B A T H I N D A    E D I T I O N

Third front pins hopes on Moga rally to strengthen its mass base
Moga, October 27
Newly-launched ‘Sanjha Morcha’, which could be better termed as a third front in Punjab, is pinning hopes on November 6, the day on which the Peoples’ Party of Punjab (PPP), the CPI, the CPI (M) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) are jointly organising a public conference at Dhudike village in this district to launch their campaign for the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.

Youth throws ‘acid’ on six of a family
*Old enmity behind the crime
* 12-year-old among five injured
* The police yet to register a case
Muktsar, October 27
A youth in Muktsar town allegedly threw acid like substance on six members of a family on Wednesday night. Five persons, including a 12-year-old girl, received burn injuries in the incident. Three of them being serious were shifted to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot.

Farmers fume as Arhtiyas, millers’ impasse continues
14 days on, purchase of Basmati paddy 1121 variety yet to begin in Fazilka
Fazilka, October 27
The Fazilka grain market is perhaps the only market where the purchase of 1121 variety of Basmati paddy could not be undertaken as the district administration has failed to break the deadlock between commission agents and rice mill owners over the payment schedule for this variety. The purchase has not been started even as the arrival season commenced 14 days ago.

Third front pins hopes on Moga rally to strengthen its mass base
Kulwinder Sandhu
Tribune News Service

Moga, October 27
Newly-launched ‘Sanjha Morcha’, which could be better termed as a third front in Punjab, is pinning hopes on November 6, the day on which the Peoples’ Party of Punjab (PPP), the CPI, the CPI (M) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (Longowal) are jointly organising a public conference at Dhudike village in this district to launch their campaign for the forthcoming assembly elections in the state.

This village has been chosen for its historic significance. The great freedom fighter Lala Lajpat Rai was born here. In addition, one of the think tanks of the PPP, an octogenarian Punjabi novelist and social thinker Jaswant Singh Kanwal resides here.

Even as it is a loose formation of parties opposed to both the Congress and the SAD-BJP, the leaders of the third front claim that it would begin to have a settled look after the rally.

Jaswant Kanwal believes that people in Punjab undoubtedly need an alternative to the SAD-BJP and the Congress but the parties constituting the front should evolve a new vision and draw policies that attract the young, and the lower and middle-classes families. “It may take some time to frame a common minimum programme (CMP) based on people’s aspirations but that is the only way a true third front can emerge in the state,” he said.

Ajay Sood, a socialist ideologue, says that the greatest strength of the third front would be its ability to attract all non-Congress, non-SAD and BJP parties. “At this stage, what the third front appears can achieve is to throw this election wide open for all like-minded parties to come on a common platform,” he said.

Former finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal, who is the icon of the third front, says the Left parties would occupy a larger political space in the elections.

His close confidant Kuldip Singh Dhose feels that that the people of this state would bless the third front because of the role of the Left parties in opposing the ‘anti-people’ economic policies of the successive governments.

It may be mentioned that after parting ways with the UPA Government at the Centre in the last general elections, the Left parties wanted to keep equidistance from both the UPA and the NDA, which they allege are engaged in divisive politics and pushing its communal agenda.

A new beginning for the leftists from the soil of Punjab after losing West Bengal could broaden their base in the country, feels a political observer.

A member of the CPI’s national executive, Joginder Dayal, had already announced that after consultation with the alliance partners, the CMP of the Sanjha Morcha would be released November 6. It would be based on a concrete roadmap for eco-friendly development to revive the social and economic structure of the state.

There are also confirmed reports that the PPP leader has met Janta Dal (United) leaders at Chandigarh last week to garner support for the third front. The PPP has invited Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the November 6 rally. However, the chances of his making an appearance at the venue appear to be bleak keeping in view his ‘strategic’ alliance with the NDA in Bihar.

The socialists close to George Fernandez are, however, trying to rope in the JD (U) with the third front in Punjab.

The PPP leaders claim that the rally would be a historic one, which would be attended CPI leader AB Bardhan, CPI (M) leader Parkash Karat, former CM Surjit Singh Barnala, PPP chief Manpreet Singh Badal and state leadership of the Left parties.

The PPP has announced to launch ‘Izzat Sambhal Yatra’ from that day. It would cover all the assembly constituencies in eight weeks.

Youth throws ‘acid’ on six of a family
*Old enmity behind the crime
*12-year-old among five injured
*The police yet to register a case
Tribune News Service

Muktsar, October 27
A youth in Muktsar town allegedly threw acid like substance on six members of a family on Wednesday night. Five persons, including a 12-year-old girl, received burn injuries in the incident. Three of them being serious were shifted to the Guru Gobind Singh Medical College and Hospital at Faridkot.

Sham Lal, the investigation officer in the case, said the police was investigating the incident and the three of the seriously injured have been shifted to the medical college. They were out of danger, he added.

Sources in the police said it was a case of an old enmity. Some time back, a young member of the victim family had got a criminal case registered against the accused youth.

The latter allegedly took the revenge on Wednesday night.

The case would be registered after recording the statement of the victims, said Sham Lal.

Farmers fume as Arhtiyas, millers’ impasse continues
14 days on, purchase of Basmati paddy 1121 variety yet to begin in Fazilka
Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, October 27
The Fazilka grain market is perhaps the only market where the purchase of 1121 variety of Basmati paddy could not be undertaken as the district administration has failed to break the deadlock between commission agents and rice mill owners over the payment schedule for this variety. The purchase has not been started even as the arrival season commenced 14 days ago.

According to official sources, about 2 lakh bags of paddy (weighing 35 kg each), comprising of around 70000 quintals of Basmati, have piled up at the local grain market so far.

An emergent meeting of the Aarhtiya Association, Fazilka, under the presidentship of Daya Krishan Sachdeva, was held here today. “The commission agents would wait for yet another day to allow the rice millers to enter the market and make purchases. After this, they would work out their own strategy and may boycott the millers,” asserted Sachdeva.

Earlier, efforts were made by local MLA and cabinet minister Surjit Kumar Jyani and Additional Deputy Commissioner (ADC) Charandev Singh Mann to resolve the tangle. Even a compromise was reached between commission agents and rice millers. It said the rice mill owners were liable to make the payment to commission agents within 12 days while other conditions remained same as prevalent in the previous years. Since the rice millers refused to pay compound interest after March 31, the compromise did not materialise.

ADC Mann warned that if both the factions did not end the impasse, the administration shall be forced to take stringent steps.

As per Punjab Agriculture Produce Market General Rule 1962 sub-rule 11-12-13, amended on October 9, 2010, the purchaser is bound to make payment to the commission agent within two days and in turn, the latter has to release the same to farmers within three days.

“We are ready to accept the new formula, but the rice mill owners are not ready to pay the compound interest after March 31,” says Tejwant Singh Tita, president of the Rice Shellers Association, Fazilka district.

On the other hand, the Bhartiya Kisan Union has warned that if the government did not ensure the purchase of 1121 variety of Basmati paddy after Diwali, they would resort to agitation. “We would block the traffic and would stage demonstration if the purchase does not begin,” says Parduman Kumar Beganwali, district president of the BKU, Fazilka district. He said farmers were still reluctant to bring paddy to the grain market in absence of any purchaser.BKU members feel that the permanent solution to the issue of purchase of 1121 variety of Basmati paddy lies in the announcement of remunerative MSP of this variety by the Central Government. Only that could prevent the exploitation of farmers at the hand of private traders, he added.