Muktsar, January 14
President of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Amritsar) Simranjit Singh Mann today lashed out at the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress. However, he did not flay former Finance Minister Manpreet Badal.

Mann had set up his stage just opposite the Congress venue from where he asked people to bring about a total change in the political system.

Addressing the gathering, Mann said, “You have been trapped in the two-party system. On the one hand, the 'corrupt' SAD-BJP alliance loots you and on the other, the Congress never bothers about the grievances of the common man.”

Taking both Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and former CM Captain Amarinder Singh to task, Mann said, "They both always look to Delhi as their heart beats according to the diktats of the Union government. They never focus on the issues concerning people of Punjab."

Further, Mann termed the BJP's demand for creating two new districts — Fazilka and Pathankot — a part of their “ulterior motive”.

To snub the present and past governments, he also raised the issues of inflation, prevalence of deadly diseases like cancer, and unemployment in the state.

Accusing CM Parkash Singh Badal of spending a lot of public money to visit his ailing wife Surinder Kaur Badal, who was undergoing treatment for cancer in the US, Mann said, "We have no problem if the CM goes to see his wife. But we object to the money paid by us in the shape of taxes being spent for the purpose."

Recalling the Operation Bluestar, Mann advocated the demand for Khalistan. Finding his speeches were provocative, the police officials positioned a van equipped with two CCTV cameras to record the proceedings. One of the cameras recorded the happenings on the stage while the other focused on the entrance of the venue for his rally.

General secretary of the party Gursewak Singh Jawaharke, president of the youth wing of the party, Barinder Singh Mann and organiser of the rally Surinder Singh, were prominent among those who addressed the gathering.

Moga, January 14
The agriculture department recently claimed that there was no shortage of urea in the Moga district and revealed that 52,000 bags of urea had reached the district headquarters here at the railway station, which were being distributed to the cooperative societies and private dealers.

Chief Agriculture Officer Dr Rajinder Singh Pandher and Agriculture Development Officer Dr Jaswinder Singh Brar had warned the private dealers that severe action would be initiated against them, if they were found guilty of creating an artificial shortage in the market.

Assuring the farming community that they would be supplied sufficient amount of fertilisers, the officials said the department would keep an eye on the private dealers and ensure that urea was being supplied to the farmers as per the demand without any delay.

They said lack of awareness about proper use of urea by farmers had led to its shortage for a few days in the past couple of weeks. “The farmers used urea in excess due to lack of knowledge. We have also initiated a move to educate the farmers on the judicious use of fertilizers,” Dr Pandher said.

Dr Brar said an average wheat crop requires 100-120 kg of urea per acre but it has been witnessed that the farmers by and large use fertilisers in excess up to 150 to 175 kg per acre, which created an artificial shortage.

It may be mentioned that the total requirement of urea fertiliser in the Moga district is 70,000 metric tonnes for the current rabi season and so far 56,400 metric tonnes of urea has already arrived here. One railway rake of 52,000 bags of the urea has reached recently.

Out of which, as much as 1700 metric tonnes of urea has been disbursed among the cooperative societies and 800 metric tonnes has been disbursed among the private dealers.

Dr Pandher further said that 26,000 bags of urea would reach the district headquarters in the next couple of days from the National Fertilizer Limited (NFL), Bathinda.

Ramuwala Nawan (Moga), January 14
The Member of Parliament from Brampton (Canada) Ruby Dhalla has announced that she would soon meet the Prime Minister of Canada Stephen Harper in connection with initiating a dialogue with his counterpart Dr Manmohan Singh in India for making stringent laws in both the nations to check the practice of fraud marriages.

She met more than 50 women, who have been deceived by the NRIs. She appreciated the initiative taken by the state government to check the malpractices of the travel agents.

Ruby assured of help to the women victims of fraud marriages by all possible means. “I understand your pains and will not sit back at rest until I get justice for you,” she claimed.

Former Union Minister and President of the Lok Bhalai Party (LBP) Balwant Singh Ramuwalia, who has been advocating the cases of women victims, said the economic exploitation of Punjabis has also reached new heights due to such marriages.

He said the state government should frame laws with the provisions of settling the cases of socio-economic exploitation of people within 180 days.

Abohar, January 14
A social activist, Dal Singh (67), died last night. He belonged to village Phullukhera and had retired as Range Officer in the forests department. His family has decided to donate his body as per his last wish. This is the sixth body donated in less than a year in the sub-division.

The Dera Sacha Sauda followers along with the volunteers of the Green Social Welfare Force thronged his Waryam Nagar residence to offer tributes. City BJP presidents Mannu Jaiswal and Shankar Swami, district secretary Anil Khetarpal, Mukhtiar Soni, state secretary, Punjab Swarankar Sangh, Suman Goyal, wife of former MLA Dr Ram Kumar Goyal and municipal councillor Poonam Mittal joined the citizens in paying tributes. 

Ferozepur, January 14
A number of valuables including jewellery (worth lakhs of rupees), a laptop, a wrist watch and a cash of Rs 34,000 have been stolen from an Army guest-house, located at the military station, belonging to Harmesh Sethi, a retired brigadier.

Police sources said on the written complaint of Harmesh Sethi, a case in this connection had been registered under section 380 of the IPC at the police station (cantonment).

Sethi had also reported that his valuables were lying in one of the guest-houses which is manned by the Army authorities.