Ludhiana, May 10
Chief Minister of Gujarat Narendra Modi today put leaders of the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab in a piquant situation as he announced SAD chief Parkash Singh Badal had agreed to the interlinking of rivers. Modi was addressing NDA’s maha rally here.

Unaware of the fact that the interlinking of rivers, especially Sutlej-Yamuna link, is a controversial issue in Punjab, Modi supported the idea from the dais saying: ‘‘Advani Sahib and Badal Sahib have taken a pledge to interlink the rivers so that the entire population of the country gets a share in river waters.’’

Much to the discomfort of Badal, who was visibly upset over the raising of the issue, Modi said interconnecting of rivers had helped a number of states, especially Gujarat.

He said 19 rivers were linked and it had helped the agriculture in many states. This was a major achievement of the NDA when it remained in power at the Centre from 1999 to 2004, he remarked.

Modi did not know that people of Punjab were against sharing of waters with Haryana and Rajasthan. The former assembly, led by the Congress, had even passed a resolution that Punjab would not share its river waters with any other state.

Later at the rally, many Akali and SAD leaders held their breath when Prime Ministerial candidate of the NDA LK Advani also started talking about the interlinking of rivers. He, however, did not stretch the issue too much and stopped after saying that the NDA had connected the water bodies during their previous regime.

“For a while he had taken the life out of the rally, that proved to be a major success so much so that Advani did not forget to acknowledge the exceptional gathering of high-profile leaders,” said a leader.

Ludhiana, May 10
It was Ludhiana where before the imposition of Emergency in 1977, Jai Parkash Narayan had addressed a massive rally to give countrymen a clarion call to end the Congress rule. JP had described that rally as a “ralla for saving democracy”. Today, NDA leaders wanted Punjab to play that role again.

“It was on my request that Parkash Singh Badal agreed to hold this rally in Punjab,” said Lal Krishan Advani, adding that it was both a “historic and biggest political rally I have ever participated in. It will turn out to be rally for a change”.

Interestingly, Badal wanted Advani to visit Amritsar to pay obeisance at the Golden Temple immediately taking over as the Prime Minister of India. Probably this comment was to suggest in a sober way to the NDA Prime Ministerial candidate to come to the holy city to make amends for the comments he had made on Operation Bluestar in his autobiography.

Never before Chief Ministers of eight states and leaders of nine major political parties had shared a dais at a rally in the history of the country. In fact, it turned out to a problem of plenty as many of the leaders, including Chief Ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal (Himachal Pradesh), Shivraj Singh Chauhan (Madhya Pradesh), BS Yeddyurappa (Karnataka) and Dr Raman Singh (Chhattisgarh), could not get a chance to address the rally.

Not only Advani, but also Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi and BJP spokesperson Sushma Swaraj described today’s rally to be “historic and the biggest political rally ever attended by them”.

Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, whom the Congress-led UPA had been trying to woo for the past few days, could not have given a more befitting rebuff to Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi than appealing to “Biharis” in Punjab to “vote for NDA candidates with a vengeance to take revenge for what the UPA government has done to their government back home.”

“In Bihar, the NDA is doing very well. Our people should also do well in Punjab,” he said while giving his crisp and short message to a large section of migrants in Ludhiana.

Nitish said after natural calamity hit Kosi in Bihar, he had asked for special Central grants for the natural calamity fund for Bihar as it had no money in it. The Prime Minister flew to Bihar and announced that besides an immediate relief of Rs 1,000 crore, the Centre would provide Rs 1,010 crore for the natural calamity fund. Not even a penny came for the natural calamity fund, but within 20 minutes of the end of polling in Kosi the other day, the Centre had through a fax message demanded back Rs 1,000 crore given as immediate relief for flood victims.

“What can be a bigger shame than this? It only smacks of discrimination the Congress-led UPA government has against states not ruled by the Congress,” he said.

“It is not a show of strength by us, but a demonstration of our unity. If Bijju Dal of the original five partners has left us, we have new alliance partners from Assam, Bengal, Andhra and UP. On the other hand, all affiliate units of the UPA are contesting the LS elections independent of each other,” said Sushma.

Interestingly, each of the nine partner political outfits and Chief Ministers of eight states talked about the special relations they had with Punjab. While Gorkha Liberation, Assom Gona Parishad and Telengana Rashtra Samiti talked out of commonalities with Punjab in their struggle for establishing their own state in the country, Shiv Sena leaders chose the role warriors from Maharashtra and Punjab played in the freedom struggle.

Narendra Modi went back to the history saying Gujarat has a blood relation with Punjab as one of Panj Pyaras Guru Gobind Singh had chosen in 1699 to give Khalsa Panth its origin, one of them was from Gujarat.Probably all leaders not only wanted to exhibit their solidarity with Punjab, but also exhorted Punjabis to continue to play a significant role by rising against any “misrule or discriminatory rule at the Centre”.

Jalandhar, May 10
As people of Punjab have already made up their mind to defeat the SAD-BJP combine comprehensively in the Lok Sabha elections, the election rally organised today by the BJP-led NDA in Ludhiana will not help the SAD-BJP combine in any manner at this stage of the election campaign, said Mohinder Singh Kaypee, acting president, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee.

Indications coming from the four Lok Sabha constituencies where polling was held on May 7 clearly proved that the Congress was heading for a massive win in the state. “We will win all 13 seats in the state,” said Kaypee.

“Today’s rally is an act of desperation on the part of the SAD-BJP combine and other supporters of the NDA which is facing big defeat not only in Punjabi but also in other parts of the country,” he said.

“Everyone knows that the NDA will split into several factions immediately after May 16, the day LS election results will be announced. So the NDA is trying hard to keep its flock together.

The NDA, apprehending big defeat, is making last-ditch efforts such as organising today’s rally to save face before the polling for the last phase of LS elections on May 13,” said Kaypee.

“With today’s rally, the voting pattern in the remaining nine LS constituencies where polling will be held on May 13, will not be affected in any manner. People of Punjab had made up their mind long back to vote for Congress candidates to make Dr Manmohan Singh Prime Minister once again,” he said.

“Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir’s confidence was badly shaken on seeing the voting trend in favour of the Congress in the first phase of polling for four constituencies on May 7 in the state.

Both SAD leaders have lost faith in their own selves. That is why they have had to seek the support today of Chief Ministers and other leaders belonging to the NDA,” said Kaypee.

“But today’s rally will make no difference to the sinking fortune of the SAD-BJP combine in Punjab,” he added. 

Kotli Surat Malhi (Gurdaspur), May 10
“Punjab’s growth is on the decline. In fact, for the past two and a half years, the development of the state has gone in back gear. The good work that Capt Amarinder Singh had done during the Congress regime, has now been undone,” said Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Chief Minister of Haryana, while addressing a rally here in support of Congress candidate from Gurdaspur Partap Singh Bajwa.

“Punjab was once No. 1 state in the country as far development is concerned, but now it is lagging far behind. Sugarcane prices have fallen to Rs 135 per quintal in Punjab compared to Rs 185 quintal in Haryana.

Punjab has now become a pale shadow of its past. Only the Congress has vision for an all-round development of the state,” maintained Hooda.

Addressing the rally, Capt Amarinder Singh, former Chief Minister of Punjab, asked the public to decide for themselves whom they wanted to see as their Prime Minister. “Whether it should be efficient and honest leader like Dr Manmohan Singh from the Congress or Lal Krishna Advani from the BJP, whose party had facilitated the release of hardcore terrorists from jails”.

Coming down heavily on the Badal family, he said Sukhbir Badal, Deputy Chief Minister, had formed a gang for his family’s welfare.

Bajwa said people of the region wanted development and employment. “They have nothing to do with film stars. I am a son of this soil and always accessible to people,” said Bajwa. 

However, Dr Manmohan Singh’s government fixed the paddy minimum support price at Rs 850 per quintal. Even after giving Rs 50 per quintal as bonus, the UPA government denied Rs 150 per quintal, he said. The MSP had been frozen for next two years.

He said the Congress had also not fulfilled its earlier promise that farmers would be given Rs 30 per quintal as bonus on paddy. Only Rs 10 per quintal was given as bonus.

Khadoor Sahib, May 10
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will address an election rally at Kaka Kandiala village on the Tarn Taran-Amritsar road in the Khadoor Sahib Lok Sabha constituency on May 11. SAD candidate Dr Rattan Singh Ajnala claimed that the issue of the first Sikh PM would have no impact in Punjab in general and in Khadoor Sahib in particular.

Sitting Tarn Taran MP Dr Ajnala said the Congress made temporary arrangement by appointing Dr Manmohan Singh as PM to pave the way for Gandhi scion Rahul Gandhi.

Ajnala added that the Manmohan factor would have no impact in Punjab as he had not done anything fruitful for the state. Had he been an effective Sikh PM, the CBI would no have given a clean chit to Jagdish Tytler and not delayed filing of charge sheet against Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh violence.

Ajnala said he would pursue for the revival of India’s first Nucleus Industrial Complex (NIC) at Goindwal Sahib.

He said border farmers whose land located across the fence had been provided Rs 2,500 per acre compensation annually during the Vajpayee-led NDA government, but it was stopped when the UPA came to power. He said he would make efforts to restart annual compensation for the border farmers and ge it enhanced to Rs 5,000 per year.

Having been elected to Assembly four times in 1985, 1994, 1997 and 2002 from Ajnala and Parliament elections in 2004 from Tarn Taran, Ajnala said he would also pursue to shift the fencing at zero line on the Indo-Pakistan border to solve problem of border farmers of four districts of Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Ferozepur and Gurdaspur.Dr Ajnala’s entire family and his NRI sister Jagir Kaur are campaigning for him.

Gurdaspur, May 10
BJP all-India general secretary Arun Jaitley outdid several seasoned politicians in delivering an election campaign speech as he exhorted the Gurdaspur electorate to vote for Vinod Khanna at a rally held here last evening.

Speaking in perfect Punjabi all through, he said: “Elect an honest man to Parliament. Give Vinod Khanna another chance to serve you. He is a clean and simple man. He will not let you down.”

“If someone were to ask Vinod Khanna what he does besides politics, he will say he is an artiste, but if you ask Congress candidate Pratap Singh Bajwa what he does besides politics, every child of this area will tell you,” he said.

Jaitley said the Congress had brought country’s economy to near collapse in the past five years. “For the past 150 days, the country does not have a finance minister.

The Prime Minister’s statement that if he is given 100 days he will turn around the economy sounds more like a statement made by a party in the Opposition. A party in power should act,” he added.

Jaitley criticised the Congress for its weak stand on national security. “Taliban is at our doorstep. We have unrest in Bangladesh and our intelligence has failed to deliver”.

Laying stress on the BJP-SAD bond in Punjab, Jaitley said the relationship between the two parties went back four decades. “Unlike the Congress, which has no ideology-backed tie-ups, our ties with the SAD are based on strong ideological footing and fair share of power,” he added.

“Sardar Prakash Singh Badal launched a satyagraha against the 1977 Emergency and supported us. In 1989, it was the BJP-led government that constituted the Nanawati Commission to probe the 1984 riots,” he pointed out.

Gurdaspur MLA Gurbachan Singh Babbehalli and Dinanagar MLA Sita Ram Kashyap also addressed the rally.

Vinod Khanna, however, was not present at the rally as he was busy campaigning in villages with his “co-star campaigner” Hema Malini and son Akshay Khanna.

Hema Malini spent almost half a day here accompanying Khanna at his rallies at Batala, Qadian, Kahnuwan and Masania village. The Bollywood Dream Girl wooed the crowd with her pet dialogue, “Basanti teri izzat ka sawaal hai.” 

Nawanshahr, May 10“Naxalbari Zindabad”, “Inquilab Zindabad” and “Lootu Hakam Murdabad”. Thus reads a poster of the CPI (ML) New Democracy, which is contesting three Lok Sabha seats.

Its candidates are Daljit Singh Advocate from Anandpur Sahib, Gurmeet Singh Bakhatpur from Gurdaspur and Hans Raj Pabwan from Jalandhar.

“Naxalbari Zindabad” means “Long live peasantry”, explains Daljit. “The Naxalbari has nothing to do with violence as far as our party is concerned.

As peasants had started the Naxalbari movement from Naxalbari village in West Bengal to oppose their exploitation, we believe that most of the problems of peasantry, including the distribution of land among landless farmers, are yet to be solved,” said Daljit, when asked whether his organisation believed in the theory that revolution could only be brought through the barrel of a gun.

“No, we do not believe in such a theory and are against killing class enemies to achieve our goals,” he added. “However, during a struggle of people, sometimes violence does occur. But, that is not a planned violence”.

The CPI (ML) prefers to call itself “revolutionary Left” to differentiate from other mainstream Left parties such as the CPI and the CPM to which it calls “Parliamentary Left”.

“We are for changing the existing system where focus is on profit and not on human beings. We want a government system that is for human being,”, said Daljit. “The present system only serves the rich and famous and work to maximise their profits from trade, industry and other means of income. It does not care for the common people,” he said.

Expressing similar views, Raj Pabwan said: “We are against privatisation and promoting public sector. The government assets are being handed over to the rich under the existing system,” he added.

The CPI (ML) is for distribution of huge chunks of land in the possession of feudal lords among landless people, waiving debts of farmers and landless labour, unemployment allowance, end to globalisation and privatisation and withdrawal of India’s membership from the WTO and other such bodies. They also favours free education and medical help for all.

“We have also taken up local problems faced by people of the Kandi area and the issue of safeguarding the properties of NRIs. We are also for trying alternative crops in place of the crops that affect our environment,” said Daljit.

Daljit was imprisoned during the Emergency. He remained sarpanch of Urapur village from 1993 to 2003. Pabwan has also remained sarpanch of his village for several terms.

Ludhiana, May 10
Five former members of Parliament (MPs) are campaigning for SAD-BJP candidate Gurcharan Singh Galib here. "You reposed trust in us. We are telling you we trust this man," the five MPs appeal to voters at rallies.

Of the 10 MPs, who had represented the Ludhiana Lok Sabha constituency for 14 terms so far, five, including Galib, are alive and four are canvassing for him.

Jathedar Jagdev Singh Talwandi, who was MP from here in 1977, is seeking votes for Galib. Though his hometown Raikot now falls in the Fatehgarh Sahib constituency, he is seen at rallies and corner meetings of the SAD nominee.

Rajinder Kaur Bulara, who won in 1989, is mobilising workers of her area in Galib’s favour. She was elected on SAD (A) ticket and defeated Jasdev Singh Jassowal of the SAD at that time. She later joined the SAD and is seeking support for the party nominee.

Amrik Singh Aliwal, who remained MP twice in 1996 and 1998 on SAD ticket is also backing Galib. He stayed away from the party for some time after he was denied ticket in the last Lok Sabha elections and Sharanjit Singh Dhillon was named candidate.

He recently rejoined the party and is campaigning for Galib. Sitting MP Sharanjit Singh Dhillon is also supporting Galib. He is seen at most of the functions of the party.

The first MP from Ludhiana, Ajit Singh Sarhadi (1951), Bahadur Singh (1957), both from the Congress, Sardar Kapur Singh (1962) from the SAD, thrice MP Davinder Singh Garcha (1967, 1971, 1980) from the Indian National Congress and Mewa Singh Gill (1984) from the SAD have passed away.

Gurcharan Singh Galib was elected MP twice in 1991 and 1999 on Congress ticket. He left the Congress this time, joined the SAD and is pitted against Congress candidate Manish Tewari.

Ghazal (Indo-Pak Border), May 10
Harbhajan Singh of this village has been facing numerous hardships for nearly two decades in cultivating his own land situated across the fencing on the Indo-Pak border.

This small farmer of only 10 acres has been allowed restricted entry from 10 am to 2.30 pm to his fields which is the main reason for his plight.

It has become very difficult for him to make his both ends meet because his produce has been adversely affected every year as he can work just for 5.30 hours a day in his fields for farming.

His case is not an isolated one. Nearly 20 farmers of this village alone are sailing in the same boat.

Over 4,000 acres land of hundreds of small farmers of Ghazal, Ramuwal, Rattoke, Machike, Khemkaran, Mastgarh, Rasulpur, Muthianwal and some other nearby villages falling under the newly carved Khemkaran Assembly segment of the Khadur Sahib parliamentary constituency is situated across the fencing.

Further, they have to pay more for labourers and harvesting machines as compared to farmers of normal fields as their land is located across fencing.

Harbhajan told The Tribune that they were allowed to take only local farm labourers to their fields with them after preparing their identity slips from BSF officials on daily basis which was a troublesome task.

The local labourers charged Rs 300 for just 5.30 hours daily from them which was double as compared to that of migrant farm labourers.

Another farmer of the same village, Sajjan Singh said they were charged Rs 1,000 as rent for harvesters for reaping crop per acre due to their restricted entry to their fields across fencing as compared to just Rs 700 as rent for the same for normal fields.

Actually thousands of farmers of different villages falling under four border districts of Tarn Taran, Amritsar, Gurdaspur and Ferozepur have the same story to tell as their over 20,000 acres land is located across fencing.

Interestingly, the border farmers were provided Rs 2,500 per acre annually as compensation for the hardships they faced during cultivation. The annual compensation was provided to them thrice in the late ’90s, but later the Central government stopped it at its own.

Now keeping in mind the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, Ghazal village farmers Resham Singh, Lakhbir Singh, Kuldeep Singh, Tarlok Singh, Gurcharan Singh, Sajjan Singh and Harbhajan Singh asked all political parties that they should be provided compensation for their land according to market rates.

If they could not be provided compensation once and for all, they should at least be given adequate annual compensation as they had been provided in the late ’90s, they added.

Further they said their entry to their land across fencing should at least be increased to 12 hours a day from 6 am to 6 pm.

It is pertinent to mention here the Union government decided to fence the nearly 560-km-long Indo-Pak border in Punjab after Operation Bluestar as it had facilitated smuggling of arms from across Pakistan.

Ropar, May 10
In view of the heat wave and soaring mercury, election officers at Anandpur Sahib Lok constituency have appealed to the voters to come with drinking water bottles and packs of oral rehydration solvents (ORS).

Priyank Bharti, Returning officer-cum-deputy commissioner, Ropar, said voters were being discouraged from bringing small children, especially infants, with them during noon hours. “It is advised to women with children to preferably vote in the morning hours,” he said, suggesting that people can bring wet towels along.

The election officers have also provided polling staff with packets of ORS solutions, salt, sugar and have directed to make adequate arrangements for drinking water. “This is being done keeping in view the soaring mercury, especially during mid day,” Bharti added.

Giving a detailed preview of election scene, Bharti said his office had received complaints of code of conduct. These complaints mainly comprised illegal hoardings, banners, surrogate advertisements, defacing property, holding rally without permission, government employees’ alleged involvement with political factions et al.

Bharti said licensed holders, who had not submitted their arms, would be taken to task.

Till 9 am today, out of 2,490 licensed arms holders, 2,478 had submitted their arms in Ropar.

Polling will start from 7 am at 1,586 polling booths of Anandpur Sahib that comprises nine assembly segments. The entire constituency has been divided into 143 sectors and one officer has been made in charge of each sector. Rooms where EVMs have been stored, will double up as counting centres on May 16.

These include Shiwalik Public School, Phase 6, Mohali, for Kharar and Mohali segments, Government College Ropar for Anandpur Sahib, Ropar and Chamkaur Sahib segments, RK Arya College, Rahon Road, Nawanshahr for Garhshankar and Nawanshahr and DAN College of Education, Rahon Road, Nawanshahr, for Banga and Balachaur segments.

Chandigarh, May 10
A large number of pensioners from India’s largest bank, State Bank of India (SBI), continue to draw their pension at old rates. This has resulted in officers and staff getting pension that is lower than that of their counterparts who have retired in the same rank in recent years.

While the bank’s regulations currently in force have fixed pension at 50 per cent of the last drawn pay, staff retiring at different time prior to 2002 are getting pension fixed at different rates. 

Those who retired between November 1, 1987, and October 30, 1992, are getting 28.71 per cent of the last- drawn pay, between November 1, 1992, to October 31, 1997, are getting 40 per cent and between November 1, 1997, to October 31, 2002, about 30 per cent.

Different set of pension fixed for staff retiring on different times has resulted in a piquant situation and disparities. Such is the situation that a former SBI chairman, who retired in the 1990s, is today getting pension that is less than that of a recently retired clerk of the same bank.

“We have been demanding that the pension fixation be rationalised so that people retiring in the same rank get the same pension,” KS Saini, a retired chief manager said.

“The pension of those who retired earlier should be revised in accordance with rules applicable at present and be fixed at 50 per cent, as is the government norm,” he added.

The SBI has maintained that the bank has written to the Central government and the Reserve Bank of India to grant necessary approval for the revision of pension rules. The clearance to adopt revised scale is still awaited.

A number of pensioners have, in fact, moved the high courts in several states for revision of their pension. In one recent judgement, the Madras High Court directed the Central government to approve the draft amendment for re-fixing pension of those affected within three months.

Pensioners, however, said despite lapse of several months, the court order was yet to be implemented.

Hoshiarpur, May 10
NRIs from Phagwara, Hoshiarpur, adjoining villages and towns falling under the Hoshiarpur Parliamentary constituency have pledged to boycott the Lok Sabha elections, following non-redressal of their property, matrimonial and other matters, including industrial projects.

NRIs from urban and rural areas rue that none of the past MPs have stood up for their problems, adding that the SAD/BJP, Congress and BSP candidates have even forgotten to “mention” their problems in their campaigns.

The NRI support in the elections is restricted to “politically oriented” people, who are benevolently bearing the electioneering expenses of their respective candidates in the fray.

Despite the amendment made in the Urban Rent Act, Punjab, the NRIs whose properties have been usurped, are struggling for years to get them freed. There has been no redressal of their cases in the courts.

Rajbir Singh, a Canada-based NRI from Phagwara, said, “My tenants have taken over my house and are not even paying the rent for the past four years. The legal battle is on and date extensions are all I am getting all these years.”

He also referred to the connivance of the local police and politicians with the “usurpers”, as a result of which many NRIs have lost their property worth crores.

Former office-bearer of the NRI Sabha Satnam Channa said, “Red tapism has refrained the NRI business community in bringing developmental projects in the area. Despite trying hard, many businessmen living in Canada have given up hope to set up industries in Phagwara and Hoshiarpur”.

On the contrary, it is the NRI community settled in Canada, USA, UK and Australia that has contributed in the development of villages, including Palahi, Thakkar Ke, Jagpalpur, Ranipur, Khosran, Sarihala.

A resident of Palahi said, “Jagat Singh Palahi has changed the look of the village and we are happy that we do not have to depend upon corrupt politicians for anything now”.

Canada-based NRI RR Kapila, who is visiting his native town Phagwara, said, “I am not supporting any candidate or party in these elections. Illegal constructions in the town are a major problem of traffic jams,” stated the NRI.