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‘My religion is personal, I can’t use it for votes’ Manpreet Singh Badal comes out after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple
in Amritsar on Sunday. Tribune photo: Parvesh Chauhan |
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Supporters of Manpreet Singh Badal, wearing yellow strips, gather at Gidderbaha before their departure for the rally in Amritsar on Sunday. Tribune photo: Pawan Sharma
News Analysis
Jaspinder Narula gives a performance on the final day of the Kapurthala
Heritage Festival on Saturday. Tribune photo: Malkiat Singh
Self Help - 1
HAUNTED BY DAUGHTER’S MURDER
Cong men burn Sudarshan’s effigy
Cong men upbeat with Capt at helm
Accidents on the rise as truckers evade toll
Experts for seed treatment before sowing wheat
Patiala to get 5 Adarsh schools
In the presence of thousands of followers and devotees, the president of the Vishav Hindu Parishad (Northern India), a veteran BJP leader and former state minister, Mahant Ram Parkash Dass, was cremated on the premises of his Dera Baba Lal Dayal in Rampur Haler village here this afternoon. His successor Romesh Shastri lit the pyre.
Candidates allege discrepancies in CISF recruitments
Candidates appearing for CISF allege discrepancies in the recruitment rally. Tribune photo
CM seeks Sikhs’ help to educate poor
UIA membership for Sandhu
Punjabi varsity alumni meet
1 killed, 4 hurt in road mishap
The car that met with an accident near Ranwan village on the Chandigarh-Ludhiana road on Sunday. Tribune photo
Firing outside Cong leader’s house
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Supporters throng Manpreet’s house
Gidderbaha, November 14 At 6 am, they headed towards Amritsar in two buses, cars and jeeps besides other vehicles. Several persons had come in their own cars to accompany Manpreet Badal’s brother-in-law Jaijeet Singh Jojo, who led them from here towards Amritsar. Several supporters tied yellow strips on their forehead or turbans and raised slogans in support of Manpreet before leaving for Amritsar. Last night, the police had stopped some buses meant for ferrying Manpreet’s supporters to Amritsar at two-three places in Gidderbaha and Kot Bhai village areas. However, these buses were later allowed to go, according to Jojo, when they put pressure on the police. Jojo said they had arranged 150 buses to ferry supporters from the Gidderbaha area but due to pressure from the police, they could send only 110 buses. Earlier, Manpreet’s programme was to start his journey from Badal or Gidderbaha to Amritsar in the wee hours today, but Manpreet changed his programme and decided to go to Amritsar from Chandigarh. Following this, his brother-in-law took the charge here.
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‘Jago Punjab Yatra’ a move to test waters
Naveen S Garewal/TNS
Chandigarh, November 14 With over a year for the next general election, Manpreet has shown wisdom, much to the worry of the SAD leadership, by being in no hurry to announce the formation of either a new political party of a third front. Though he had managed to gather formidable crowds on his own, not being able to get even a single senior political leader with him that has forced him to contemplate further before announcing any plan that may prove suicidal. Just as the SAD high command has chosen to keep the two rebel MLAs Jagbir Singh Brar (Jalandhar Cantt) and Manjider Singh Kang (Beas) guessing about their fate, Manpreet has paid back to the SAD in the same coin by continuing to keep his cards close to his chest. By reaching out to the people with the “Jago Punjab Yatra”, Manpreet will be able to access exactly how the people react to his political and economic agenda. It is obvious that Manpreet is not looking at politics in his home constituency, but is looking at forming a force that can at least be considered in the reckoning in the 2012 general election. The march to the Golden Temple by Manpreet and his supporters can by no standards be called a flop as his detractors are trying to portray it. It is in fact the opposite - even if it is called a one man show, it will then be called a very successful show considering that the entire state machinery and the ruling SAD-BJP alliance did try to thwart it. A lesson Manpreet appears to have learnt from the history of the Shiromani Akali Dal - “Supreme Akali Party” - as it is interpreted is that no leader can be successful unless he emerges a hero from a political movement. By the launch of the yatra, Manpreet hopes to turn the march into a movement of the people. By show of his strength Manpreet has made a point, but at the same time by not announcing anything substantial about the course he wants to adopt, he has also kept all options open. One has to remember that the senior Badal, who is patron of the party, is yet to speak out his mind on the activities of his nephew. Now, the Chief Minister does realise that his first political mistake was not to give a ticket to Capt Amarinder Singh, then an Akali, who joined the Congress and came back as his political rival. Second, when he let Gurcharan Singh Tohra break away from the SAD, along with his supporters, it scuttled the chances of the SAD of returning to power. Now, like no seasoned politicians can allow Manpreet to become a spoilsport for the party in the next election. He too is perhaps giving Manpreet time to test his waters before making the final move.
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Bittu for CM’s resignation
Maur Mandi (Bathinda), November 14 Accusing the state government of using every pressure tactics to sabotage Manpreet’s rally, Bittu said even after using all its machinery to stop people from reaching Amritsar, a large crowd that gathered inside the Darbar Sahib was a clear indication that the people of Punjab were fed up with the rule of the Badals. Quick to react to Manpreet’s proposed ‘Jaago Punjab Yatra’, which he announced today at Amritsar, Bittu said there was no harm in going to the people of Punjab and hearing there grievances but asked why after over three years, suddenly this idea had cropped up in Manpreet’s mind. Raising a number of queries, Bittu asked why he did not think of such yatra when he was the state finance minister for such a long Time? Claiming the Punjab Youth Congress’s Nav Inquilab Yatra to be a grand success, Bittu said after witnessing response the yatra had got from the people of Punjab, now Manpreet had also planned the same.
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Delight, disappointment mark finale at heritage festival
Kapurthala, November 14 Of the three performers mentioned in the invitation, Ustad BS Narang, Pt Tarun Bhattachrya and Wadali Brothers, the latter two did not turn up. Instead Dr Santosh Nahar and Jaspinder Narula were roped in by the organisers. The evening began with the delightful vocals of Ustad Narang. His singing, classical or otherwise, is firmly embedded in the soil of Punjab. He exploits beautifully the melancholic aspect of Punjabi music and poetry in his compositions. The mood of his singing is sweet-sombre. His deft classical renderings, coupled with his well-modulated voice gave a soothing start to the evening. He started with a mesmerising bandish in Raag Rageshwari. Next he sung one of his favourites, the Sufi “Gali vicchon kaun langeya”. He ended his performance with a tribute to the land of Punjab by singing “Main Punjab Haan”. The song talked of cultures, religions and sacrifices and infusing the Sufi spirit into it was a rare feat that only an artiste like him could have performed. Narang’s son, who accompanied him, is a vocalist in his own right. The father-son duo was perfectly in sync and complimented each other as performers. The talented Ustad Kale Ram accompanied Narang on the tabla, Pt Vinay Mishra on harmonium and Prof Tejinder Singh on the tanpura. The second performer for the evening was Dr Santosh Nahar. He started with Raag Charukesi, then played the famous thumri, “Yaad piya ki aaye”, and ended the recital with the bhajan, “Payo ji maine”, with a pinch of “Vaishnav Jan” sprinkled in his last two performances. Shubh Maharaj accompanied him on the tabla. Nahar’s soulful violin added to the mood that had set in with Narang’s recital. The recital started on a lingering, pleading note but soon the violin asserted itself as Nahar started playing out one classical specialty after another. The ‘sawaal-jawaab’ session was specially enchanting. A master of the gayaki ang, Nahar’s thumri was immensely intense. The last performer for the evening was Jaspinder Narula. Her troupe almost scared the audience when they began playing the old film number, “Aaja sanam”. But she clarified to the relief of all that it was just to build up the mood. She started with a devotional number, “Data tumhi ho jag kartar”, followed by a Sufi composition, “Allah hoo”. She then sung a ghazal and ended the recital with some songs from her films. Narula’s “Allah hoo” in her bold Punjabi voice was effective but many of her compositions seemed a bit too light and misfits for the festival. Especially film numbers like “Taare hain barati” and “Aj ral ke” were a shift from the serious, heritage mood of the festival.
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‘Umeed’ gives hope to Sangrur women
Jangveer Singh Tribune News Service
Sangrur, November 14 Other women in Jaspal’s village - Lakhowal, including the poorest of the poor Scheduled Castes and backward caste women, also have a reason to smile. All of them, who started off by collecting Rs 20 per month, have graduated to saving Rs 200 per month and now want to collect Rs 500 per month after they pay back their current loans. The success of Lakhowal’s first SHG pioneered by the Umeed Foundation, which is run by former Sangrur legislator Arvind Khanna, has spawned the formation of two more SHGs with village women now dreaming big. “What looks easy now has taken nearly a decade to achieve”, says Col RPS Brar, Arjuna awardee and CEO of Umeed, which has created a network of supervisors and social organisers to help groups of 10 women each in establishing as many as 300 SHGs in the district. Explaining the work behind the establishment of the SHGs, Colonel Brar says Umeed first encourages village women to collect and pass a resolution to form a group. He said the NGO’s social organisers then contact the women and help in opening an account register besides coordinating election of the president and secretary of the group. The group decides how much its members want to save every month and after six months of regular saving they are facilitated to open an account in a bank. Geeta Rawat, a gutsy social organiser, says most women go in for purchasing buffaloes by either borrowing from the group or against a limit fixed for the group by the bank. She says as many as 800 women have purchased buffaloes in this manner. A few have even gone on to open their own dairy business with Jagroop Kaur of Lakhowal even establishing a dairy, which buys and sells milk besides starting a small cattle feed business. “We had nothing”, says Jagroop, adding that she had come up the hard way. Jagroop’s group now collects Rs 200 per month and has Rs 52,000 in circulation among its members. Women have found their own pursuits under the SHGs and are even becoming bold to dream big. Shaminder Kaur of Bharo village took a loan of Rs 50,000 six months ago. Now she has taken a loan of Rs 1 lakh and opened a shop in the village. Both she and her husband sew clothes besides leasing out CDs on rent. Still others have started involving their entire families in their ventures. Sulochana has brought a photocopier and a computer that her son uses to load songs in CDs. The success achieved by these gutsy women is percolating to their men folk also. In a fitting tribute to the experiment, an all-male SHG has started making monthly collections at Bharo, which could well start another revolution in this district. (To be continued)
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Man thrown out of job by Education Dept
GS Paul Tribune News Service
Amritsar, November 14 Today, on the one hand, he is struggling to get his service benefits restored after being thrown out of the job and, on the other hand, he is allegedly receiving threats from the kin of her daughter’s in-laws that they will either usurp his land or kidnap his grandson, now five years old, studying in a school in Amritsar. Neither the Police Department nor the Education Department was ready to listen to redress his woes. Nevertheless, on October 29, 2006, Dilbag, a JBT teacher at Government Elementary Primary School, Chogwan, got a telephone call that his daughter, Navreet Waraich, had been stabbed to death by his son-in-law, in the basement of her Surrey, Canada, home. Next day, Dilbag and his wife flew to Canada on temporary resident visa to be part of their daughter’s funeral procession. Meanwhile, his son-in-law was awarded life imprisonment by a Canadian court. The Child Ministry in Canada handed over the custody of their grandson, Bramveer Waraich, just five-month old then. “After three and a half years’ legal battle, the court gave the guardianship of the child and permitted me to take him along to India,” he said. Reaching here in November 2009, he got another jolt to know that his services had been terminated from April 2009, by the Education Department. Consequently, all his service benefits had been stalled. This despite the fact that he had kept the department in the loop about the entire matter. “I had applied for without pay leave from Canada. The department just got published termination warning notice in national newspapers and did not inform me at my home either in Canada or India,” he said. He moved the high court, which directed him to file an appeal with the department concerned, before issuing the final verdict in his case. Dilbag filed an appeal with the Director, Public Instructions (Elementary), Chandigarh, in August, but till date, he has not received any response. Dr Sadhu Singh Randhawa, DPI (Elementary), Chandigarh, said he would soon be called up to explain his case while SSP, Rural, Gurmeet S. Chauhan said an inquiry would be marked on priority.
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Cong men burn Sudarshan’s effigy
Ferozepur, November 14 At one point, the effigy of Sudarshan that was being carried on the back of a donkey was first given a beating by workers and subsequently set on fire to mark their protest. They also raised slogans against Sudarshan and the
RSS. Activists of the DCC led by its president Gurnaib Singh Brar yesterday held a protest and burnt an effigy of Sudarshan to lodge their
protest. Parminder, addressing the gathering, said Congress party president Sonia Gandhi belonged to that clan, which had made a lot of sacrifices for nation’s integrity. On the other hand, the RSS always spread communalism in the country and bent on dividing it on communal lines.
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Cong men upbeat with Capt at helm
Sangrur, November 14 In a statement issued here yesterday, Khanna, who has been actively associated with the arrangements of yesterday’s function, said the massive public response during the swearing-in ceremony of Amarinder vindicated the decision of party President Sonia Gandhi to provide an able leader to the party in the state. The Congress leader also condemned former RSS chief K Sudarshan for his outrageous remarks against Sonia.
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Accidents on the rise as truckers evade toll
Ropar, November 14 Over the past one year, 17 persons have lost lives in 20 accidents on the road stretch, as reported at the Nurpur Bedi police station. The Ropar-Nurpur Bedi road was laid to connect Nurpur Bedi villages with Ropar city. Being a narrow stretch, it is not being able to support heavy traffic. “The number of accidents have increased sharply. Most of vehicles plying on the road are trucks moving to and fro from the industrial areas of Himachal Pradesh,” pointed out Dinesh Chadha, an advocate who commutes daily between Nurpur Bedi and Ropar. Even police officials of the Nurpur Bedi police station agree that the number of fatal accidents has increased as truckers take to this narrow stretch to avoid paying tax at the Nakkian village toll plaza on the Ropar-Anandpur Sahib road. Trucks plying are usually loaded with construction material or raw material used in different industries. Truckers blame their clients (owners of factories) for making them adopt the alternative route. “Most of the industrialists refuse to compensate us for the toll paid. In no way can we pay high rates of toll tax from our own pocket. We have no other option but to evade tax by taking the alternative Nurpur Bedi-Ropar road,” said a trucker. Residents of the area said the police should keep a close check on the entry of heavy vehicles on the road stretch from the Ropar side so as to minimise the number of fatal accidents taking place in the area.
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Experts for seed treatment before sowing wheat
Fatehgarh Sahib, November 14 Yellow rust is one of the major diseases that attacks the wheat crop, which is sown without undergoing seed treatment. “Yellow rust attacked wheat yield during last year and also in 2008. Though we always suggest that farmers should go in for seed treatment, this time the department has fixed 100 per cent target for the same,” said Jaswinder Singh, agriculture development officer in
Amloh. He pointed out that last year 5,000 litres of medicines with 50 per cent subsidy was distributed among farmers of district but even then only few farmers opted for seed treatment. “If the seed is treated before sowing then farmers’ need not spray medicines continuously and that may reduce their expenses,” he said. Agriculture Department officials said in last two years farmers had suffered a loss of even more than 20 quintals per acre due to lack of seed treatment. Khera block in Fatehgarh Sahib was the worst affected wherein farmers failed to adopt a proactive approach while sowing seeds last time. The Agriculture Department has provided a seed-treating drum, which is used to mix seeds with fungicide. Wheat seeds are spun in the drum five times clock wise and anti-clock wise so that the fungicide gets completely mixed with the seeds. Every panchayat of the district is provided with this drum for farmers. Gurcharan Singh, the lambardar of Tangrala said, “Seed treatment is quite important before sowing wheat or any other crop or vegetables. Though seeds of hybrid varieties sold in the market are already treated by companies, however, farmers sometimes use their own seeds and do not treat them.” He pointed out that farmers must be made aware of the importance of the seed treatment before the onset of wheat sowing season.
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Patiala to get 5 Adarsh schools
Patiala, November 14 “The main aim is to provide quality education to every single individual residing in Punjab,” said Surjit Singh Rakhra, while adding that in Patiala, Adarsh schools would be opened in blocks of Sanaur, Ghanaur, Nabha, Rajpura and Pattran. Notably, aiming at providing quality education to the rural students in Punjab, the state government had introduced the concept of Adarsh schools. These schools are being set up under the public private partnership (PPP) mode and would impart free and quality education to the economically poor rural students in all districts. The District Planning Committee chief said during the recently held meeting of the District Planning Committee, he had given instructions to the Education Department to ensure that work of these schools to start at the earliest. “Adarsh schools to be set up in Patiala will offer facilities like computer rooms, laboratories, libraries, innovative teaching aids, sports equipment and
teacher-training aids,” he added.
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Northern India VHP chief cremated
Hoshiarpur, November 14 Mahant Ram Parkash Dass, along with six members of a family, was injured in an accident on November 4 when one of his disciples, Mulakh Raj of Rampur, requested him to enter his newly purchased Tata Sumo. As soon as he entered the car, it started moving and crashed into the wall of the dera. Following some complications, he was taken to Fortis Hospital, Mohali, on November 6, where he succumbed to his injuries last night. Among those who attended the cremation were state ministers Manoranjan Kalia and Master Mohan Lal, Avinash Rai Khanna, a member of the Rajya Sabha, and MLA Amarjit Singh Sahi. In his condolence message, Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal described Mahant Ram Parkash as a respected and popular BJP leader of the Doaba region, who worked tirelessly for the uplift of underprivileged and downtrodden sections of society throughout his life. DC Dharam Dutt Ternach announced that all educational institutions and state government offices in the district would remain closed tomorrow. — OC
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Candidates allege discrepancies in CISF recruitments
Nangal, November 14 They said the Staff Selection Commission had advertised posts of inspector and the test was being conducted for selection of the same. The candidates appearing for the physical test had already cleared the written examination. Surinder from the Bilaspur area of Himachal Pradesh alleged that recruitment was not being conducted in a transparent manner. Nitin from Kangra said as per rules, the candidates were supposed to run on 1,600-m track in six minutes. “However, the track has been extended by 150 m, making it 1,750 m, which is unfair. Since the track is longer, candidates cannot cover it in six minutes and are being disqualified,” said Vishal Dhiman from Dharamsala. The candidates also added that their signatures on forms were taken even before all tests were completed. They said the recruiting authorities present at the spot were informed about the discrepancies, but nothing had been done so far. Officials present at the spot refused to comment on the issue and taking the plea that they were busy with the recruitment process.
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CM seeks Sikhs’ help to educate poor
Chandigarh, November 14 At a function organised by the Chief Khalsa Diwan (CKD) here, Badal appealed to Sikhs, who had established themselves all over the world, to contribute even 1 per cent of their earnings to support free education to poor children in the state. He also called upon Sikh intellectuals, representatives of social and religious organisations to jointly chalk out an action plan to impart quality education based on Sikh values to children throughout the country and to establish a fund for this purpose. He was speaking during the 63rd All-India Sikh Education Conference organised by the CKD to commemorate the tercentenary celebrations of Baba Banda Singh Bahadur’s Sirhind Fateh Divas here. On the occasion, Indian-American businessman Sant Singh Chatwal announced his
contribution of Rs 1 crore for the upcoming university of the CKD. —
TNS
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UIA membership for Sandhu
Chandigarh, November 14 The UIA has consultative status with the United Nations and at the Council of Europe, providing global opportunity for professional growth and legal international networking. UIA General Sectary Mary-Daphne Fishelson has acknowledged the ongoing comparative research study on European Legal System initiated by Sandhu. Sandhu has contributed towards the comparative research on the European legal system and comparison on the functioning of the court in different nations. He was recently invited by Supreme Courts of France, the UK, Belgium and Switzerland to study and observe their functioning.
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Punjabi varsity alumni meet
Patiala, November 14 Dean Alumni Association Dr Jaswinder Singh said, “We keep on taking up some or the other project with the help of the association's members to further improve the university in every aspect.” With 1,080 members, the main aim of the association is the academic upliftment and resource enrichment of the university. The association has now decided to form units all over the world. Ankur and Vishal Goel of the Computer Science Department of the university have established software through which all alumni will be given specific codes. This will make it easy for them to upload their information on the association's website.
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1 killed, 4 hurt in road mishap
Khamano (Fatehgarh Sahib), November 14 According to area residents and police officials, a Spark car banged into a roadside tree and one of its occupants sitting beside the driver was killed on the spot. The deceased was later identified as Labbu Ram, who appeared to be in his seventies. The injured were identified as Labbu Ram’s son-in-law Rajesh, Kiran Devi, Bhagwati Devi and two children Manas (10) and Avni (8). They were taken to the Government Hospital, Khamano, for treatment. The police said statements of the victims would be recorded once they were declared fit by doctors. Police officials said the injured were going to Ludhiana after attending the wedding of a close relative at Chandigarh last night. In-laws of injured Rajesh, who was driving the car, were residing in Kunehran village of Una, while the couple had been residing in New Delhi with their two children, they added. Officials said the driver perhaps dozed off while driving, as there was no other vehicle involved in the accident.
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Firing outside Cong leader’s house
Ferozepur, November 14 Sources said though the exact reason behind the incident would be ascertained after investigation, as per preliminary investigations, those who are allegedly involved in the firing had been identified as Pratap Singh, Ranjit Singh, Sukhdev Singh, Amardeep Singh and Harbhajan Singh. SSP Kaustubh Sharma said apparently it seemed to be a case of personal enmity as both groups belonged to the same party. The police was in the process of recording Amrik’s statement to register a case against the accused.
— TNS
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It’s not every day that one hears a statement like this coming from politicians, who are generally promising the moon to potential voters: “I begin my journey from the land of sacrifice. But the journey we undertake is not an easy one. If you walk with me, you might end up with boils on your feet. But it is a journey we must commit ourselves to and start with a smile.
For we are doing this for our state, our country and our future,”
said Manpreet.
Some of the candidates taking test for recruitment in the Central Industrial Security Force at the NFL Stadium here have alleged discrepancies in the recruitment procedure.
They said the Staff Selection Commission had advertised posts of inspector and the test was being conducted for selection of the same. The candidates appearing for the physical test had already cleared the written examination.
Khamano (Fatehgarh Sahib), November 14
