Amritsar, April 27
Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has said he did not agree with the reported remarks of SGPC chief Avtar Singh questioning the credentials of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh as a Sikh. Badal said he held Dr Manmohan Singh in high esteem and did not subscribe to the stand taken by Avtar Singh.

Talking to mediapersons after addressing the meeting of a group of businessmen here today, he said the Congress, which claimed to be a secular party, had always tried to garner votes by projecting Dr Manmohan Singh as a Sikh Prime Minister while the SAD-BJP alliance never sought votes on caste, religion and region.

The Chief Minister said the “Khalistan” movement was also the creation of the Congress, which had specially invited Ganga Singh Dhillon from the US to launch the movement to defame the Akalis. People in the state were fully aware of Congress’ machination and understood the divisive policies pursued by it to influence the voter and create fissures in the age-old communal harmony in Punjab.

Expressing concern over the recent developments in Pakistan due to growing influence of Taliban, he said such a situation was not in the interest of the country and India should be watchful of the happenings in the neighbouring countries. He said the Akali Dal would take up the matter of “jazia” (protection money) imposed by Taliban on the minorities, especially the Sikh settled in Pakistan, with the Indian government.

In case the NDA comes of power, the Akali Dal will ensure that the powers of the Election Commission are reviewed and a proper functioning of the elected government be allowed without the overbearing attitude of the commission, the Chief Minister added.

He said he would try to influence the government at the Centre to announce special economic package to bail out the industry of this area.

Earlier, Navjot Singh Sidhu addressed the select gathering of the business community and assured them that their issues would be raised at a proper platform to help them tide over the present difficult situation.

Having a dig at Congress candidate Om Parkash Soni, he said he had never seen him raising any question in the state assembly during his three terms as MLA.

Jalandhar, April 27
In more than 100 villages, the Chandigarh-Phagwara express highway, which will pass through Mohali, Chamkaur Sahib, Machhiwara, Nawanshahr and Phagwara areas, has become an election issue. Most of the farmers, who have been issued notices for the acquisition of their land for the project, are opposed to the highway project.

Many farmers say they will support the party in elections that will assure them of the scrapping of the project that is being allegedly executed under pressure from some big corporate houses, which want to make a huge money out of the project.

Farmers have even formed an anti-expressway coordination committee. They say they met Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in this regard, but he refused to scrap the project.

Tarsem Singh, former sarpanch, who is a member of the committee, said about 3,420 acres was to be acquired for the project. “About 67 acre land of Kultham village will be acquired for the project,” he said, adding that the government was hiding the details of the project from the people to be affected by it.

“There is no need for the new expressway when there already exists one from Chandigarh to Phagwara via Mohali, Kharar, Kurali, Ropar, Balachaur and Nawanshahr,” said Tarsem. The government should widen the existing Chandigarh- Phagwara highway via Ropar-Nawanshar and build flyovers where required, he added.

Nirmal Singh, another member of the committee, said farmers of 103 villages had submitted objections to the SDMs concerned opposing the acquisition of their land for the project.

“We have consulted former Advocate-General GS Grewal in this regard,” he said.

The government should first explain that what public interest would be served by establishing a new express highway between Mohali and Phagwara when there already existed one between the two towns. The proposed expressway would put further toll tax burden on road users.

Moreover, there was already another highway from Mohali to Ludhiana via Kharar, Morinda, Khamano and Samrara. At Samrala, that highway branches off to Nawanshahr via Machhiwara and Rahon. From Nawanshahr that leads to Phagwara. And there was another very wide road that led to the Ludhiana-Jalandhar highway at Phillaur from Rahon via Urapur. Then there was also a wide road between Chamkaur Sahib and Machhiwara.

Nirmal Singh said besides the acquisition of thousands of acres of land for the highway, the agriculture land adjacent to the highway would also become useless. Moreover, exit and entry points at the highway would be located at a distance of 5 km from one point to the other. That meant farmers of one village would have to travel 5 km to reach their fields across the highway. 

Amritsar, April 27
A registered medical practitioner (RMP) doctor and his two brothers-in-law yesterday chopped off one hand each of his (doctor’s) wife and her suspected paramour, a student of BSc (computer science), Khalsa College, and buried the chopped hands in a heap of hey at the border village of Algon Kothi, Valtoha, Tarn Taran district.

The police today arrested Dr Sahib Singh and Rachhpal Singh and Tarsem Singh, both brothers of doctor’s wife, under Sections 326, 34 of the Indian Penal Code. Kulbir Kaur (23), who was married to the doctor only six months ago, was taken to the Civil Hospital, Patti, while the boy, Manpreet Singh, was admitted to Navpreet Hospital, Putlighar, here.

Talking to The Tribune, Manpreet denied having illicit relations with Kulbir. He said he was called by the doctor at a farmhouse, near Algon Kothi, where they chopped off his left hand with a sharp-edged weapon. 

He also sustained multiple injuries on his right hand, legs and other parts of his body. He alleged that he had spent more than Rs 20,000 on the marriage of Kulbir but the doctor was demanding more dowry, to which he was opposed to.

According to the police, the doctor called his both brothers-in-law from Ludhiana on the pretext of getting them jobs. Similarly, he invited Manpreet, a resident of Kabir Park, Amritsar, and they consumed enough liquor at a farmhouse. Later, the RMP told his brothers-in-law that their sister had illicit relations with Manpreet.

Agitated doctor and his brothers-in-law immediately chopped off Manpreet’s left hand saying that “Is it the hand where Kulbir used to tie rakhi?” Later Kulbir was brought at the same place and her hand, “with which she used to tie Raakhi around the arm of Manpreet” was also chopped off.

A: Never in my life I have noted down the number of votes I win, nor I expect any margin. I always win.

‘Libra never spoke in Parliament’

Lok Sabha deputy speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal, SAD candidate

Q: How will your being MP make a difference to the constituency?

A:Our motive is to remove poverty, uplift education level, remove unemployment besides providing all basic amenities to people of this area.

Q: What is your strength and weakness?

A: My party is my strength with which I have stood for the past many decades. My loyalty has bore fruit and its reflected in people’s support as well. My supporters sometimes say that my honesty is my weakness.

Q: Why should people vote for you?

A: People know this is the only party that could bring development in Punjab and has so far initiated a large number of developmental projects. SAD leaders are easily accessible at all hierarchy levels.

Q: How would you descibe Libra?

A: He is overall a good person. In my five-year tenure as Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker, I have never seen Libra raising any question in Parliament. He has never spoken for the cause of the state nor highlighted any problem of his Ropar constituency. People need vocal representatives and not mere stamps.

Q: How many votes would you be able to garner in these elections?

A: There will be a big margin, very big margin. 

Pathankot to Batala (Aboard Amritsar-Batala passenger train), April 27
People travelling by the Pathankot-Amritsar train daily probably last saw him aboard “The Burning Train” where the hero saves lives of passengers from a sure disaster.

But today it was Vinod Khanna in flesh and blood who sat with them, talked to them asking them their problems, had “chai” at the railway platform tea stall and mouthing a dialogue from his film.

Khanna boarded the train this morning from Pathankot where at the railway station he was surrounded by a crowd. “I am travelling on this train with you to know what more can we do for better train connectivity,” he told everyone. The crowd, however, was out with their mobiles, clicking pictures and asking for autographs.

The ‘star’ factor seemed very much alive in the run-up to the elections. “A film star can get votes for his face value only once. Later, you have to work, serve and win hearts of people through the contribution that you have made to their lives,” points out Khanna who has been a three-time MP from the area.

But are stars successful politicians?

“No, I don’t think so. Most of the stars are not ready to go through the grime and hard work involved. Only someone dedicated can sustain the effort,” he said.

For three hours Khanna got off the train at every station and talked to passengers. Dressed casually in navy blue T- shirt and jeans, Khanna was only particular about donning his sun glasses every time he got ready to get out of the train.

During the journey, he shared with his co-passengers the home-cooked food one of his supporters from Pathankot packed for him.

As the news spread that Khanna was on the train, people started gathering at the stations and as the train chugged into the stations the air would be rented with slogans like: “Neta ho to kaisa ho… Vinod Khanna jaisa ho.”

Khanna addressed crowds and promised to work harder if they brought him back as MP. Rarely did he turn vitriolic to spew venom at his opponent. “It is not my style. I believe every word we utter has impact on the aura around us and I want to remain at peace with myself and say only those things which spread positivity,” he explains.

Mansa, April 27
A smooth supply of BT cotton seed to farmers of Malwa, particularly in Bathinda and Mansa areas, and the abrogation of the water-sharing agreement during the previous Congress regime are to the advantage of the Congress in the ensuing parliamentary elections.

This was stated by Congress candidate Raninder Singh while addressing public meetings here today.

He said, “BT cotton not only changed the economy of the region, but also revived it”. He also informed people about the achievements of the UPA government. He criticised the SAD-BJP government for not properly implementing the schemes of the central government.

Addressing well-attended meetings in villages of Burj Rathi, Bhai Desa, Sadasinghwala, Heerewala and Narinderpura, he asserted, “Had the previous Congress government, led by Capt Amarinder Singh, not abrogated river waters agreements, Malwa region would have turned into a desert”.

He said there were more reasons than one to elect Dr Manmohan Singh as Prime Minister. He is not only a Punjabi, but a Sikh too. Congress MLA Sher Singh Gagowal, Raminder Singh Richi and Raminder Amla also addressed the meetings.

Raninder was weighed against laddoos in villages.

Meanwhile, CPI candidate Hardev Singh Arshi was also weighed against laddoos in three villages.

Dirba (Sangrur), April 27
Capt Amarinder Singh, chairman of Congress election campaign committee, today predicted a severe power crisis in the state after May 13, the last day of polling. The former Chief Minister said there would be an acute shortage of electricity as the Badal government was making the electricity available to people till May 13 only in view of the elections.

Amarinder was here to address an election rally organised in favour of Congress candidate from Sangrur Vijay Inder Singla. Prominent among those who attended the rally were Dirba MLA Surjit Singh Dhiman, Sangrur MLA Surinder Pal Singh Sibia, former Sangrur MLA Arvind Khanna.

Even after two years of the Badal regime, farmers were not getting electricity for eight hours daily while during his regime he had made regular electricity available to the entire state daily by purchasing power from other states.

Lashing out at the SAD candidate from Sangrur Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, Amarinder said Dhindsa had done nothing for the Sangrur constituency though he had remained a union minister and MP.

He said after the elections, the Badal government would impose heavy taxes on people of Punjab as it had no money to implement the recommendations of the Fifth Pay Commission. 

Bir Devinder may join SAD
Varinder Walia
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, April 27
Former Deputy Speaker of Vidhan Sabha Bir Devinder Singh who had submitted his resignation from the Congress in protest against CBI action of giving clean chit to Jagdish Tytler for his role in the Delhi anti-Sikh riots today hinted that he might join the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) anytime.

Talking to The Tribune on telephone, Bir Devinder said the question of his going back to the Congress did not arise since the issue on which he had resigned was still alive.

He said the process of his consulting his near and dear ones, including thousands of supporters, regarding next course of action stood completed. He said all of them had given him a clean chit to take any  political decision.

Accusing the Congress and UPA government for "pressurising" the CBI to bail out both Congress leaders, he said it was a matter of great concern that after a lapse of 25 years the victims of November 1984 anti-Sikh riots could not get justice.

He eulogised SAD for its relentless fight to get justice to the victims of Delhi riots.

Chandigarh, April 27
Farmers organisations, including the Bharti Kisan Union (Ekta) and the Kissan Sangharsh Committee, have given a call for rail roko in Punjab on May 5.

The call coincides with the day when campaigning for the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections in Punjab ends at 5 pm.

Ujagar Singh Ugrahan and Sukhdev Singh Kokri, president and general secretary, BKU (E), said trains would be stopped between noon and 4 pm all over the state in protest against the failure of the Punjab government to keep its promises.

They said the government had made several promises after farmers had stopped trains in Lehragaga and Barnala on April 1. These promises included registration of a case against a sarpanch and his accompanists for alleged trespass for taking forcible possession of the property of a farmer. The alleged intruders also misbehaved with women members of the family.

But neither the suspects had been arrested nor a case for criminal trespass and assaulting women with intent to kidnap them has been registered so far. The police under the influence of an Akali MLA of the area was trying to hush up the case.

They said a commitment made by the Chief Minister to withdraw cases registered against kisan leaders in June, 2007, had also not been withdrawn.

Further, the government has also failed to provide ex gratia of Rs 2 lakh to next of kin of those farmers, under debt, were forced to commit suicides.

Other demands include payment of adequate compensation for the land acquired for the realignment of the Ghaggar in flood-prone areas. Farmers are demanding market rate for the acquired land.

Kanwal Preet Singh Pannu, convener, Kissan Sangharsh Committee, said reports of suicides were pouring in the middle of wheat harvesting season. Failure of the government to waive farm loans, provide loans at subsidised rates and getting the procurement prices linked to price index were the reasons for increased suicides in rural Punjab.

Jalandhar, April 27
A radical Sikh group in Punjab has supported the cause of Sri Lankan Tamils. Endorsing AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa’s views that only Eelam would provide a lasting solution to Tamils in Sri Lanka as all present efforts at ensuring security and equal rights for them have borne no fruit, the Dal Khalsa said the struggle for Tamil Eelam could never be eradicated by force of arms.

Expressing solidarity with Tamil people in Sri Lanka, the radical Sikh group urged the United Nations, the US, Canada, Europe and others to intervene and save thousands of innocent Tamils trapped in the battle-torn island.

In a statement, Dal Khalsa secretary for political affairs Kanwar Pal Singh said his group was really moved by the suffering of the Tamil people in Lanka.

The beleaguered people of Tamil Eelam continued to face the worst type of hardships and bloodbath and the Lankan government had made killings and disappearances part of state policy violating UN resolutions and norms, he added.

Dal Khalsa condemned the continuous support of India to the Lankan government.

Chandigarh, April 27
Dera Sacha Sauda, which is in the midst of the process to decide which way to go in the parliamentary elections, could well extend selective support to candidates based on their track record rather than supporting any one party.

According to sources, the dera could adopt this strategy to buy time to resolve the controversy over the alleged impersonation of Guru Gobind Singh by its head Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh. A public order to vote for the Congress, as most of its followers want to do, would further antagonise the SAD.

Though a final decision will be taken on May 3, dera’s political wing member Gurbaz Singh told The Tribune that there was no clear indication from the sangat to support any one party in Punjab during the parliamentary elections. This despite three rounds of talks over each constituency in the state during which most of its office bearers gave clear cut indications as to which way the followers wanted to vote in the election.

According to sources, the political wing is taking this line of thinking following a broad outline spelt out by the dera head during his satsang yesterday. Answering a question as to what a candidate should be, Gurmeet Ram Rahim asserted the candidate should be able to “boldly” protect the interests of minority religious groups against “oppressors”.

The sources said the last condition was likely to become the key point for extending support to any candidate in the elections. They said though candidates and their supporters were coming asking for votes, the dera wanted them to spell out what they would do to end the “persecution” of its followers.

Since the elections to Bathinda, Ferozepur, Patiala and Sangrur constituencies are being held on May 7, the sources said the political wing would scrutinise the credentials of both SAD and Congress candidates before advising the ‘sangat’ on how to exercise its franchise.

The dera has also indicated to its followers that though it is ready to apologise for the hurt caused to the Sikh community following the controversy over the alleged impersonation of Guru Gobind Singh, it will not be browbeaten on the issue.

The dera chief had allowed its political wing to hold a simultaneous meeting to give the impression that though the order was ready for any negotiated settlement on the controversy, its followers would not withdraw from the right to give a political direction to its devotees.