Jalandhar, February 24
Making his tone harsher against former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, Youth Akali Dal patron Bikram Singh Majithia threatened in chaste Punjabi to “behead” him while addressing a rally at local New Grain Market on Thursday afternoon.

Referring to the statements made by some Congress leaders against him for his recent remarks against Amarinder Singh, Majithia said the question of tendering apology for his statements did not arise.

Also a former minister, Majithia said first the Congressmen should tender an apology for 1984 riots against Sikhs and for the Operation Bluestar. After that he would think about apologising for his statements, he added.

Going one step further, he said he would “behead” Amarinder Singh (Mein Amarinder di dhon la dao). However, responding to a query of this correspondent after the rally, Majithia clarified, “He does not believe in violence and do not take “behead” in its literal meaning but it’s an idiom which means we will defeat him in the forthcoming Assembly elections as we had done in Bathinda parliamentary by defeating his son.”

The gathering burst into laughter when continuing his remarks against Amarinder Singh, Majithia said Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was holding “sangat darshan” for the benefit of general public, whereas Amarinder kept on doing “darshan” of only one person and that was none other than Aroosa.

Gurdaspur, February 24
A war of words has erupted among senior politicians of this district following the Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s decision to maintain status quo of Gurdaspur as a single district.

Political observers say that going by the Chief Minister’s statement conferring district status to two of the most important towns of this district --- Batala and Pathankot --- has virtually been ruled out.

Taking cognisance of the CM’s statement, Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief spokesperson Ashwani Sekhri accused Batala MLA Jagdeesh Sahni of playing a double game. He said, “The BJP is the alliance partner of the SAD and Sahni is a BJP MLA. Since the CM has ruled out making Batala a district, Sahni should tender his resignation. He is just playing to the gallery. At one time, owing to his tirade against Health Minister Laxmi Kanta Chawla, he was marginalised among the party rank and file. However, he has now sensed an opportunity to remain in the limelight.”

Sekhri, a former Batala MLA and a minister, said he was in favour of making Batala into a district but vehemently opposed Jagdeesh Sahni’s modus operandi. He added that Sahni was just trying to pull wool over the eyes of the residents.

An adamant Sahni rubbished Sekhri’s outburst by saying that it was a long-pending demand of residents to bestow district status to the border town.

He said, “The war will begin when I go on a fast-unto-death soon.” Lambasting Sekhri, he questioned as to why he never took up the issue when he (Sekhri) was a minister during the tenure of Capt Amarinder Singh as the Chief Minister.

Meanwhile, the issue is snowballing into a major controversy in neighbouring Pathankot where Rakesh Sharma, president of the ‘Zila Banao Sangharsh Committee’ has threatened to gherao the CM.

Residents of the town were an agitated lot over the CM’s decision, which he claimed, was devoid of logic and rationality since Pathankot was Punjab’s fifth largest city and deserved a district status.

Former Pathankot MLA Ashok Sharma and former Improvement Trust chairman Chowdhury Rajbir Singh came down heavily on the CM over his decision to “consign the interests of an important town like Pathankot to the backburner.”

Nawanshahr, February 24
A peacock, which was rescued by a farmer of Rurki Khas village near here five days ago, was released into the Singhpura village forest on Wednesday.

Panjab Singh and his son Manjit Singh had come to the rescue of the bird, which had got stuck in mud after being attacked by stray dogs.

The father-son duo informed Divisional Forest Officer (Wildlife), Hoshiarpur, Satnam Singh, and took the bird to their home. Nikhil Sangar of Wildlife Conservation Society, Nawanshahr, was also informed about the bird.

DFO Satnam Singh said the dogs had injured the bird on its leg.

As the injury healed, the bird was released by a team of the Wildlife Conservation Society in the presence of forest officials from Nawanshahr.

The society rescued a blue bull and a black kite from the area in the last two days. Sangar said the number of animals, birds and reptiles that met with accidents had multiplied in the last a couple of years and the death rate of wild animals and birds had witnessed a sharp increase in absence of any rescue centre in this part of the state.

Amritsar, February 24
Members of the Amritsar Bar Association (ABA) abstained from work and blocked traffic at the busy Kitchlew chowk for four hours here today.

The agitating lawyers were demanding from the government to release the inquiry report on the face-off between an advocate and the District Transport Officer and the transfer of the latter.

President of the ABA Pradeep Saini said the advocates would hold a similar protest tomorrow at another location in the city.

He said four days had elapsed since Dr Arvinder Singh, Secretary, Department of Home Affairs, submitted the inquiry report to Chief Secretary S.C. Aggarwal, but neither it was made public nor any action was taken.

He alleged that it showed the government’s indifference to the demand of lawyers for justice and added that the members of the ABA had been regularly holding protest since February 2, but no attention was paid.

It may be mentioned that advocate Arvind Sharma had alleged that he had been thrashed by DTO Jasbir Singh and police officials accompanying him after he objected to some persons getting out-of-turn services in the transport office on February 2. The DTO claimed that the advocate misbehaved with him in the office and following this a large number of lawyers forcibly barged into his office, held him hostage and also smashed office furniture.

The ABA rallied behind its member Arvind, while the PCS Officer Association and the Punjab State Ministerial Service Union (PSMU), an umbrella organisation of the clerical staff of various government offices, stood behind the DTO.

Amritsar, February 24
Vigilance officials have nabbed three Powercom employees from Sri Hargobindpur in Gurdaspur for allegedly demanding bribe from Baljit Singh for saving him from a penalty.

Addressing mediapersons, Pradeep Kumar Malik, DSP, Vigilance, Gurdaspur, and Lakhbir Singh, DSP, Vigilance, Amritsar, said Jaspal Singh, internal auditor, Lakhwinder Singh, consumer clerk, and Bharat Bhushan, upper division clerk, demanded Rs 30,000 as bribe from Baljit Singh to save him from a huge penalty incurred due to irregularities in two electric meters fitted in his restaurant and marriage palace.

Giving details, the two vigilance officers said the flying squad of the enforcement wing of Powecom raided the premises of the restaurant and marriage palace owned by Baljit Singh. Finding irregularities they slapped a huge fine of Rs 62,000 on him, which he paid. Later, the three accused informed him that the same amount was still pending against him.

Baljit visited the subdivisional office of Powercom at Sri Hargobindpur where the three officials allegedly demanded Rs 30,000 to relieve him from the penalty. They gave a little heed to his repeated requests. The matter was later settled at Rs 20,000. Meanwhile, the complainant approached the Vigilance Bureau, which laid a trap and nabbed the three accused.

A case under the Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered against them.

Jalandhar, February 24
The Congress has called upon the Punjabi NRIs to enlist as voters following the acceptance of their long-pending demand by the UPA government. PPCC general secretary, Parminder Singh, said the diaspora could now play decisive role in the democratic process in Punjab and the country.

The right had been conferred upon NRIs for the first time since Independence. A majority of the NRI had their roots in Punjab.Over the years, the NRIs had evinced keen interest in the activities in the state and earlier indirectly participated in the elections by extending their support to candidates. — TNS