Chandigarh, April 11
Members of the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) today demanded reservation in jobs and educational institutions for children whose parents were engaged in agriculture.

The charter of demands, finalised during a meeting of the joint-delegate session of BKU members from Punjab and Haryana here today, included waiving off all types of loans taken by the farmers, fixing of interest at 2 per cent for agricultural loans and the permanent linking of price of agricultural crops with the price index.

Chairing the meeting, national president Bhupinder Singh Mann also announced the union’s support to the Congress in the forthcoming parliamentary elections. The announcement was made in the presence of Chief Minister of Haryana Bhupinder Singh Hooda and Punjab’s former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at the Law Bhawan here this evening.

Responding to the support, Hooda and Capt Amarinder Singh promised to continue to work for the welfare of farmers in their states. “But I also want you to think seriously about the situation when farmers will have no land left to till. 

The size of land holdings has gone down substantially and it is time that farmers look towards industrialisation and other professions,” said Hooda.

Taking a cue from him, the former Chief Minister of Punjab went on to describe the diversification of crops that his government had undertaken. “But the Akali-led government did not allow any of these projects to flourish just because these were started by my government,” he said.

“In the present economic depression, the economy of our country is relatively safe. For this, the credit goes to our farmers,” said Bhupinder Singh Mann, adding that the state governments should give first priority to farmers. 

He added they had also demanded that rates of relief for damage caused by natural disasters should be increased, farmers above the age of 65 years should be given pension and the collapsed educational and medical infrastructure in the rural areas be improved on priority. 

While Mann’s announcement has come as a shot in the arm for the Congress, BKU (Rajewal) supremo Balbir Singh Rajewal, who had supported the Congress with Mann in 2004, refused to join issues.

Head of the BKU (Lakhowal) Ajmer Singh Lakhowal has already made his anti-Congress stance clear. “The BKU has already declared the Congress as an anti-Sikh party after the 1984 attack on Akal Takht and people will ensure that the party is defeated in the coming elections,” he had said in Ludhiana last week. 

Mullanpur Dakha (Ludhiana), April 11
After deserting the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) two years ago, former Member of Parliament Amrik Singh Aliwal rejoined the party in a rally addressed by SAD supremo and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal here today.

Stating Aliwal to be an “old friend”, Sukhbir, after offering him a siropa, said he was with him as a leader of the Youth Akali Dal and both had worked together for building the youth wing. “He was holidaying for all these days and was back with renewed vigour and energy for ensuring the party’s victory,” said the SAD supremo while addressing the rally.

No reward, however, was announced for him during the rally. Stating that he stood by the SAD during the times of struggle, Sukhbir said the SAD did not want its old warhorses to leave them. “If there are some differences over an issue, these can always be sorted out. We respect our workers and go out of the way to pacify them if they have any annoyance.”

In his address, Aliwal said he got angry with his party, thinking he would be called back by his elderly (Parkash Singh Badal); finally, he was embraced back. “I stayed away but I never gave a statement against Badal. I did not allow anyone to speak against him also,” he remarked.

Jails Minister Hira Singh Gabria, who was instrumental in Aliwal’s home-coming, equated him with Sikh heroes, including Baba Jassa Singh Ramgarhia and Sham Singh Attariwala, who have helped the Khalsa panth in the times of trouble.

Later talking to the media, Sukhbir said the way Jagdish Tytler was given a clean chit by the CBI in a jiffy, it was once again proved that the Congress had a hand in the 1984 riots. Moreover, the Congress high command was scared of Sajjan Kumar and Tytler. Despite knowing well the backlash, they were given party tickets and one of them was even made to prove innocent, he said.

Those who welcomed Aliwal on the occasion included MP Sharanjit Singh Dhillon, Shahi Imam of Punjab Maulana Habib-Ur-Rehman Sani Ludhianvi, SAD candidate from Ludhiana Gurcharan Singh Galib and MLA Darshan Singh Shivalik. 

Amritsar, April 11
As many as 304 Sikh pilgrims given visas through the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC) and other smaller Sikh bodies left for Pakistan in special trains to celebrate Baisakhi at Panja Sahib, but more than 400 devotees who had applied visas through the SGPC were not cleared by the central government.

Perhaps, for the first time the SGPC failed to send a jatha to Pakistan due to non-clearance of its list by the Union Home Ministry and the Ministry of External Affairs. 

SGPC president Avtar Singh alleged the UPA government played “mischief” since the Shiromani Committee had forced the Congress high command to withdraw Lok Sabha ticket to Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar.

The SGPC president said clearing of the names of other Sikh bodies for visit to Pakistan proved that the UPA government wanted to denigrate the SGPC.

The SGPC president met senior functionaries of Pakistan embassy a couple of days ago, even then it (Pak embassy) could not grant visas since its list was not cleared by the central government.

He said this treatment to the SGPC showed that the central government wanted to promote certain “insignificant Sikh bodies”. He said on one hand the Centre had arranged three special trains to carry Sikh pilgrims to Pakistan, and on the other hand it failed to clear their lists .

The government of Pakistan had offered to deploy para-military force, including Sutlej Rangers for security to the Sikh pilgrims.

Meanwhile, the Sikh pilgrims who were asked to take back their passports from the visa cell of the Golden Temple accused the SGPC of having failed to arrange visas for them. 

Chandigarh, April 11
Former Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh today alleged that the Badal family had “taken over” the liquor, sand mining and bus transport business in the state.

Addressing mediapersons at a press conference here this evening, the former Chief Minister said he would soon reveal a host of irregularities that the Akalis had committed in running the state. He said he would also be issuing a list of the police officers who had been unduly promoted by the Akalis to do their bidding.

Thanking Congress chief Sonia Gandhi for having “taken into account the sentiments of a minority community”, Amarinder said withdrawing of ticket from Tytler and Sajjan Kumar had left SAD with no issue to batter the Congress with.

“I met Sonia Gandhi and told her that ticket to Tytler and Sajjan Kumar had given an issue to the SAD which otherwise had no poll plank to fight on. I am grateful she understood the emotions of the Sikh community,” he said.

When asked if the Congress would get justice for the 1984 riot victims, Amarinder said it was for the courts to give the final verdict. “It is a disgrace that justice to riot victims has been delayed but that is how the judiciary is in India. It takes time to get justice and we are hoping that the courts would come out with their final verdict soon,” he said.

Lashing out at the SAD and the BJP, he said the SAD had never objected to the BJP’s alleged involvement in the Babri Masjid episode or the Gujarat riots. “Sukhbir was a colleague of Tytler and Sajjan in Parliament for 10 years but he never questioned their presence then,” he said.

Amarinder pointed out that in 1984 when the riots took place it was he who left the Congress and the Parliament in protest. “What were the Badals doing then?” he questioned.

Amarinder said he was confident of victory in the forthcoming elections. “The Prime Minister, Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi would come for our campaign. We are looking forward to Rahul’s visit on April 14 for Baisakhi at Talwandi Sabo,” he said.

When asked about the security arrangements being made for elections, specially in Bathinda, Amarinder said, “Right now there is no problem. But knowing Sukhbir Badal and the others, we would have to ensure that the voters are neither bought nor intimidated.”

Amarinder announced that PS Johl, who was earlier with the Youth Akali Dal, had joined the Congress. “Members of the Saini community too have come to support us,” he said. 

Patiala, April 11
While the SAD candidate from Patiala Prem Singh Chandumajra has got his position strengthened with the re-joining of NK Sharma into the SAD fold, Congress candidate Preneet Kaur virtually faces a sort of revolt against her with a powerful group of more than 18 former councillors, led by former Mayor Vishnu Sharma, uttering their displeasure against her and opposing the way they were being treated by the ‘maharani’.

Sharma is said to have a powerful clout in the Rajpura-Zirakpur belt and his re-advent in the SAD is likely to increase the poll prospects of Chandumajra.

But, what might end up in an array of problems for Preneet is the growing discontentment against her style of functioning within a section of her own party, particularly the group led by Vishnu Sharma.

The group of 18 former councillors and as many as three former block presidents, led by Sharma, sources revealed, organised a dinner in the city on Friday night and voiced their anguish against Preneet openly and vociferously. 

The meeting, it was learnt, was also attended by a Congress leader and a former senior deputy Mayor and councillor Kabir Dass, who was said to be starkly vocal and even went to the extent of saying that they were fed up with the way ‘genuine’ workers were being treated within the party set-up in Patiala. 

The dinner was said to have been attended by over 250 Congress workers and leaders, who authorised Vishnu Sharma to chalk out further course of action.

Sharma, though, refrained himself from crossing the dotted line but was believed to have assured workers that the party high command would be apprised about their feelings.

The former councillors, block Congress presidents and Congress leaders who were said to have attended the dinner, included Nand Lal Guraba, Gian Chand, Rajinder Moudgil, Vishnu Sharma, Kabir Dass, Narinder Lalli, Monica Grover, Pawan Nagrath, Rajinder Sharma, Jaswinder Singh Dhindsa, Baljit Kaur Punia, Budh Ram, Sharda Devi and Gurjit Guri.

Interestingly, the ‘annoyed’ Congress leaders and workers have decided to campaign in the constituencies of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi instead, if they continued to be ‘ignored’ by the party leadership, particularly, Preneet, said sources. 

Sangrur, April 11
Candidate of the CPI (ML) Liberation Tarsem Jodhan today filed his nomination papers from the Sangrur parliamentary constituency for the current Lok Sabha elections before Returning Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner VK Ohri here. On the first day of the filing of nomination papers, he was the lone candidate who filed the papers.

A former CPM MLA from Kila Raipur (Ludhiana) from 1992 to 1997, Jodhan is now state general secretary of the Lal Jhanda Punjab Bhatha Mazdoor Union. He had recently led brick-kiln workers’ agitation for about three months in this district to get their wages enhanced. He is also national vice-president of the All-India Central Council of Trade Unions and state president of the Mazdoor Mukti Morcha, Punjab.

In his affidavit, Jodhan has stated that he is BA II from Panjab University and has Rs 15,642 in savings bank account, besides an FDR for Rs 2,08,797. He owns an insurance policy for Rs 1.50 lakh and agriculture land, measuring 2.3/4 acres, at Jodhan village, worth Rs 80 lakh. Besides, he owns a house (worth Rs 10 lakh) at Jawadhi village in Ludhiana. 

His wife has deposits worth Rs 3,19,494, a Swift car, 50 gm of gold, a plot at Jawadhi village and a house at Pakhowal village. Jodhan has also mentioned a loan of Rs 1,93,069, which he has taken from Punjab National Bank, Jwaddi (Ludhiana).

Jodhan said he would work hard to obtain votes of all sections of the society, especially of down-trodden people and weaker sections of the society. He said his party was fighting against the increasing gap between the poor and the rich. He also flayed the state and central governments for adopting privatisation and globalisation policies.

Jalandhar, April 11
A former minister Lal Singh will remain acting president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) only till the conclusion of forthcoming the Lok Sabha elections.

PPCC chief Mohinder Singh Kaypee stated this in reply to a question asked by The Tribune during a function where an independent councillor from ward No. 8, Nirmal Singh Nimma, and SAD district vice-president Lakhbir Singh Kaura joined the Congress.

Kaypee said Lal Singh had been appointed acting PPCC president after taking him into confidence. Lal Singh would handle official correspondence with the party central leadership and the Election Commission on behalf of the Punjab Congress as being a candidate from Jalandhar (SC) constituency, he could not afford enough time for all these works, he added.

To a query, Kaypee reiterated being PPCC president and that he would participate in electioneering in all 13 parliamentary seats of Punjab.

Kaypee said while Congress general secretary and MP Rahul Gandhi was coming to Bathinda for campaigning on April 14, it had also been decided that United Progressive Alliance (UPA) president Sonia Gandhi would address election rallies in Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Gurdaspur.

Kaypee, accompanied by a former minister Avtar Henry and a PPCC secretary Virendra Sharma, further said while Sonia would address rallies at the three places on a single day, the exact date of her visit was yet to be finalised.

Regarding the demand of the SAD for providing justice to the victims of anti-Sikh riots by punishing the culprits, Kaypee said the Akalis should have faith in judiciary which would definitely do justice.

However, he could not give any satisfactory reply over the role of the prosecution agency in ensuring justice. Kaypee said the CBI had also given a clean chit to the accused in Nithari killings, Sarabjit Pandher, but the court convicted him.

Chandigarh, April 11
Jasjit Singh Bunny, son of late Cooperation Minister of Punjab Capt Kanwaljit Singh, today said he whole heartedly supported Prem Singh Chandumajra, the SAD candidate for the Patiala parliamentary seat.

Talking to The Tribune, Bunny said he held a meeting with Chandumajra this morning and assured him of his support. “I would be inaugurating offices of the SAD at Fatehgarh Sahib, Dera Bassi, Mohali and Zirakpur in the coming days,” he said.

Though Capt Kanwaljit Singh had reservations regarding Chandumajra’s candidature from Patiala, he had decided to support him. “I will go by my father’s wishes. He had promised that he would ensure Chandumajra's win,” said Bunny.

Following his father’s tragic death in a road accident, Bunny had declared himself independent of SAD and decided to contest from the Patiala seat. However, later he was persuaded by his supporters to go back into the SAD’s fold. Sources add the meeting between Chandumajra and Bunny was organised by CM’s Media Adviser Harcharan Singh Bains with a view to building bridges between the two.

When asked about his father’s bete noir NK Sharma re-joining the SAD in the presence of Sukhbir Singh Badal, Bunny said it was for the party to decide who joins it. “I am working with the supporters of my father and will do everything that is needed to be done to further nourish the area that my father nurtured over the years,” he said.

Zirakpur MC chief Sharma was a close confidante of Captain Kanwaljit but the two fell apart just before the MC elections last year.

Bunny’s move to support Chandumajra and Sharma’s re-joining the party is politically significant as SAD has now managed to bring together all its workers to campaign together in favour of Chandumajra. Chandumajra is poised against former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh’s wife Preneet Kaur who has been the MP from Patiala for the past decade.

Saaianwala (Ferozepur), April 11
The result of Government High School, Saaianwala, in board examinations has been 100 per cent for three years in a row.The students, guided by teachers, have also started cleaning and greening the school premises.

The school, on two acres, has fewer than 200 children on the rolls who have a sense of competition. Besides education they take part in extra-curricular activities with children of private schools in the border district.

The children, by forming Tiger Eco-Club under the guidance of teachers and villagers, have developed gardens on school premises, put up eco dustbins and set up small natural garbage disposal plants to prepare organic manure for the gardens.

The aim is to drive home the importance of care of environment. The environment-conscious children often go out to people to create awakening relating to environment.

Headmaster of the school Pargat Singh Brar said the drive started with focus on personal hygiene of the children, but gradually from self-cleanliness it extended to the classroom, the school and then to the public in the village.

This exercise impacted young minds so much that the children, unlike other government schools in the state, improved educational skills and started excelling in studies. The school has shown 100 per cent results in board examinations in three years.

Sarpanch Paramjit Kaur said, “Good sense is beginning to prevail among the villagers also. After seeing systematic work in the school they have become conscious and think before dumping garbage or littering the place”.

All our students are not only keen to keep the school campus clean, but also go prepared for competitions at the district level, says Naveen Kumar, science teacher.

Two students Sukhpreet and Bimla stood first and third in the science examination at the district level recently. In science fair also, the model presented by the students got the first position at the district level.

All teachers put in extra efforts for studies and overall development of 
the children.

Chandigarh, April 11
Refund of illegally recovered amount by sales tax authorities will not be taxing, anymore. Punjab finance department has issued instructions to the district treasury officers across the state to clear refund orders from the treasuries within 48 hours, without waiting instructions from the headquarters.

The development is significant as pile of petitions seeking refund is ever mounting in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. In one such case, it took the authorities concerned 17 years to refund the amount without even paying the interest.

The instructions were placed before the high court during the hearing of a petition filed by JK Tyres and Industries Ltd. In its petition placed before the Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice HS Bhalla, the petitioners had sought refund of Rs 1, 19,934, deposited in July 2000, for release of goods.

The refund was sought following the acceptance of their appeal by the Sales Tax Tribunal-I, Punjab, which, in its order dated September 1, 2005, directed the setting aside of the penalty imposed.

In May 2008, notice was issued on the petition. After receiving notice, Rs 1, 19,324 was refunded. However, explanation was not tendered why refund was not given before the filing of the writ petition.

It led the high court to hold Punjab sales tax authorities in the wrong for “gross dereliction of duty” in refunding illegally recovered amounts. It had ruled: “If the department has the right to recover, it cannot ignore its duty to refund the amount found to have been illegally recovered”.

During the proceedings, an affidavit was filed by Punjab Chief Secretary on short term and long term measures to be adopted for streamlining the system of VAT refunds.

Another affidavit, dated March 20, was filed by the Chief Secretary on a meeting held on March 18. It said, in light of the decisions taken in during the meeting, “the finance department issued detailed instructions dated March 19...”

Taking a note of the instructions, the Bench asserted: “In view of the factual matrix, we are of the view that the instructions issued by the respondent-state would produce desirable results in implementing the provisions of the 1948 Act and the Punjab Value Added Tax Act, 2005, in letter and spirit, which would pave the way for amicable relationship between entrepreneurs and the establishment. The respondent state shall remain bound by all affidavits and instructions”.

Mansa, April, 11
“The Congress had cancelled the tickets of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar following the strong protest by Sikh organisations and Punjabis,” said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal during a public meeting in the district today.

He blamed the Congress for adopting anti-Sikh and anti-Punjab policies.

He also held the Central government responsible for big industries and developmental projects going to other states.

However, the Chief Minister assured people that Bathinda and other areas of the state would see a revolutionary change regarding development works during coming years.

Problems of drinking water, irrigation, electricity, health and educational facilities were being solved on the priority basis, Badal said.

He addressed public meetings in Ramanandi, Burj, Jheriawali, Bhalieke, Tandian, Beniwal and Chehlanwala villages.

Meanwhile, former minister Bikram Singh Majathia was also in an all-out attack mode against the UPA. Like Badal, he also blamed the UPA for adopting the policy of discrimination with the state. Development schemes and funds were not provided to Punjab according to its share, he said.

He added that the SAD-BJP government had stated various development and welfare schemes during the past two years.

On being asked whether he would become minister again, he said only the Chief Minister could reply in this regard.

He was accompanied by political secretary to Deputy Chief Minister Paramjeet Singh Sandhwan.

Sangrur, April 11
As per the new guidelines, issued under the revised national tuberculosis (TB) control programme (RNTCP), no X-ray of chest is required for declaring a person TB patient even if his/her one sputum sample, out of two samples, is found positive for TB bacilli (germs). 

Earlier, X-ray of the chest was done to declare a case of pulmonary (lung) TB in persons whose one sputum sample, out of three, was found positive for TB germs.

Talking to The Tribune here yesterday, District TB Officer Surinder Singla said as per new guidelines, only two samples of sputum of a TB suspect were being tested for diagnosis. 

If one sample, out of two, was found positive for TB bacilli, it was enough to declare a patient as a case of sputum positive pulmonary TB and there was no need of doing X-ray chest in such cases as per the new guidelines.

Dr Singla said persons having cough for two weeks duration with or without other symptoms (fever, loss of appetite, loss of weight, blood in cough etc) should be promptly identified as TB suspect, besides taking steps to rule out TB by sputum examination of all such persons.

Sangrur civil surgeon Dalip Kumar had directed all SMOs to ensure that every TB suspect in their respective areas should get benefit of free sputum examination to rule out TB.

Chandigarh, April 11
The Election Commission (EC) of India has rejected the proposal of the state government for submission of the Fifth Punjab Pay Commission report and advised to defer it till the completion of elections in the state.

Chief Secretary, Punjab, Ramesh Inder Singh had written to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of the state that the pay commission report be allowed to be submitted in the interest of the government employees who had been eagerly waiting for its recommendations. The CEO had reportedly forwarded the proposal along with her remarks to the EC for consideration.

When contacted, Ramesh Inder Singh said the government would be sending a fresh proposal in this regard to the EC. The government would be this time quoting precedents where pay commission reports have been submitted during the election code of conduct.

The Chief Secretary added the commission’s terms ended on March 31 and the report was ready to be submitted. “We are only waiting for a nod from the Election Commission of India,” he said.

In a press note issued by the CEO’s office here this evening, the EC has given approval to government’s proposal to purchase and fabrication of buses for which the loan has already been sanctioned by the banks.

The EC has approved the hiring of integral chassis and ordinary buses under kilometre scheme of the state transport and also approved the proposal to publish draft reciprocal agreement for inter-state operation of buses between Punjab and Uttarakhand.

Hoshiarpur, April 11
A day after the sensational theft that took place in the wee hours here yesterday in an arms and ammunition shop in which the burglars decamped with 78 revolvers, two pistols and 76 live cartridges, the district police has succeeded in getting some vital clues to nab the culprits and recover the ammunition.

The night watchman, who had been missing after the incident and was later detained by the police for questioning, Giri Raj Bhandari, had been giving self-contradictory statements and on verification all were found incorrect.

SSP Parmod Ban claimed that the police had got some vital clues and the burglars would soon be arrested. According to Anil Sud, owner of Hoshiarpur Gun House, the total loss of the stolen firearms and ammunition was estimated to be about Rs 2 crore. The owners of the stolen firearms would have to bear the total loss as there was no insurance cover for these.

Following the orders of the District Magistrate and the instructions of the SHO of the city police station, all dealers of firearms and ammunition were now depositing the same along with their own stock at the city police station to ensure safety of the weapons.