Batala, April 18
The Congress will win all 13 parliamentary seats from the state since the SAD-BJP combine has failed to put the state on the path of development. All-India Congress Committee general secretary and in charge of party affairs in the state Mohsina Kidwai stated this while addressing party workers here today.

She said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was more interested in promoting his family interests than working for the welfare of the people. Without naming any party, she said parties with blue and yellow flags had not made any contribution to the freedom struggle of the country.

Urging the party workers to unitedly work for the success of their local candidate Pratap Singh Bajwa, Kidwai said the Congress was proud of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for successfully leading the UPA government. She complemented Sonia Gandhi for announcing Dr Singh as the party's prime ministerial candidate, which had once again proved that she was not after power and wanted to sincerely and wholeheartedly work for the country.

Commenting on the alliance with the Left or regional parties, she said her party was the oldest party in the country and had its own ideology. She added that he party was committed to the interest of the nation.

To a question that the BJP was promising to bring back black money from Swiss banks within a 100 days of its coming to power, Kidwai said earlier too the BJP had made similar promises over the Bofors issue, but more than 20 years had passed and nothing was brought out by it. She also attacked the BJP over the attack on the Christian community in Orissa.

Among those present on the occasion included Tript Pratap Singh Bajwa, Fateh Singh Bajwa, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, Raj Kumar Verka and Kushal Behl (all former MLAs); Ashwani Sekhri, besides party observer for the state Chaudhuri Ranbir Singh. 

Faridkot, April 18
Congress candidate Sukhwinder Singh Danny, hand-picked by Rahul Gandhi, today filed his nomination papers from the Faridkot (reserve) constituency before Dr Amarpal Singh, Additional Deputy Commissioner, for the ensuing Lok Sabha (LS) election.

Former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, leader of the Opposition in the state Legislative Assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, Congress MLAs of Moga and Faridkot districts and a few other senior party leaders accompanied him in a huge convoy of vehicles to the secretariat to file his nomination papers.

Convent educated Danny has graduated in commerce from Guru Nanak Dev University before pursuing masters degree in political science. He also holds an MBA degree from Websters Graduate Regents College, Central London, UK. It was in London that he came closer with Rahul Gandhi, who chose him in his youth brigade.

The 32-year-old politician belongs to a family of politicians, but his closeness with Rahul has mattered a lot to get party ticket for the LS election. His father Sardul Singh was a minister in the Congress government from the year 2002 to 2007. His maternal grandfather Gurmej Singh was a minister in the state governments of Giani Zail Singh and Beant Singh in 1972-1977 and 1992-1997, respectively.

He has claimed in the affidavit that he has Rs 20,000 cash, Rs 89,671 deposited in bank account, Rs 92,985 in another bank in a joint account with his brother Tejinder Pal Singh and a residential house valued at Rs 2.53 crore in Amritsar jointly with his brother.

At the same time, an outstanding amount of Rs 11,78,352 and Rs 23,41,497 was pending against him jointly with his father and brother as loan taken from IndusInd Bank and the Bank of Baroda, respectively.

He has filed income tax returns and paid Rs 6,830 as tax during the assessment year 2008-09.

Interestingly, he has no life insurance policy on his name, does not own a car, jewellery, agricultural land and any other commercial property.

CPI candidate, Independent file papers

CPI candidate Kaushalya Chaman Bhaura, wife of former MP late Bhan Singh Bhaura, and an Independent candidate Jasvir Singh, a resident of Charik village in Moga, also filed their nomination papers today.

Sangrur, April 18
Simranjit Singh Mann, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar), today filed his nomination papers as a candidate of his party for the Lok Sabha (LS) elections from the Sangrur parliamentary constituency before the Returning Officer (RO) here.

In his affidavit, submitted to the RO, along with nomination papers, Mann has mentioned that he is BA (Hons), Gold Medallist. He passed his graduation from Panjab University in 1966. The police has registered eight FIRs in the past years against him in different cases at Bassi Pathana, Majitha, Amritsar, Patiala, Sangrur, Nakodar, Malerkotla and Bilga.

In the affidavit, he has declared assets worth Rs 7.67 crore (self - Rs 4.12 crore and wife - Rs 3.55 crore). Mann has also an LIC policy for 10 years whose annual installment is Rs 95,000 while his wife has also an LIC policy with sum assured Rs 5.25 lakh. Mann has Rs 40,000 in cash, Rs 7,25,551 in four bank accounts, including two joint accounts with wife, Rs 4,79,100 invested in shares, a Toyota Innova worth Rs 5.50 lakh, a Qualis worth Rs 2.50 lakh, a scooter worth Rs 12,000, agriculture lands (with two built up houses) worth Rs 3.60 crore and non-agriculture lands (two) Rs 30.67 lakh. His wife has Rs 20,000 in cash, about Rs 13 lakh invested in mutual fund and shares, jewellery worth Rs 12.14 lakh, agriculture land worth Rs 2.80 crore and non-agriculture land worth Rs 50 lakh.

Later, he also held an election rally at Kaula Park market here. The rally was addressed among others by Mann and a former Jathedar of Sri Akal Takht Bhai Ranjit Singh.

Addressing the rally Mann said if Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal did not visit Swat in Pakistan in a week to talk to Taliban leaders there against the imposition of “jazia” (tax) on the Sikhs then he would go there for three days to talk to Taliban leaders.

On the other hand, Bhai Ranjit Singh exhorted Mann not to rush to Pakistan in hurry, as he should go there after May 7 (polling day for the elections).

Sangrur, April 18
President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) and party candidate from the Sangrur parliamentary constituency Simranjit Singh Mann on Thursday said if he was elected to the Lok Sabha (LS) in the current elections, he would move a private members Bill in the LS, seeking ban on the slaughtering of Muslims, Sikhs and Christians and elimination of their cultural heritage in the country.

Mann further said he also wanted setting up of an Independent Press Commission to verify the utilisation of funds given to MPs, MLAs and ministers in the constituency from 1992 to 2009. He said this should be done to check the utilisation of grants and implementation of the projects in all villages. He said he wanted that HK Dua, Editor-in-Chief, The Tribune, should head the commission.

Mann also raised an objection over the support extended to Lok Bhalai Party (LBP) candidate Balwant Singh Ramoowalia from Sangrur by the CPM, saying the CPM was adopting double standards as on the one hand it had expelled LS Speaker Som Nath Chatterjee from the party for not resigning from the post of Speaker and on the other hand it was supporting the LBP candidate who had not resigned from his post.

Patiala, April 18
The state Congress, particularly Capt Amarinder Singh’s family, got a major relief as former Faridkot MP Kewal Singh, who had resigned from the Congress and had filed his papers as an Independent candidate from Bathinda, took a U-turn and rejoined the Congress at Amarinder’s Moti Bagh Palace here today.

Kewal had resigned from the Congress to lodge his protest against allotment of the party ticket to an “outsider” Sukhwinder Singh Danny from the Faridkot Lok Sabha constituency by the party high command. Though, he rejoined the party in the presence of Amarinder, his protest still remained intact as he dubbed Danny as a “paratrooper”.

Jalandhar, April 18
The formation of the next government will depend on the electoral outcome from Uttar Pradesh (UP) and Andhra Pradesh (AP).

BJP national general secretary Arun Jaitley, who was in the city to inaugurate the state BJP central election office, claimed that the two states held the key to which party would come to power. The feedback from both states had been encouraging for the NDA, he asserted.

Promising that the NDA would be a “low tax-low interest regime”, he said they would put the economy back on the rails since the UPA had done little in this context.

Castigating the government, he said it was a matter of shame that the country had been functioning without a finance minister for the past four months, especially in view of the global meltdown. No new concessions had been announced for the recession-hit industries in the absence of a full-time FM.

Citing the case of food prices in such a scenario, he said India was perhaps the only country in the world where the prices of essential commodities were going through the roof. The Centre was yet to awaken from its slumber to tackle the grim situation, he added.

He said the inaction had resulted in the loss of more than 1.5 crore jobs in various sectors. Ironically, this had happened during the rule of a government that had promised to create one crore jobs every year, he added.

The former minister said in the past five years there had been 67 terror attacks and yet the government was of the view that there was no need for harsher anti-terrorist laws. It seemed that security issues were among the least concerns of the regime, he said.

Faridkot, April 18
People of the state are frustrated due to the undemocratic and unfair methods adopted by the state government to take hold of panchayat and local bodies, the elections of which were held last year.

This was stated by former Chief Minister and chairman of the campaign committee of the Congress Capt Amarinder Singh today while addressing a public gathering organised for party candidate Sukhwinder Singh Danny here.

He said the people would take revenge from the Akalis by casting their votes against them. “The wave is in favour of the Congress and we will win all 13 seats in the state,” he added.

The former Chief Minister said the autocratic style of functioning never lasted long in a democratic state. “Voters are supreme and they will teach them a lesson in these Lok Sabha election,” he said.

He also mentioned that employees were a frustrated lot because the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission, which was constituted by his government, had not yet been implemented.

He further said during the last two years of the SAD-BJP rule the power crisis had deepened, unemployment, crime had increased manifold and hundreds of industries had shifted to other states, which was not a good sign for the state’s progress.

Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Rajinder Kaur Bhattal made an appeal to people to vote for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the pride of Punjabis and Sikhs in particular.

She said although the Punjabis constitute merely 2 per cent of the country, yet the Congress president Sonia Gandhi had again expressed faith in his leadership, which needed to be acknowledged by the people of the state.

Avtar Singh Brar, Darshan Singh Brar, Joginder Singh Pangrain, Joginder Pal Jain, Ajit Singh Shant, Gurpreet Singh Kangar (all MLAs); Malti Thapar, Opinder Sharma, Sardul Singh, Ravinder Singh Babbal, Inderjit Singh Zeera (all former ministers); former MLA Vijay Sathi and many other party leaders were present on the occasion.

Chandigarh, April 18
A spokesman for the Labour Department, Punjab, said on Thursday to enable employees, working in shops, commercial establishments and all other connected with commercial establishments, to exercise their right to franchise in the Lok Sabha (LS) elections in Ferozepur, Bathinda, Sangrur and Patiala parliamentary constituencies on May 7, 2009, and Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Anandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Faridkot parliamentary constituencies to be held on May 13, 2009, the Punjab government has declared these days to be “closed days” for all shops and commercial establishments situated in the above-mentioned parliamentary constituencies wherein on May 7 and 13 are not “closed day” in lieu of the weekly off falling between May 8 and 14 and May 14 and 20, respectively.

Similarly, in view of the LS elections in the Ferozepur, Bathinda, Sangrur and Patiala constituencies to be held on May 7 and in the constituencies of Gurdaspur, Amritsar, Khadoor Sahib, Jalandhar, Hoshiarpur, Anandpur Sahib, Ludhiana, Fatehgarh Sahib and Faridkot to be held on May 13 the state government has declared that May 7 (Thursday) and May 13 (Wednesday) shall be the weekly paid holiday for all factories where in May 7 and 13, is not a closed day in lieu of the weekly holiday for the week commencing the May 4 and ending on May 11 and for the week commencing the May 10 and ending on May 16, respectively subject to the condition that no adult worker shall be required or allowed to work on May 7 and 13.

Chandigarh, April 18
Glaring irregularities by politicians in giving postings to their favourites and ignoring “unwanted” ones in the state have come to light.

Four deputy commissioners (DCs) posted in key districts in the state are not part of the regular IAS cadre, but are posted to IAS cadre posts. This irregularity was highlighted, but the state did nothing to undo it. Several officers in the cadre, who can be posted as DCs, but they have been ignored.

The seniormost IAS officer in the state GS Cheema is chairman of the Punjab State Technical Education Board. He is a 1972 batch IAS officer. His administrative secretary, heading the Department of Technical Education is a 1973 batch IAS officer Tejinder Kaur.

Similarly, Sarvesh Kaushal, 1982 batch officer, is secretary, Punjab State Women’s Commission. The commission is working under the administrative Department of Women and Child Welfare. The secretary of the department is Harjit Singh, 1990 batch IAS officer.

Among the cops, till recently when SK Asthana was DIG, Patiala, his batch-mates were made to work in senior-junior position. Asthana and current SSP of the district Arpit Shukla are batch-mates and for several months Asthana was posted above Arpit Shukla. Sources add that the two would feel awkward during the saluting and they decided to do away with caps while in uniform in each other’s presence.

Similarly, Ludhiana DIG Ishwar Chand was posted for over a year with his batch-mate RN Dhoke working as SSP Ludhiana.

The sources add that in some cases service rules have been violated, while giving postings. Former DC, Ropar, S Purusharth had his wife as ADC, which is not permitted under the rules for the purpose of writing ACRs.

SSP Bathinda Ashish Chaudhry’s wife is the ADC of the district, another situation which could have been avoided for administrative independence and propriety.

(Concluded)

Bathinda, April 18
One of the most recognised eco-warrior, Sant Balbir Singh Seechewal, today called for boycott of those political parties that did not include protection of environment in their election manifesto.

Seechewal was delivering a lecture to the Bar Association here on the alarmingly degrading environment in the state because of the indifferent attitude of the political set-up, bureaucracy and industry.

He said the situation had come for people to stand up against the continued indifference of the authorities towards protection of environment. Irreparable damage had been caused to the water bodies in Punjab as toxic industrial waste was being allowed to flow into rivers, particularly in towns like Ludhiana, Jalandhar and Phagwara, resulting in serious ailments among people in the Malwa belt who were supplied drinking water from the canals.

People should build pressure on political parties to keep environment protection on the top of their agenda.

Seechewal warned that he would organise blockade of the Budda Nullah at Ludhiana that had become a source of contamination of water that was being supplied right up to Rajasthan. Cancer and other incurable ailments were prevalent in the towns and villages along the Rajasthan feeder that originates from Harike.

He expressed anguish over the utter failure of the Punjab Pollution Control Board to act against the growing water, air and noise pollution. The judiciary should take suo moto notice of reports pertaining to environmental degradation and award exemplary punishment to those officers found guilty of having allowed setting up industrial units without the mandatory pollution control clearances.

The authorities should strictly implement the pollution control laws and ensure that effluent treatment plants were installed with every industry generating liquid waste. Seechewal also stressed the need to revert to organic farming as excessive use of chemicals has polluted the ground water.

Jitender Rai Khattar, president, Bar Association, pointed out that the fly ash generated by the thermal power plant here had become a serious problem for residents. More thermal plants were being planned in the area and that would further degrade the environment if necessary anti-pollution steps were not taken.

Sukhdeep Singh Bhinder, former Additional Advocate-General, and Chiranji Lal Garg, a senior lawyer, were among others who spoke on the occasion.

Amritsar , April 18
Shiromani Gurdwara Prabandhak Committee president Avtar Singh while extending invitation to USA President Barack Obama to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple through 27-member high-level US Congress delegation led Representative Howard Berman Chairman, House Foreign Affairs Committee, here yesterday urged him (Obama) to intervene to end hate crime against the Sikhs due to mistaken identity.

For first time a high-level delegation from the USA reached here to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple and witness the evening ‘Sukh Assan’ ceremony. The SGPC president honoured the delegation with siropas (robe of honour) and model of Golden Temple in the Information Centre of the committee. The Shiromani Committee deployed its Task Force to conduct the visit of US delegation. Senior security officers of US Embassy also kept strict vigil to ensure safe visit of the delegation.

The SGPC’s invitation reads he (Obama) should visit Amritsar, the city of Harmandir Sahib, known as Sri Darbar Sahib or th Golden Temple during his proposed maiden visit to India,. Earlier, Obama had expressed desire to visit India in near future. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had already extended invitation to Obama saying warm welcome awaited him in India.

During interaction with US delegation, the SGPC president wanted them to be instrumental in projecting true picture of the Sikhs, founded by Sri Guru Nanak Dev in the 15th century are the most law- abiding, humble, polite, hard-working, and God fearing people who believe in unity, equality and fraternity of mankind, and always stand for moral and ethical values and religions and beliefs. In an appeal to Obama, the SGPC president wrote, “It is to the credit of the great American minds that they have an inbred sense of equality, and honour the merit of a man whatever his birth, creed or social status. It is on the strength of such a moral-force that USA has come to acquire a key-role in the world affairs. Now all eyes are fixed on America for the solution of global problems like terrorism and recession”.

The SGPC president urged Obama to see to it that the Sikh right to religious identity was not violated in any part of the world especially in America and France. 

Sangrur, April 18
Wheat straw today got burnt in an area of 330 acres of three villages in the district when a fire broke out in these villages due to different reasons. A tractor and a reaper was also burnt partially due to the fire in Gharachon village, near Bhawanigarh.

Moonak SDM RPS Walia said this evening that the wheat straw of some farmers on about 300 acres today burnt at Manvi village when a fire broke out there. However, the reason of the fire could not be known immediately, but it had been extinguished till this evening, he added.

The straw on about 10 acres also gutted due to the fire, which broke out in fields of two to three farmers at Nidampur village, near Bhawanigarh. — TNS

Patiala, April 18
While the poll fever is yet to grip residents of the high-profile Patiala Parliamentary constituency, having high stakes of top leadership of the Congress and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), power supply has emerged out to be single major poll issue for people of rural as well as urban areas of Punjab.

The political parties are yet to venture out into their rural pocket- boroughs. Political leaders have hardly started holding daily meetings in villages, which were still far away from any heightened political activity.

Not a single party flag or poster greeted The Tribune team which undertook an extensive tour of rural areas of Patiala district to underline major issues concerning common people and to judge their mood in the wake of the ensuing polls.

“Poll-related activities are late this time due to clash of harvesting season and polling dates. In fact, while people are busy in wheat harvesting, political leaders are yet to find any time for people of countryside. Power supply continued to elude us for days together. We also had to spend eight days in the mandi for sale of wheat this time,” rued Davinder Singh, a farmer of Bakshiwala village.

For Gian Singh of Chimbru village, power supply hovers around his mind as a major issue. “I am not educated, but, what is life without electricity in rural or urban areas?” questioned Gian Singh.

“For me power is no issue. Rather, weather played spoilsport this time. There is no laxity on the part of the government. Only issue which keeps lurking in my mind is that the government is not releasing tubewell connections under the OYT scheme,” felt Amrik Singh of Dittupur village.

For Kiran Dev Rai, a rice mill worker and Pal Singh, a farmer of Jatimal village, the biggest issue was prevailing corruption within the system. “We will vote on the party basis and not considering any individual. Power supply situation is so bad that power greets us hardly for one and a half hours a day on an average,” complained both of them in unison.

Simrat Singh, a 32-year-old entrepreneur of the same village, said power supply for him was the biggest headache. “Effluent people maintain generators, but, where should the poor go in absence of power?” he questioned.

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 18
Political leaders and parties have jumped on the bandwagon of Internet. Election fever has gripped state politicians who are wooing youth voters with websites, blogs and social networking sites.

Apart from politicians, even the common man, especially youth, are finding Internet as a platform to discuss politics and candidates.

Vinny Kahlon of Amritsar, who runs a community on Orkut, said, “We floated our community during the 2007 Assembly elections and with the overwhelming response, decided to continue it.”

His community has 544 members, from doctors to technicians, discussing each constituency and each candidate contesting elections. Interestingly, this community has some lower-rung workers of various political parties trying to create a mandate for their respective candidates.

Besides such communities, there are websites and blogs of various political icons. While parties like the SAD (B) and the SAD (A) boasts of their own websites, SAD candidate from Patiala Prem Singh Chandumajra has gone a step ahead and has recently created his own website.

SAD candidate from Fatehgarh Sahib Charanjit Singh Atwal and Congress candidate SS Libra too are all set to make their debut on the net.

Chandigarh, April 18
Is service tax chargeable on buffer subsidy claimed from the Center for storage of free sale sugar? — is the vital question of law before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The question has been thrown up for adjudication by the commissioner, Central excise, in a petition placed before the Division Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice Augustine George Masih.

In its petition against Fatehgarh Sahib-based Nahar enterprise limited, the Commissioner has contended the company was involved in manufacturing sugar and was directed by the Central government to maintain buffer stock of free sale sugar for a specified period.

The government allowed buffer subsidy towards storage, interest and insurance of the buffer stock. The petitioner contended the company has been paid buffer subsidy for storage of free sale sugar. This way, the company provided “storage and warehousing service”. The gross amount received for the purpose was taxable under the provisions of the Finance Act 1994, the petitioner said.

Summing up the question of law before the Bench, the commissioner said: “The court was to decide whether service tax is chargeable on buffer subsidy claimed from the government of India on account of storage of free sale sugar, under the category of storage and war ehousing”.

It was added by the petitioner that a show cause notice, demanding service tax of Rs 11,50, 955, was issued to the company. The commissioner (appeals) vacated the demand of the service tax on the amount of interest, but confined the demand of the tax on combined subsidey of insurance and storage. Both the petitioner and the respondent filed appeals against the order before the customs, excise and service tax tribunal. But eventually the company’s appeal was accepted.

Challenging the tribunal’s order, the commissioner asserted in the petition that the directions were erroneous in law and were required to be set aside. Taking up the petition, the Bench has issued notice of motion to the company. The petition will now come up for further hearing on May 19. 

Moga, April 18
ASI Gurmail Singh was suspended for adopting insensitive attitude towards the case of a minor Dalit girl who was sexually abused and made pregnant by influential families’ wards at Ramuwala Kalan village in Moga district. The police also added the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, in the original FIR, which was registered against six youths under Sections 376 and 506 of 
the IPC.

Meanwhile, the girl and her parents appeared before the SHO of Mehna police station and named only two youths, Raju, son of Dilbagh Singh, and Jagsir Singh, son of Gurmail Singh, who abused her sexually, revealed DSP (City) Gurmeet Singh..

Earlier, the FIR was registered against Shavinder Singh, son of Dilbagh Singh, Hardip Singh, son of Ajaib Singh, Jagsir Singh, son of Mohan Singh, Jagsir Singh, son of Gurmail Singh, Kamaldip Singh, son of Harbans Singh and Raman Kumar, son of Ramesh Kumar, all residents of the same village.

The DSP said the victim had stated the son of a local Congress leader was not involved in sexually abusing her.

The victim and her parents further stated before the police they were not abducted by anybody and had gone to their relative’s house for some days to avoid social stigma. In reply to a question, the DSP said the victim and her parents had approached Gurmail on April 14 to lodge an FIR against the alleged guilty but the ASI did not take it seriously due to which he had been suspended .