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CM plays ‘panthic’ card in Ferozepur
Sukhbir offers to take Capt on state tour to showcase development
Will curb drug trafficking if given mandate: Capt
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Badal campaigns for party face in Bathinda
Security withdrawal
Former MP joins SAD
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CM plays ‘panthic’ card in Ferozepur
Ferozepur, January 18 “Mainu pata hain ki tussi sare panthic vichara wale ho, te saadi party da hamesha saath deonge,” said Badal while reminding them of the alleged step- motherly treatment meted out by the Congress to Punjab. In his address, the hitherto soft spoken Badal left no stone unturned to amuse the masses by criticizing Captain Amarinder Singh’ style of functioning. Badal said that Amarinder often challenges him to compete with him. “Bharavon, tussi jande ho jo kuch oh karda hai, main tain soch vi nahi sakda”, said the CM. “Whether it is the MSP of crops or the prices of diesel and fertilisers, everything is decided by the Centre,” Badal said. Ajmer Singh Lakhowal, president, BKU, Joginder Singh, SAD candidate for Ferozepur (Rural) segment, Darshan Singh, Satpal Singh, Pritam Singh, all SGPC members, besides other SAD leaders were present on the occasion. Balwant Garg adds from Faridkot: With a new 'mantra' to lure the voters, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today said not only the seniority but the credentials, popularity and the victory margin of a candidate in the assembly election would be the main factors for give berths in the next cabinet if the SAD (B)-BJP alliance comes to power. He was addressing a rally in favour of Deep Malhotra, the party candidate in Faridkot. Seeking votes for an industrialist and a greenhorn in politics, Badal sought to tell the voters that Deep Malhotra's victory would embark this semi-rural area on the path of industrialization. "Due to his acumen, Deep Malhotra, a young business man from Faridkot, wrote the rags to riches story and now he has his business empire all over the country. So, if you vote him to power, it would lead to an industrial revolution in this rural area," said Badal. Deep Malhotra is a famous liquor baron, with hotels and distilleries across the country. |
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Sukhbir offers to take Capt on state tour to showcase development
Bathinda, January 18 Addressing election rallies in Jalalabad, Sukhbir said Amarinder was oblivious of the development activity as he was busy touring Dubai and other countries. He said that Amarinder was always airborne and never moved on the roads to even address the rallies of the Congress candidates. He said that during his term as Chief Minister, he became a ‘visiting Chief Minister’ and paid hurried monthly visits to fulfil his visa obligations and preferred to enjoy the warm weather in his Dubai villa. Sukhbir Badal said that it was a matter of great shame that a former chief minister, aiming for another term, does not know even the names of towns of Punjab. Listing the development that had taken place in the state during the last five years, he said the work on Rs 20,000 crore Bathinda refinery was going on full throttle, giving employment to 37,000 youth in Punjab. A sum of Rs 6,989 crore has been spent on the road infrastructure of the state. Seeking votes on the development agenda of the SAD-BJP government, Sukhbir said a repeat mandate was must to continue the pace of development of the state. He said that if the people of Bihar were wise enough to repeat the mandate for the NDA government, the same was expected of the electorate of Punjab. Sukhbir Badal regretted the negative campaign launched by the Congress that no development has taken place during the last five years and said that Amarinder cannot be blamed for this as he remained away from the state during the last 10 years. |
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Will curb drug trafficking if given mandate: Capt
Abohar, January 18 Three deaddiction centers will be set up to bring back the youth to the mainstream. "I have already requested Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh to form uniform law to check drug trafficking at national level by banning production and under-hand sale of narcotics, he revealed. Notably his visit was finalised last night. Even then, hurriedly convened rally attracted huge gathering. Haryana minister Prahlad Singh Gillankhera, party observer Subhash Gupta legislature from Jammu and Kashmir; district Congress president Anoop Singh, former MLA Dr Mohinder Rinwa, Malkiat Singh party candidate from Jalalabad shared the dais. Abohar MLA Sunil Jakhar was also among those present at the dais. The PCC chief warned rebel candidate Parkash Singh Bhatti, former MLA, that he would be expelled from the party if failed to withdraw from the election arena by next 24 hours. He sought to convey the message to other party rebels asserting that disobeying decision of the AICC president Sonia Gandhi would cost them primary membership of the over-century old party. Identifying unemployment as major problem, he said 47 lakh youth out of total Punjab population of 274 lakh were unemployed at present. The Congress, on being voted to power, will give top priority to bringing back hundreds of industries that had migrated due to duress unleashed by the SAD-BJP alliance govt and explore job-oriented units to deal with the problem. He regretted that the alliance government had mischievously abandoned juice plants that were set up the Congress government at Abohar and Hoshiarpur in 1996. Playing an emotional chord, he accused Badal for diverting surplus drain water from Lambi to Balluana area. Archit Watts adds from Malout: Amarinder Singh addressed a rally here in support of the Congress candidate, former MLA Nathu Ram. In his short speech, Amarinder termed CM Parkash Singh Badal and Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal as corrupt. He also did not spare Manpreet Badal and his brother-in-law Jaijeet Singh Johal ‘Jojo, saying, “Though Manpreet talks much about the law and order, yet his own brother-in-law Jojo is collecting ‘Jojo tax’ from the people in Gidderbaha town. This tax includes sales tax, income tax and all other taxes, which gives one permission to carry out trade in the town. Apart from it, they have encroached upon a number of SCOs in Chandigarh.” |
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Badal campaigns for party face in Bathinda
Bathinda, January 18 Addressing an election meeting, Badal said while casting their votes, people should see the candidate, the party and the chief minister candidate as these three factors are very important. He said some parties contest the elections just to keep their existence alive but the real fight in these assembly elections is between the SAD-BJP alliance and the Congress. Badal said it was now up to the people as they had to judge the development work done by the SAD-BJP government during the current term, and the work done by the Amarinder-led Congress government during the previous term. Badal also said during the UPA government’s reign, the prices had risen while poverty and corruption had also increased manifold. He said with the SAD-BJP at the helm during the last five years, communal harmony and brotherhood had been strengthened in the state. Sarup Singla also asked the people to vote for the SAD-BJP alliance as its government had undertaken development work through out the state. Among others who were present on the occasion were the Mayor of Bathinda Municipal Corporation (BMC) Baljit Singh Beerbehman, senior deputy mayor Tarsem Goyal, SGPC member Sukhdev Singh Bahia and district press secretary of the SAD Om Parkash Sharma. |
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Security withdrawal
Moga, January 18 Demanding a review of the decision on the ground that it has heightened the risk to his life, Gill alleged that the RPSF jawans deployed with him, replacing the Punjab commandos, are strangers to the region. They are not acquainted with the area and do not know the nature of the local people. How can they protect me, he questioned? Earlier, Gill, who enjoyed Z-category security, had more than 20 commandos of the Punjab police for his security. He had also served in the disturbed state of Jammu and Kashmir and in Punjab during the militancy period. His father was assassinated by the militants in the early 1990s. Alleging that the EC appears to be proactive when the issues regarding him come up before it, the former top cop said the administrative officials know well the threat to his life. So, the EC should have first discussed the issue with the state authorities before curtailing his security cover. “My grandfather was shot dead after his security cover of Central paramilitary forces was withdrawn by the government. The EC should look into the facts before reacting to the complaints of the opponents, which can put the lives of their families in danger,” alleged Saurab Gill, son of the ex-DGP who is a budding shooter. |
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Former MP joins SAD
Bathinda, January 18 After joining the SAD by Khalsa, he was made a member of the political affairs committee (PAC) of the SAD. Khalsa was admitted into the party by the secretary general of the SAD Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa at his residence at Barnala yesterday. Khalsa was not fully active in politics for the past some years but he has now decided to work for the victory of the SAD in the current Assembly elections. |
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Sukhbir Singh Badal, President, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today offered to take PPCC Chief Amarinder Singh on a conducted tour of Punjab to showcase the development works accomplished by the SAD-BJP government during the last five years.
While kick starting the election campaign in the region Pradesh Congress President Captain Amarinder Singh said during a massive rally at village
Nihalkhera, 10 km from here in Balluana constituency, this afternoon that his priority after forming the next government in the state will be to take strongest possible measures to check smuggling of narcotics from Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
