shock waves in the state and the country.

He leaves a widow, a son and a daughter besides large number of friends and admirers.

His first entry into electoral politics was in 1985 when he defeated Venod Sharma of the Congress by 1193 votes from Banur constituency. He represented the same constituency till now. In 1997, he defeated former Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee chief Mohinder Singh Gill and in 2002, his opponent was Ms Sheelam Sohi. whom he defeated by 714 votes. In 2007 Assembly elections, he defeated Pappu Sharma, son of former Punjab Finance Minister Hans Raj Sharma.

If Zirakpur and Banur look like extensions of Chandigarh, it is all due to his efforts. Widening of roads, the Zirakpur flyover and Banur becoming hub of technical education is all because of his efforts and vision making this otherwise neglected area fountain of technically qualified youngsters.

Captain Kanwaljit Singh proved his credentials in every portfolio he held in the Punjab Council of Ministers during his three terms as ruling party legislator. When Surjit Singh Barnala became the Chief Minister, he did commendable job as Home Minister as the state was still reeling from militancy.

In the 2002 SAD-BJP government, he was Finance Minister. This was the only time when a non-Congress government completed five-year term. His handling of finance was lauded by even opposition benches.

In the present government, he was given portfolio of Cooperation, Defence Services Welfare, Removal of Grievances, pensions and welfare of pensioners. He tried to revive cooperative movement in the state. All sugar mills in the cooperative sector were revived and upgraded.

On important issues, he would invite senior journalists either for views or to interact on what the state should do on complex issues.

He was upset when the Akali Dal split and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) came into being. As believer in Panthic agenda, he stood by Sant Harchand Singh Longowal and Surjit Singh Barnala as general secretary of the Dal. When the Longowal Dal merged back with the mainstream Shiromani Akali Dal, Capt Kanwaljit Singh continued to hold the position of general secretary till his death. He went to jail several times in support of Panthic morchas.

Being a former soldier welfare of ex-servicemen was very dear to him.

Chandigarh, March 29
Leaders of various political parties, heads of various states, chief ministers and ministers of various states are among those who have condoled the untimely death of Punjab Cooperation Minister Kanwaljit Singh in a road accident near Kharar this evening.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister and president of Shiromani Akali Dal Sukhbir Badal were on their way to Chandigarh after hearing the news of the accident.

Haryana Governor AR Kidwai and Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda expressed their shock at the death of Capt Kanwaljit Singh. They described him as a gentleman politician.

Former Deputy Speaker of Punjab Vidhan sabha Bir Devinder Singh said Capt Kanwaljit Singh was not only a gentleman politician but also a man of impeccable integrity, who always stood for value based polity. During his stay as a member of the Punjab legislative assembly he made immense contribution to the debates of the house. He has been expressing his valuable opinion firmly on almost all issues debated in the house. His death has caused a personal loss to me .His loss has left a void in Punjab, which would remain unfilled in the times to come.

Jagjit Singh Lyallpuri, a veteran Marxist leader, in a condolence message said that Punjab has lost an eminent political worker who stood by values system. “My association had been from the days when Capt Kanwaljit Singh’s father, Dara Singh, an advocate, represented us in various cases. Captain Kanwaljit Singh was one of the finest Akali leaders and in his death the State has lost a great son.

Chandigarh, March 29
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) is preparing to take on the Election Commission and Punjab Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Kusumjit Sidhu for their “patently biased stand” against the SAD- BJP government.

The SAD, following a two-pronged strategy, claims the Election Commission is soft towards the Congress in the state because former Chief Minister and party campaign committee in charge Amarinder Singh is classmate of Election Commissioner Navin Chawla. It claims Patiala MP Preneet Kaur has , on record , admitted this “closeness”.

Regarding CEO Kusumjit Sidhu, the SAD claims t she and Amarinder Singh are from the same village of Mehraj near Rampura Phul. “In fact they are from the same ‘patti’ (mohalla)”, it is claimed.

SAD secretary general Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, who is also contesting from Sangrur, said all these issues were agitating SAD leadership. He said the party was considering to approach the EC on the issues.

SAD sources claimed same yardstick should apply to everyone and in case the CEO was from Mehraj village she should have recused herself from election duty. They said the party would demand all decisions taken by the CEO be examined afresh and an officer from South India given the responsibility of this office in Punjab.

The SAD is perturbed by ‘decisions taken without any clear logic’. They cite suspension of farm subsidies and printing and distribution of study material for the Edusat scheme for needy students.

On political front the SAD is miffed over Patiala Range DIG S K Asthana’s transfer despite two inquiries stating there was no specific allegation against him. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal has also claimed Amarinder was trying to browbeat senior officials by claiming he would submit complaints against them to the EC. He has suggested the EC should not entertain “frivolous complaints”.

Meanwhile CEO Kusumjit Sidhu said she did not want to comment on the SAD allegations.

Chandigarh, March 29
A gory road accident that took the life of gentleman politician and Punjab Cooperation Minister Capt Kanwaljit Singh has come as a jolt to the State politics especially when the state is in the middle of general elections. Accident took place in the jurisdiction of the assembly segment from where his son, Bunny, had contested unsuccessfully the 2007 elections. In fact, Captain had been paying special attention towards nursing Bunny’s constituency, which incidentally is adjacent to his own constituency of Banur.

Accident that snuffed life out of this 66-year-old veteran of Akali politics has raised suspicions with demands for inquiry coming from various sections, including the political parties opposed to Shiromani Akali Dal. The government’s reaction to such demands was not known till late at night.

Besides subscribing to values in politics, Capt Kanwaljit Singh was a senior and respected Akali Dal leader who would make his point of view known with a firm and polite argument. Though he was only F.Sc., he was known for his hard work and dedication, as he would come to the Assembly or Cabinet meetings fully prepared.

He belonged to a rare group of Akali leaders who had apt understanding with every leader of the party, be it Sant Harcharan Singh Longowal, Surjit Singh Barnala, Parkash Singh Badal or now Sukhbir l. Captain Kanwaljit Singh stood as a binder between the erstwhile Longowal Dal headed by Surjit Singh Barnala and the present SAD.

Not many in politics are prepared to accept the accident theory especially in the context of certain observations that the late Captain had made over the popularity base of the new President of the party. Though Captain Kanwaljit Singh maintained that he had been quoted out of context in saying that exact test for Sukhbir Badal would be the Lok Sabha elections, it did stir hornets’ nest. The Dal high command did quick fire fighting and did not allow it to erupt into a major controversy.

Though Captain Kanwaljit Singh was known to stand by his convictions, both in politics as well as in the government, he was last of upright politicians that had served more than one non-Congress governments in the State. Belief of many that his death would create an upheaval in Akali Dal politics cannot be swept under the carpet.

His limitations might have been numbers as he was considered at one stage a natural Deputy to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal but lack of numerical support of MLAs may have pushed him down in the hierarchy in the present government. At one stage he was not happy on being denied the portfolio of Finance he had handled well in the previous Badal government.

He took the challenge of reviving cooperative moment in the State well and started showing results. Revival of sick sugar mills was an example. Though Captain Kanwaljit Singh had some reservations on certain political issues, yet he went with the majority decisions and always abided by the party high command. 

Bathinda, March 29
The entire Badal family, including Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, has descended here to campaign for Harsimrat Kaur Badal, the candidate of the SAD for Bathinda and wife of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal.

Almost all near and distant relatives of the Badals have also plunged into the campaign and are doing their bit for Harsimrat.

Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of Parkash Singh Badal, is also campaigning in various areas of Bathinda and Mansa districts that form parts of the constituency.

Besides addressing a series of election rallies, Sukhbir today spared time here to revive links with family friends who wield influence among certain segments of society.

While the SAD took a longer time than the rival Congress in announcing the candidate for Bathinda, it has taken a lead in launching the campaign with all four family members fanning out in different areas. Sukhbir and Harsimrat have dispatched thousands of letters to the targeted electorate groups and her campaign managers have started sending SMSes and e-mails to others.

However, this has rung warning bells among the other 12 SAD-BJP coalition candidates who feel having been left alone as the Badals were spending most of the time campaigning for Harsimrat.

Congress candidate Raninder Singh is scheduled to launch his election campaign on

April 1 after offering obeisance at Takht Damdama Sahib near here. Harsimrat had also visited the Takht before formally starting the campaign. However, he has already completed the first round of election rallies even before being announced the candidate.

The prestige of the Badals is at stake here as members of second generations of the two families have locked horns for this Lok Sabha seat. Badal and Amarinder are traditional rivals.

Badals were reportedly eyeing the Bathinda seat for a long time. Lambi, the home assembly segment of Parkash Singh Badal, has this time been attached to the Bathinda Lok Sabha seat whereas Rampura-Phul, which was the area of influence of Amarinder, has been detached from here and transferred to the Faridkot parliamentary seat.

Each of these assembly segments has a little above one lakh voters that have the potential to upset the calculations of the Congress. However, the impact of anti-incumbency is yet to be seen.

Hoshiarpur, March 29
Former Chief Parliamentary Secretary and general secretary of the PPCC Gurbinder Singh Atwal has urged the Election Commission of India to stop the presentation of the annual budget by the SGPC that is slated for tomorrow. By presenting its annual budget, the SGPC, which was directly allied with the SAD, would violate the election code of conduct.

Atwal apprehended that the SGPC would allot maximum funds to all gurdwaras under its control to influence Sikh voters in favour of the SAD candidates. President of the SGPC Avtar Singh had already instructed all members of the SGPC to campaign in favour of the SAD candidates, and it was on record, claimed Atwal, adding that by allotting huge funds to gurdwaras, the SGPC might influence Sikh voters.

Challenging the SAD to clarify its stand on the outbursts of Varun Gandhi against minority communities, Atwal said the SAD, which claimed to have championed the interests of the Sikh community, was silent on the outbursts of Varun.

Atwal was here to campaign in support of Congress nominee Santosh Chaudhary for Hoshiarpur (R) segment.

Lauding the role of Chaudhary as chairperson of the National Safai Karamcharis Commission, Atwal said she had done a commendable job vis a vis the passage of an ordinance to hike the minimum wages of safai karamcharis.

Mansa, March 29
“Although I have entered active politics but my fight against social evils will continue from every platform”, said Harsimrat Kaur Badal SAD candidate for Bathinda Lok Sabha seat at Mansa today.

“Nanhi chaan” campaign which was started to save girl child and environment had got good response from all sections of society, she told. She said along the move against female foeticide nearly 4.50 lakh saplings were distributed among women. Next will be drug addiction that had been affecting large section of society, she added.

“if elected to Parliament issue of development particularly of women would be raised”, Harsimrat told. 

Nabha, March 29
A pall of gloom descended on the town as news of Cooperative Minister Capt Kanwaljit’s death reached here. Capt Kanwaljit had special relation with the town and was patron of the Nabha Social Welfare and Cultural Club. He always attended its functions as chief guest. 

Jodhpur Pakhar (Talwandi Sabo), March 29
The campaign, which 24 feisty women of this village started three years ago to rid their homes of drugs, has been flagging.

As many as 38 men of this village have suffered from drug addiction and committed suicide. The situation is similar in neighbouring villages of Charat Singh Maur, Maiserkhana, Mandi Khurd, Ramanvas and Barewali with six suicides being reported from these villages in one week alone.

The story of Jodhpur women is the story of the area where youngsters have graduated from mild drugs to heroin and even smack in some cases. The women of this village led the drive against drugs three years back by forming a committee at the instance of the deputy commissioner and the district police chief.

“Alas! it has been a lost cause till now”, says Jasmail Kaur whose elder son died following overdose of drug and the younger one is untraceable. She says efforts of the erstwhile committee came to naught “ because drug peddlers were invariably let off by the police soon after we hand them over to it”.

The women have done with coordinating with the government and decided to associate themselves with the Bhartiya Kisan Union Ekta (Ugrahan) to be part mass movement against drugs. “This village has long been known for drug abuse, says Harjinder Baggi, an activist, who even pointed out one- km stretch of adjoining railway track where 30 youths of this and adjoining villages have committed suicide.

Many widows of drug addicts are from lower strata of village society dispelling e myth t only the rich take to drugs. Harjit Kaur, who works as labourer owes Rs 7 lakh mainly because of the drug addiction of her son Harjit who committed suicide three years back.

The need of special attention to drug addicts is paramount but largely ignored at the village level. Four months back Baljit Kaur’s son Balkar Singh committed suicide for not being money to repair his bicycle. It was felt he might use it to buy drugs .

Bathinda Deputy Commissioner Rahul Tiwari said chemist shops in rural areas where there are no doctors was a big problem. “I had ordered their checking by designated officers but the Chemist Association moved the high court which nullified the orders saying the drug controller alone could pass such directions. I wrote to the drug controller in this regard one year back but am still awaiting an answer”, he added.

Even as the district administration awaits action from the drug controller, the sale of drugs is on the increase with elections around the corner. The women of this village have even more difficult task cut out for them and expect little help from political parties or their candidates. “They can give us nothing”, says Jasmail Kaur.

Ludhiana, March 29
Many passengers travelling to Chandigarh are fooled by private bus operators who first promise them to take them to their destination but drop them midway. These buses do not have valid permits to enter the Union Territory boundaries. About 15 km short of the city, on the outskirts of Kharar, passengers are shifted to a small van and transported to the road opposite the Inter State Bus Stand, Sector 43, after meandering on the roads of Mohali for long.

This reporter on Saturday evening boarded a bus (PB-23D-2189) from the Samrala Chowk for Chandigarh. The display board on the bus read “Ludhiana-Chandigarh”. As the bus reached Samrala, the conductor went near the driver’s seat and changed the board to Ludhiana-Mohali. On being questioned, he replied: “We are not alone in the business and have not started overnight. You don’t worry, we will drop you to your destination. There are dozens of other buses plying on the same route, in a similar fashion”.

The bus stopped at Kharar and all Chandigarh passengers were asked to alight from it. At least eight more passengers got off and they were all asked to board a van (PB-65H-4470). Instead of following a straight route, the van meandered on the roads of Mohali before taking the straight road to the ISBT, Sector 43.

These buses do not begin their journey from the bus stand. Certain start from the transport offices near the bus stand. A majority of them commence their journey from the Samrala chowk.

Jaswant Singh, a resident of BRS Nagar, said: “The practice has been going on for a very long time now. These bus operators fool passengers in connivance with the state transport authorities, it seems”.

Kamla Rani, a passenger travelling with two young daughters, said: “I could not go to the main bus stand because it is far from our house. Before boarding, I had asked the conductor specifically if the bus would take us to the Chandigarh bus stand. The conductor lied and now with my two young daughters I am feeling harassed”.

Chandigarh, March 29
Patiala is set to get its only Centre for Performing Arts with the Punjab government allotting a one-and-a-half acre plot to the Harpal Tiwana Memorial Society in recognition of the late theatre artiste’s contribution to the growth of theatre in the state.

Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had earlier agreed to not only allot land for the centre but also give a grant for construction of a modern auditorium and other facilities following an appeal by the Tiwana Society as well as artistes like Om Puri, Jagjit Singh, Gurdas Mann and Hans Raj Hans who had personally met him in this regard.

Society Resident Director Manpal Tiwana, who is late Harpal’s son and has carried forward his father’s theatre company, says a 400-seat auditorium was being planned in consultation with theatre legends like Abraham Alkazi. He said facilities like guesthouse, cafetaria and rehearsal room, as well as those for projection of documentaries and films would also be created besides a modern auditorium suited for theatre performances.

Manpal said the Tiwana society wanted to make theatre a commercial proposition in Punjab and that the proposed auditorium complex would provide facilities for staging of commercial productions of theatre companies from around the country, particularly Punjab. He said after the “Natshala” auditorium in Amritsar, this would be the second non-government theatre facility in the state.

He said this year would also see the final curtain call of “Sirhind di Diwar”, a hugely popular religious drama that was first directed by Harpal Tiwana. He said select performances of the drama would be held in song track composed by Sukhwinder Singh. Manpal says he would now be brining in a performance, which reflects, and mood of the present generation in the state.

The Harpal Tiwana Memorial Society has also decided to give its second annual award this year to theatre artiste Gursharan Singh for his contribution in creating a “people’s theatre movement” which had mass appeal and was instrumental in bringing change in society. 

Burj (Anandpur Sahib), March 29
What the successive governments, with their funds and resources, failed to do in this village and those around it, Baba Labh Singh has done with the help of his devotees and villagers.

A small hamlet of 40 families, Burj is situated on banks of the Sutlej. During monsoon, when the river swells, Burj and around 20 villages around face its brunt.

Lack of a bridge had left villagers with no option but to take a 25-km long route to reach their farms or use boats. “Till 15 years ago, there were no boats. We used to swim across or take the 25-km long road to reach our farms,” says Surinder Singh Mataur, sarpanch of the village.

Earlier, Sutlej waters ran skirting around the village. It was only 50 years ago that the Sutlej changed its course, passing from beside Burj and its adjoining villages.

Elections came and went. Contestants of every party promised to bring respite for these villages, but failed to do so. Peeved at the lackadaisical attitude of the successive governments, villagers decided to take over the project. Philanthropic Baba Labh Singh joined them.

This 700 metres long bridge is now coming up in the vicinity at a whopping cost of Rs 10 crore. It will have 12 pillars each being 45 feet beneath the ground. The pillars are placed 65 feet apart from each other.

While Baba Labh Singh is managing the funds, villagers are contributing by being a part of the construction team. Baba’s devotee engineers have designed this bridge. Once constructed, the bridge will be lifeline of Motapur, Jetewal, Saini Majra, Kheri, Jhinjhri, Rauli, Bela, Chandpur, Burj, Mataur etc.

He had already made similar bridges in village Babbalpur Dhani in Haryana, in Anandpur Sahib villages of Chandpur Bela, Gajpur and Bela Ramgarh. Work is also going on the bridge connecting Bhalan and Jindwadi near Nangal.

While talking to TNS Baba Jarnail Singh, the chief disciple of Baba Labh Singh, said the bridge would be open for public by early 2010. “If there is fund paucity, it may get delayed by six months and not more than that,” he asserted.

Baba Labh Singh also runs round the clock langar at PGI, Chandigarh, has constructed buildings of 42 government schools in Anandpur Sahib and was awarded Manavta Ke Masiha award by the Punjab School Education Board (PSEB).

Chandigarh, March 29
Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal today charged the Union government with deliberately creating wheat storage crisis in Punjab to fail state government’s wheat procurement programme starting from April 1.

In a statement issued here, Sukhbir said the state had been requesting the Centre for the past six months to make arrangements for moving out old stocks of wheat and paddy lying in the godowns of Punjab to make way for new stocks. He said the Union Food Secretary was specifically requested that the railways would have to move 7 lakh tonne of foodgrain per month from Punjab. But, despite assurances, not much had been done on the ground.

He claimed that despite such “evil designs” of the Centre, the state was committed to procuring every single grain of wheat brought by the farmers to the mandis without any hassle. Procurement machinery in the state had been put on alert with the setting up of over 1,700 procurement centres in the state.

Sukhbir also requested that the Centre permit direct export of wheat from Punjab to Pakistan, Afghanistan and other Central Asian countries through Wagah to ensure remunerative prices to farmers. He decried the Centre for not linking the MSP with the price index. He claimed once the NDA came to power, they would link the MSP of agricultural produce with the wholesale price index.

Chandigarh, March 29
The Punjab government tonight asked the Commissioner, Patiala Division, to hold an inquiry into the circumstances leading to the road accident that claimed the life of Cooperation Minister Kanwaljit Singh this evening.

The Commissioner has been asked to submit his findings to the state government at the earliest. Besides, an emergency meeting of the Council of Ministers has been called for tomorrow where the situation arising out of the tragic death of Capt Kanwaljit Singh would be discussed.

Meanwhile, the state declared a public holiday tomorrow as a mark of respect to the minister. The school and university examinations will, however, be held as scheduled. By another order, the state government has declared seven-day mourning in the state.

Surinder Kaur Badal, wife of the Chief Minister, however, rushed to the PGI and remained present till Capt Kanwaljit Singh breathed his last. The cremation of Capt Kanwaljit Singh would take place at the Sector 25 cremation ground on Monday at 2 pm.

Amritsar, March 29
Special Narcotics Cell has nabbed three smugglers and seized 4 kg of heroin besides Rs 10 lakh of fake Indian currency from them in the Valtoha area of Tarn Taran district last night.

Two inspectors of the raiding police party were injured, one of them seriously, when one of the smugglers attacked the party with a knife and stabbed the two officers. PK Rai, SSP, led the team. Meanwhile, the accused were presented before the duty magistrate, Patti, who remanded them in five-day police custody. They were identified as Buta Singh, alias Bhullar, of Dholan village, Gurlal Singh and Gurpreet Singh, alias Gopi, both brothers and residents of Dool Kona village, Tarn Taran.

Rai said acting on a tip-off, the police party arrested the smugglers from Amar Kot that fell under the Valtoha police station in Tarn Taran district as they waited for another smugglers’ party to deliver them the consignment hidden in their car (Maruti Alto) numbering PB02-AX-4370.

After seeing the raiding party, the accused tried to escape. However, they were trapped near a drain bridge near Dholan village. During a search of the vehicle, 4 kg of heroin and 10 lakh worth of fake Indian currency of Rs 500 denomination were seized.

During the operation, Gurlal attacked the party with a knife and injured Inspectors Jasbir Singh and Balbir Singh. However, the team overpowered him without firing a single bullet. The condition of both injured officers is stable, but they have been kept under observation, he added. The SSP said Buta Singh was earlier nabbed by the Jagraon police on similar charges and was currently on bail.

In the preliminary investigations, it was found that the consignment was pushed into the Indian territory at Khem Karan sector by Pakistani smuggler Zulfikar through his Pakistan-based courier Shera, just a day ago. More arrests were likely in the case, he said, adding vulnerable points on the international border would be identified from where the contraband was smuggled into the Indian side.