Bathinda, April 19
As many as 32 candidates, including independents and those belonging to national and state parties, will test their luck in the elections for the Bathinda Lok Sabha (LS) seat, which is to see a contest between Harsimrat Kaur Badal of the SAD and Raninder Singh of the Congress.

Of the total 32 candidates, six have filed the nomination papers as covering
(substitute) candidates.

While the number of nominations is healthy for democracy, it is causing worry for the administration, regarding the availability of the Electronic Voting Machines (EVM), in case the number of candidates crosses the figure of 16.

The reason: One ballot unit of EVM can entertain only 16 candidates. But here, the number of candidates is 32, which is almost double the capacity of the ballot unit.

In the Bathinda LS constituency, which includes five Assembly constituencies of Bathinda district, one of Muktsar district and three of Mansa district, the total of 1,436 polling booths have been earmarked, which means requirement of the same number of EVMs.

Sensing a shortage of the availability of EVMs, the Election Commission (EC) of India, which had earlier instructed all returning officers to keep the EVMs, 15 per cent of the total number of booths, in reserve, has now instructed them to keep only 4 per cent EVMs as reserved.

A senior officer of the district administration said the EVMs had been acquired expecting the number of candidates to be below 16.

If it increased, as was being apprehended, then each machine would need two ballot units, otherwise, the election would not be conducted.

Due to some earlier election petitions filed in courts in the country, a large number of machines was lying sealed for court inquiry proceedings.

“We now hope that on the day of the scrutiny, April 20, some of the forms, due to mistakes or being incomplete, may get cancelled. Even then, the final number will be ascertained after the last day for withdrawal of nomination, ie April 22. If the number exceeds 16, we will be left with no option but to send an urgent notice to the ECI,” he lamented.

Additional Returning Officer Parveen Thind said, “Till today, we were quite satisfied with the total number of available EVMs. But as of now, the number of nominations has gone higher than the capacity of the ballot units. The matter will be brought to the knowledge of the ECI for further decision.”

Mamdot (Ferozepur), April 19
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate Sher Singh Ghubaiya from this constituency is a baptised Sikh, but his two lakh Rai Sikh brethren rely on the deras and not Sikhism for uplift in the area known to be one of the most backward in Punjab.

In fact, deras, particularly the Beas-based Radha Soami, is behind the gradual
transformation of the Rai Sikhs, described as “those belonging to the lowest
castes” and “vagrants” by H Rose in his glossary “Tribes and Castes of Punjab
and North-West Frontier”.

The Rai Sikhs, settled mainly along the riverine tract, have transformed into a political force and are increasingly being known as hardy farmers and workers who will become more socially relevant after grant of Scheduled Caste status to one and a half years back.

The Radha Soami dera has brought about this change. A large section of the community, known for bootlegging, besides other social ills, has given up liquor and non-vegetarian food.

At least half of the Rai Sikh community is said to be Radha Soami followers. There are a few followers of Dera Sacha Sauda also.

Kashmir Singh of Lakha Singhwala Hittar village near Mamdot says while the Radha Soami sect has given them an identity, it is also of practical help.

“Liquor and meat are responsible for excess expenditure in the countryside, and if you remove these, almost anybody can live within ones means”. He says with liquor out, women are also happy and have become ardent dera followers.

“All my four sons and their families have taken ‘naam’ (religious initiation),” says
Lahora Singh of Mamdot Hittar village, showing proudly photos of the dera head
which adorn his house as well as others of the community like Puran Singh of the
same village.

For whom will the Rai Sikhs vote and will the dera have any role in this? Nambardar Ujjagar Singh says sect guru Gurinder Singh has clearly stated in latest ‘bhandara’ that the vote is ours and we have cast it we so wish.

He admits that the community has been voting for the Congress, mainly because it is against Jat Sikhs who control gurdwaras which primarily led them to the dera fold.

The community is also known to vote on caste lines and had voted for caste man Mohan Singh Phallianwala twice (1992 and 1996). In 1996 Phallianwala won as BSP candidate supported by the SAD.

The SAD is trying the same caste formula by giving Sher Singh party ticket hoping he will in supported by his community as well as by Akali Jat Sikhs. However, times are changing and such calculations may not work.

“A large chunk might still vote on caste lines, but social transformation has taught Rai Sikhs to rise above caste lines also,” says community elder Ujjaggar Singh.

Sangrur, April 19
Two former Union ministers, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa (SAD) and Balwant Singh Ramoowalia president, Lok Bhalai Party (LBP), former MP and SAD (A) chief Simranjit Singh Mann and former president of the Punjab Youth Congress (PYC) Vijay Inder Singla are contesting from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency. Mohammad Jameel-Ur-Rehman (BSP) and ex-MLA Tarsem Jodhan of the CPM (Liberation) are also contesting from Sangrur.

Canvassing by wives and women relatives of the candidates has emerged as an interesting feature in the constituency.

Besides women relatives, wives of four candidates, Dhindsa, Mann, Singla and Rehman, are seeking women’s votes for their respective husbands by holding corner meetings or visiting door to door.

Dhindsa’s wife Harjit Kaur Dhindsa, two daughters Mandip Kaur and Ramandeep Kaur and daughter-in-law Gagandeep Kaur are seeking women’s votes in favour of Dhindsa, on the basis of his long service to people of this constituency.

Mann’s wife Geetinder Kaur Mann has been campaigning for the SAD (A) candidate by telling women voters about development works and distribution of grants made by Mann as MP from Sangrur.

Singla’s wife Deepa Singla, two sisters Kamal Aggarwal and Radhika Gupta and brother’s wife Meenakshi Singla are seeking votes for the Congress candidate, saying if elected, Singla will bring big industry and big projects to the constituency from the Centre.

Rehman’s wife Farial Rehman has been campaigning for her husband, asking women voters, especially in the Malerkotla area, to vote for him as he will work for the welfare of people, especially the weaker sections of society.

Ramoowalia’s daughter Amanjot Kaur and daughter-in-law Surjit Kaur are seeking votes for Ramoowalia saying he has been working for the welfare of deserted married girls and saving jobless youth from the travel agents.

Hoshiarpur, April 19
Reacting to BJP leader Arun Jaitley’s statement Operation Bluestar was historic blunder the Congress, the Dal Khalsa said while the Congress committed the sacrilege BJP people distributed laddoos and lauded the Army for the operation.

In a statement, party secretary Kanwar Pal Singh said the Congress and the BJP were two sides of the same coin. "Both are political opponents, but ideologically stand on the same foundation as far as Sikhs and minorities are concerned”.

He lambasted Jaitley for projecting the saffron party as pro-Sikhs and described it as a new gimmick.

When BJP leaders talk of Sikh massacre of 1984 and injustice, nothing much should be read in it.

"They are misleading the Sikhs for votes and keep its alliance partner in good
humour," he observed.

"The BJP had justified the Army assault and welcomed it. The Sikhs have not forgotten what they saw with their eyes; BJP men danced and distributed sweets, congratulating the Army personnel for conducting the "operation" in the lanes and bazars of Amritsar."

Reminding Jaitley about the admission of BJP leader Lal Krishan Advani in his book, “My Country, My Life”, that it was his party that forced then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to storm Darbar Sahib to "liberate it from anti-national elements", the Dal Khalsa spokesperson said the role of the BJP leaders was equally bad.

Taking Parkash Singh Badal to task for his alliance with the BJP, they dubbed the alliance as unity of vested interests.

Hoshiarpur, April 19
Congress nominee from the Hoshiarpur Lok Sabha (LS) seat Santosh Chaudhary has condemned the Election Commission (EC) of India for its proposed decision of conducting polling for Parliament elections in Hoshiarpur, Ferozepur, Faridkot, all reserved constituencies, and Anandpur Sahib segment through ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs) on May 13.

Talking to mediapersons at her residence here this afternoon, Santosh said as soon as she came to know about the above-said proposal, she contacted Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Punjab, Kamaljit Kaur Sidhu on her telephone this morning.

The CEC confirmed the proposal and told her that on account of shortage of EVMs, it was proposed to get the polling conducted through ballot papers.

However, the final decision in this regard would be taken after April 27, the last date for the withdrawal of nomination papers.

She said she had informed in charge, political affairs of the Congress in Punjab, Mohsina Kidwai in this connection to take up the issue with the party high command.

She would also lodge her protest in writing to the Chief Election Commission of India.

Congress leaders and workers had already told voters about the casting of their votes through EVMs by pushing a button on the hand symbol.

District Electoral Officer-cum-Deputy Commissioner NK Wadhawan said the CEC had instructed him to also arrange the ballot boxes for the LS elections.

Chandigarh, April 19
SAD-BJP candidate for Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal yesterday urged the Election Commission (EC) of India to have norms to punish political parties and candidates making false complaints against opponents for publicity.

In a letter to the EC Harsimrat also was for a time-frame to decide such complaints and penalty for those which were found to be frivolous.

She said some political parties and candidates, to deflect attention from their own weaknesses, levelled false allegations or raised issues that were not real. These needed to be checked.

She was responding to a complaint by the Congress to Chief Election Commission
(CEC) demanding the registration of a case against her for “alluring, bribing and
threatening voters".

In the complaint the Congress had referred to Harsimrat’s election meetings at Bhucho Khurd, Bhucho Kalan, Lehra Mohabbat and other villages where she reportedly declared lavish grants by the government to the villages where no polling booths of Congress candidate would be set up and no grant to the villages where polling booths of Congress candidates were being set up.

Harsimrat said the complaint was a result of the Congress realising that almost all panchayats in the region had expressed admiration for development works of the SAD-BJP government.

“I can understand my brother Raninder’s desperation and I sympathise with him, but to resort to lies or mislead media reports is hardly going to help him,” she said.

The SAD also complained to the CEC alleging code of conduct violation by Preneet Kaur who reportedly entered the office of the returning officer in Patiala for filing nomination papers, along with more than 50 persons.

As per EC’s instructions, “A maximum number of persons allowed to enter the office of the returning officer at the time of filing nomination shall be the candidate plus four other individuals which may include any proposer”.

Chandigarh, April 19
President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab Sukhbir Singh Badal today accused the Congress of playing fraud with sentiments of Sikhs by ensuring the proxy entry of Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler to Parliament.

“By awarding the Lok Sabha ticket to Sajjan Kumar’s brother and assuring a Rajya Sabha berth to Jagdish Tytler, the Congress has hurt the sentiments of the Sikhs more,” he said.

Sukhbir said by doing so the Congress was exposing its anti-Sikh and anti-Punjabi bias and cancellation of the tickets was just an unsuccessful drama to win back Sikh votes and project its true Punjabi image. He said the Gandhi family was inherently against the Punjabis and Sikhs.

Right from instigating violence in Punjab for more than 10 years with the support of Congress agents, followed by Operation Bluestar and 1984 ethnic clearance of Sikhs by Congress “gundas” led by Sajjan Kumar and Jagdish Tytler, clearly indicates that every action of the Gandhi family has been aimed at harming the Sikh population.

Expressing the determination of the SAD to expose and negate the nefarious anti-Punjabi designs of the Gandhi family, Sukhbir said vigilant Punjabi voters all over the country had seen through the game of the Congress and were itching to punish it for playing with their sentiments.

Dera Bassi, April 19
Is Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal eyeing the Banur seat for his entry into the Punjab Vidhan Sabha?

If political developments in this part of the region are an indication, the junior Badal could well be nurturing ambitions to contest from this seat, which incidentally has been an Akali stronghold.

While Sukhbir was not available for comments, his new loyalist NK Sharma said it would be too premature to comment on the issue, but added that it would be beneficial for the area if Sukhbir contests from Banur.

After being elevated as the Deputy Chief Minister, there is a possibility of him contesting election from any of two seats — Nur Mahal seat in Jalandhar that had fallen vacant after the death of MLA Gurdip Singh Bhullar and the Banur seat in Patiala after the death of MLA Capt Kanwaljit Singh. The by-elections have to be held within six months.

Using the moment of political immaturity shown by Jasjit Singh Bunny, son of Capt Kanwaljit, the junior Badal killed two birds with one stone — first by welcoming Capt Kanwaljit’s bete noire NK Sharma back into Shiromani Akali Dal and then bringing senior Congress leader Seelam Sohi into the SAD fold.

Interestingly, both Sharma and Sohi had been opponents of Capt Kanwaljit Singh and had the potential to give serious challenge to the Akalis.

While Sharma had managed to win the last MC elections, Sohi had lost the 2002 Assembly election to Capt Kanwaljit Singh by a margin of 714 votes.

“It is like killing two birds with one stone. By making Sharma work for the party and neutralising the anti-Akali Sohi effect, Suhkbir has ensured that all possible opposition to the SAD is neutralised and he has an easy wing in the by-elections from the Banur seat,” pointed out a political analyst.

The public snub to the Badals by Bunny at the bhog ceremony of his father has not gone down well with them.

Though the Badals would ensure that he is not given much political weight, chances of any of his other family member being offered the seat could not be ruled out.

The Akali leadership is also ensuring that the political legacy of Capt Kanwaljit Singh is not just used by his family.

By projecting NK Sharma the party’s new face in Banur area, the party has given a signal to the detractors to fall in line.

Amritsar, April 19
Congress leader, Rajya Sabha member and former personal secretary to late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi RK Dhawan hailed the Congress high command withdrawing candidatures of Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar for Lok Sabha (LS) elections.

After paying obeisance at the Golden Temple today, Dhawan was here to participate in the wedding of a relative.

To why the party had given ticket to them in the first place, he said distribution of ticket was a multi-channel process involving various units of the party.

As to why he could not regain the position he had when Indira Gandhi was Prime Minister, he said he had been loyal to the Nehru-Gandhi family for 47 years and never changed his loyalties.

He stressed that he would continue to be the same and would perform the jobs
assigned by the party.

He termed the statement of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav blaming the Congress for the demolition of Babri Masjid as unfortunate.

Dhawan said though spokesperson of his party Abhishek Singhvi had made the party’s stand clear, yet it must not be forgotten that former Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Kalyan Singh was responsible for it.

He added that Kalyan Singh was contesting the LS election with the support of
the Samajwadi Party.

Earlier, he told SGPC officials he had visited the Golden Temple along with then President of India Giani Zail Singh, after Operation Bluestar. He said he was cornered by certain vested interests for being ‘soft’ towards the Sikhs.

Amritsar, April 19
Criticising the CBI’s alleged dilly-dallying in filing a chargesheet against Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar, accused of engineering anti-Sikh violence in November 1984 following the assassination of then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, senior Supreme Court advocate HS Phoolka today urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to order a probe into the delay in filling the chargesheet.

Phoolka pointed out that three cases were registered against senior Congress leader Sajjan Kumar relating to the killing of Sikhs, but the CBI was reluctant to file the chargesheet against him even as the same was ready to be filed three months ago.

He said the investigating agency needed to clarify its position on the delay in filing the chargesheet against Sajjan before the court.

Meanwhile, accusing Tytler of gaining sympathy by shedding “crocodile tears” in a television programme, Phoolka challenged him for an open debate regarding his hand in the anti-Sikh violence.

He said in the programme on TV he had put forward points in his defence by
presenting CDs showing he was not present at the spot at the time of the crime
to prove his innocence.

If he was innocent, why did he not raise these points before the court earlier, he questioned. He said instead of inviting Parkash Singh Badal and his son for debate, Tytler should have challenged him for debate on this issue.

Phoolka claimed that the witnesses who had been shown in the CD in the programme had already given statements in the court in last two hearings against Tytler.

Further, they had alleged that his goons had forcibly lifted them and got their signatures on blank papers.

He said the witnesses had a number of times complained to the CBI that they were being pressured and intimidated by men of the accused.

Phoolka said the fight would go on till the perpetrators of crime against humanity were punished. He said it was not the issue of Sikhs, but of crime against humanity.

Fatehgarh Sahib, April 19
An interesting trend in purchase of wheat is witnessed for the first time in Fatehgarh Sahib and its adjoining districts.

The flour mill owners are buying wheat from far off places in Uttar Pradesh at “very economical price” for purpose of grinding.

A large number of flour millers from Sirhind, Bassi Pathana and Khanna areas, while talking to the TNS, said wheat could be purchased at a price between Rs 900 and Rs 950 from Uttar Pradesh.

The cost of train carriage incurred upon it cost them Rs 50 per quintal. The same wheat costs them not less than Rs 1,080 in Punjab.

“The auction price (Rs 1,080) in Punjab is much more than wheat purchased from Uttar Pradesh. There we make purchase at a price of Rs 900 to Rs 950. Even after paying the market fees, other taxes and transportation we are earn profit,” said Ashwini Kumar, owner of Ambe Flour Mills in Khanna.

“We manage to save Rs 30,000 per consignment,” he added. After paying fee and taxes, wheat per quintal costs these millers nearly Rs 1,230 but the wheat purchased from UP costs Rs 1,050. The millers also expressed their concern over glut in the coming few days due to outsourcing.

They predicted that price of wheat would reduce from Rs 1,080 to Rs 950 or Rs 1,000 as not many would buy the same, the quality of which was affected due to inclement weather conditions in the beginning of the harvesting season.

The government is already having ample wheat stock and there is acute wheat storage problem in the state.

The government, this year, is expecting to procure a record 25 million tonne of
wheat. The effective procurement by government will not allow more reduction
of wheat prices.

However, government agencies are not going to purchase wheat below their set standards, said another miller Tarsem Singh from Fatehgarh Sahib.

The millers said they took risk of making transactions at far off places in UP, including Bareli, Shahjanpur, Hardoi, Sitapur, Lakhimpur Kiri and other markets.

Unlike Punjab, UP farmers had small landholdings and sold off their wheat crop to traders at a cheap price and traders further sold crop in open markets, they added.

“We have controlled the fire in 70 per cent of the affected area,” said Karamjit
Singh Jatana, divisional forest officer, who was supervising the fire-fighting
operations at the place.

What led to the spreading of the fire so fast was prevailing gusty winds in the area, the sources added.

Chandigarh, April 19
In the heat of elections, the only thing that seems to prick politicians is to be reminded of unkept promises. And this one has remained unkept for 14 long years!

The Punjab Rent Bill unanimously passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha in April 1995 got the assent of the President of India in 1998 but is still awaiting notification by the state government.

The Bill regulated the landlord-tenant relationship, their mutual rights and obligations and more importantly, the grounds of eviction of tenants.

Following the President’s assent Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal did not do anything to notify the Act, reportedly due to the pressure from the tenants lobby.

When the matter came up for consideration in the new government led by Captain Amarinder Singh in 2002, he too continued to hum and haw till May 2006 when a Division Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court ordered that the Act be notified within six months.

Amarinder was forced to constitute a cabinet sub-committee under Rajinder Kaur Bhattal to consider the Act.

Bhattal and her team rubbished the Act on the grounds that the ground reality had changed a lot since the Act was drawn due to which the Act “cannot be notified in its present form and should be recast.”

This was in October 2006 and now years later, the players remain the same but precious little has been done to re-cast the Act or update its provisions.

“The Akali-BJP government after coming to power in 2007 rushed to form a committee headed by a former bureaucrat Manmohan Kalia.

However, the committee has not been given any terms of reference to start their work till date. Kalia died in January this year and no one has been appointed in his place to head the committee,” said Wing Commander JS Talwar (retd) who is representing the Indian Ex-Servicemen League.

The league members have been pressing the state government for the notification of the Act.

“In 1992 the government of India prepared a model rent control legislation in consultation with various expert committees and state governments laying down guidelines for drafting of the new rent Act. The Punjab Rent Bill was prepared on these guidelines in 1995,” said Talwar.

He added that the Bhattal committee wrongly interpreted the Act in order to
delay its notification.

“The Indian Ex-Servicemen League has written to the principal secretary, local government, explaining its point of view on the objections raised by the Bhattal committee,” he said.

Instead of taking any action against the guilty, the police had sent four persons, including two innocent women, to jail without taking any action against the 14 persons, including the sarpanch, named by the victims in their affidavits.

Chandigarh, April 19
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, his predecessor Amarinder Singh and Jathedar, Akal Takht, Giani Gurbachan Singh should go to the Swat valley and settle the differences between the ill-informed orthodox clergy and the Sikh population.

This has been suggested by Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) chief Simranjit Singh Mann saying in case they do not go to Swat, he will go there after polling in the Sangrur Lok Sabha (LS) constituency from where he is contesting.

The Sikhs, he says, who have contributed for the socio-economic development in various parts of the world, have been under pressure and attack from many sources.

On the one hand they have been fighting to get the ban on turban imposed by the French government lifted and now they have this jazia in the Swat valley.

The only way to settle this problem of jazia from Sikhs by the Taliban, says Mann, is to talk to them and explain to them.

Jazia, a religious tax, is imposed on the heathen. The Sikhs believe in one God and Sri Guru Granth Sahib, our religious head.

The Sikhs have in their history of 500 years, despite Muslim rule in their homeland never paid jazia and now we do not intend to pay this tax.

The government of Pakistan, which is well informed about the Sikh religion, should intervene and undo the religious tax, says Mann.

Being busy contesting the LS elections from Sangrur, otherwise he will have gone to Swat, said Mann.

He has been advised by former Akal Takht Jathedar Bhai Ranjit Singh that if Badal, Amarinder and Jathedar Gurbachan Singh develop cold feet in going to Swat, he must do so after the May 7 polling in Sangrur.

Chandigarh, April 19
In the silent world of a nine-year-old child, Yashveer Goyal, every achievement takes on wings to touch a new impossible height and every smile become a language to listen and speak.

A student of MHR Happy Nursery School, Bathinda, this child has surprised many. Though deaf and dumb since birth and suffering from congenital deformities, Yashveer has scored 91 per cent marks in the class V examination conducted by the Sarv Sikhya Abhiyaan.

His deafness is severe and despite several odds Yashveer’s parents sent him to a normal school so that his education is at par with others of his age.

“He topped his class in the first and second standard and stood third in class V,” said his mother Neetu.

Apart from the academic achievements, Yashveer also knows how to operate computers and laptops and just like any other student of the school, he has also been taking part in various cultural and other activities.

For the parents, Yashveer is a special child and every hour is spent in teaching and helping him learn.

“He understands what we say by reading our lips. We also communicate using sign language. He takes help from a speech therapist, who has been his tutor for some years now,” said Neetu. Yashveer cannot hear anything, but he is learning to speak.

“We are trying to encourage him to form words. He is able to say Ma, but cannot hear his own words. We have not lost hope. Each day brings a new ray of hope and one day, I know Yashveer will definitely hear my voice and million other sounds that the world offers,” said Neetu.

Chandigarh, April 19
The Sant Ram Udasi Memorial International Trust today organised seminar “From Culture to Politics in context of Sant Ram Udasi” on the 70th birth anniversary of the revolutionary Punjabi poet.

Key speaker Sumail Singh Sidhu of Department of History, Khalsa College Delhi said Sant Ram Udasi was poet of anti-establishment tradition. Udasi stood tall in Punjab’s rich revolutionary tradition, he stressed.

Tracing history of culture and literature embodying revolutionary spirit in folklore, Sufism, the Gurbani and revolutionary literature, he referred to ongoing debate on the poetry and politics of Sant Ram Udasi and Paash stating ‘doctored’ antagonism and other distortions were politically motivated.

These distortions were aimed at appropriating the poet’s legacy and his poetry in favour of terrorist movement of the 1980s. Iqbal Udasi, daughter of Sant Ram Udasi, started the talk with a song of Udasi.

Some of the delegation members also visited the Attari check-post to see the daily
Retreat ceremony.