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This Kairon scion believes his work speaks louder than words
Adesh Partap Kairon addresses a gathering in Patti. A Tribune photograph
Capt quells rebellion in Moga
Kuldeep leaving nothing to chance
SAD candidate Kuldeep Kaur Tohra campaigns with her supporters in a Patiala village. Tribune photo: Rajesh Sachar
Medical team sends report on Mustafa to EC
Politics of colour: EC watching
Ex-terrorists’ kin indifferent to polls
EC to monitor polling on the web
Extension lecture
Bicycles under Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme
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Bhattal slogs it out in Lehragaga
Lehragaga (Sangrur), January 19 “Mine is a rural constituency. People here are simple and easily carried away by false promises. I have got 18 colleges and three hospitals for the area during my five tenures as MLA,” she says. Seated on the front seat, she directs her driver to speed up as she is late for her next rally at Banarsi. “I don’t want the people to leave. As it is the ‘gavaiya’ attracts a lot of youngsters with his jokes,” she remarks. Asked if he was her main rival, she reacts sharply: “No way, the main fight is with the Akali Dal. But you know a lot of young people find his jokes amusing, so his rallies are well-attended. But the numbers will not convert into votes for him”. “The area has a high number of cancer cases. So I have got three hospitals built in the area. Health, education and floods caused by the Ghaggar are the main problems here,” she says. Bhattal promises to get at least three major industries in the area if her party comes to power. "We are going to set up a cottage industry in every village. This will provide employment to the local people.” It is 3 pm and she decides to have a quick lunch. Holding 17 meetings, Shiv Bhole Rice Mill at Khanouri is her last halt for the day. There she meets party workers. In chaste Haryanvi, Budh Singh informs her: “Bibi ji, we are weak in Chatha as the baazigars there have an issue with the allotment of plots". Another activist says: " Reports from Mandvi are not good. They are annoyed because you have not visited them since the last elections". She directs that her son Rahul Sidhu be sent there to appease the bazigar community. “When you go back to your villages, tell the people not to be misled by the ‘gavaiya’ or that retired officer (SAD nominee Sukhwant Singh Sarao). You have seen how the Akalis have ignored this area. It is the Congress that got Rs 183 crore from NABARD for taming the Ghaggar. Consider these elections as a battle for development”. Back home at 10.30 pm, she calls Rahul, her chief strategist, to a room marked “War room:out of bounds”. A few important calls to Delhi and she retires for the day.
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This Kairon scion believes his work speaks louder than words
Patti, January 19 “Eh te khamosh ho ke kaam karde ne (He is a quiet worker)”, says councillor Kanwaljit Singh. Adesh’s supporters say his management skills are extraordinary. “He has the ability to win over his worst detractors”, observes councillor Suresh Pathak. He says that is why there is no anti-Kairon sentiment in the constituency. Kairon seems unfazed by criticism that he remains absent from the constituency for long periods. In contrast, Congress nominee Harminder Singh Gill has always been around. Gill says the sentiment that he may not fare well from the 42 villages earlier part of Ranjit Singh Brahmpura’s constituency would prove wrong. Brahmpura is known to mingle more with his constituents. “Ask people from my area, now part of Khemkaran, as to what they think of Adesh”, he remarks. Unruffled by criticism, Adesh says “I do things my way”. He has a new development model for the constituency but won’t speak of it. However, he does tell people that he has bought in systematic development. “We have a network of roads in the constituency now,” he tells them, adding that the ITI has been upgraded and an extension centre of the state veterinary opened. “We have brought in Soma to create storage capacity for 50 lakh bags in Patti. This will create job opportunities for the local youth.” Adesh says that the people have much faith in the Kairon family and think that “I can solve every problem.” He says he has always been forthright as to what can be done and what cannot. “The delivery of services in the constituency has become better”, he adds. “There are fewer fights in the area with Kairon Sahib not believing in registering false cases against his political opponents”, says Balkaro of Nandpur village. Among the factors in his favour include the ‘atta-dal’ scheme. Patti has the maximum number of beneficiaries of the scheme. Kairon maintains there is no politics behind the scheme. Sanjha Morcha candidate Devinderjit Dhillon, a CPM leader, is expected to eat into the Congress votes. In Patti town, Adesh’s wife and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s daughter Perneet Kaur seeks votes for him. She attracts a large number of women wherever she goes. “Fifteen years back Patti was a ‘kutcha’ city. Now land rates here rival those of Tarn Taran and Amritsar. All this is a result of good politics”, she says.
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Capt quells rebellion in Moga
Moga, January 19 Amarinder made this announcement at the party’s rally here today, which Congress president Sonia Gandhi was also supposed to attend but could not due to inclement weather. "I have arranged a meeting between Sonia Gandhi and Vijay Sathi at Kapurthala to sort out differences between the local leadership," he said. Opposed earlier to the party's decision to give the Moga ticket to sitting MLA Joginder Pal Jain, Sathi surprised the gathering by embracing Jain on the dais and vowing to bring back the Congress to power. Meanwhile, Sonia had to cancel her visit to Moga at the last minute after the pilots flying her chopper refused to take off from Amritsar due to overcast and foggy conditions. In her absence, Amarinder charged the audience by lashing out at the Badals in typical Malwai dialect. While the presence was thin in the morning, it started picking up as the day progressed. The 'pandal' got jam-packed by noon. As reports trickled in that Sonia would not be able to make it to the venue, Amarinder said, "We cannot take the risk for our party leader to fly at low height in bad weather conditions." Manmohan to skip Ludhiana rally
The PM would not be able to make it to the Ludhiana rally. Scheduled to visit Punjab on January 21, he would, however, address his other rally at Amritsar, Amarinder said .
Rana Gurjit, Khaira squabble on stage
Kapurthala: A verbal duel ensued between Congress candidate Rana Gurjit Singh from Kapurthala and Sukhpal Singh Khaira from Bholath when the former snatched the mike from the latter while he was addressing the crowds before the arrival of Congress president Sonia Gandhi at New Grain Market here on Thursday.
The 11 Congress candidates present at the public meeting were given a few minutes to address the gathering from a stage near the main dais before Sonia’s arrival. Though Khaira had already addressed the gathering , he again took over the mike from the stage secretary. An angry Rana Gurjit snatched the mike from Khaira. Sonia reached the venue at 3.25 pm, about an hour and 40 minutes late, by road from Amritsar. During her 23-minute stay, Sonia was introduced to all the Congress candidates of Doaba and Majha. Addressing the gathering, Rana Gurjit alleged that the Akali candidate in Kapurthala was wooing voters with liquor in connivance with police officials and the EC should take action.
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Kuldeep leaving nothing to chance
Patiala, January 19 Going door to door to strike a personal chord with the voters of her constituency, Kuldeep has been addressing 15 election meetings and gathering daily. Kuldeep's day begins with paying of obeisance to Sikh gurus. Thereafter, at about 7 in the morning, Kuldeep, accompanied with her husband and former Akali minister Harmail Tohra, leaves for canvassing. “We are getting tremendous response from the people notwithstanding the fact that Patiala is a Congress fiefdom,” she said. Banking on the integrity and honesty of Tohra, Kuldeep assures the people that once elected, she would follow the footsteps of her father and will do everything possible for the betterment of the constituency. Confident of sailing through: Brahm Meanwhile, Brahm, who was earlier representing Samana, but has been given Congress ticket from Patiala Rural, said, “With three victories to my credit from the Patiala constituency, in 1980, 1985 and in 1992, I am confident of sailing through comfortably”. Stating that he has done so much for the progress of Patiala and Samana, Brahm says he does not need to indulge in mudslinging. “I do not want to criticise my opponents because I know that it is the clean image of the candidate and the performance as a legislator, which matter the most. With decades of experience and a spotless political career, I am sure of emerging victorious with a comfortable margin,” he said, claiming that he has been getting an overwhelming response from the electorate during his election meetings and public gatherings.
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Soni fails to mollify Kataria
Jalandhar, January 19 Kataria has filed his papers as an Independent after the Congress high command allotted the party ticket to Nawanshahr district Youth Congress president Rajwinder Singh Lucky. However, two other Congress leaders, Om Parkash Khepar and Ashok Nanowal, assured Soni of their support to the Congress candidate. Kataria, a Gujjar, has a considerable following in the Balachaur constituency from where he won as an MLA in 1985. In 2002, he lost to SAD’s Chaudhary Nand Lal. The Congress had given the ticket to his daughter-in-law Santosh Kataria in 2007 but she lost to the SAD candidate by 1,100 votes.
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Medical team sends report on Mustafa to EC
Chandigarh, January 19 Mustafa, meanwhile, is residing a stone's throw away from Malerkotla, the constituency from where his wife Razia Sultana is contesting elections as a Congress nominee. He has officially informed the Election Commission that he is residing at Amargarh and had nothing to do with his wife’s canvassing in Malerkotla. A reality check revealed that his residence, interestingly named Malerkotla House, is just a few yards away from the Qila Rehmat Garh and Rajinder Nagar areas of Malerkotla. His house could be seen easily from these localities. Mustafa had proceeded on 91 days earned leave. The Shiromani Akali Dal had complained that he was canvassing for his wife. Reacting on the complaint, the EC directed the state to cancel his leave. He then replied to the state that he was suffering from a cardiovascular problem and had undergone a surgery too. He also mentioned that he was not even residing in Malerkotla and was in Amargarh, which was in a different constituency. The Chief Electoral officer (CEO) had then directed the returning officer of the area to keep an eye on his activities. "We have told the RO to keep tabs on him. The moment he gets out of his house, we will know," said Usha Sharma, Special CEO. She said her reply had been forwarded to the Election Commission. "We are waiting for a communication from them," she said. Mustafa could not be contacted despite repeated attempts.
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Politics of colour: EC watching
Barnala, January 19 For, the newly built water tanks in poll-bound Punjab’s countryside continue to be dipped in the twin colours, something that the Akali Dal’s rivals see as subtle election propaganda. Travelling along the rural areas of Barnala, Mehal Kalan and Bhadaur constituencies, the coloured tanks are there for all to see. At a time when the poll campaign is at its peak, the model code of conduct lays that all political parties in the fray should get a level playing field and that public property should not be used for propagating any party’s achievements. These water tanks have been constructed by the Water Supply and Sanitation Department either under a World Bank-funded project or under the Accelerated Rural Water Supply Project, which gets grant from both the Centre and the state government, besides a contribution to be made by the villagers. At Khuddi Khurd village in Bhadaur constituency, from where DS Guru is contesting, the water tank dipped in Akali colours has been constructed under the World Bank-aided project. Though the Akali slogan of “Raj nahin sewa” has been removed following EC directions, the paint on these remains. Agreeing that the subtle propaganda by the SAD needed to be taken note of, Punjab Chief Electoral Officer Kusumjit Sidhu said, “An explanation has been sought from the department concerned. Though the Water Supply and Sanitation Department had earlier got removed the Akali slogans from all public property, we have now asked the department why these colours were allowed to be there.”
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Ex-terrorists’ kin indifferent to polls
Panjwar (Tarn Taran), January 19 Talking to The Tribune here, Khalistan Commando Force (KCF) chief Paramjit Singh Panjwar’s sister-in-law Sarabjit Kaur said their family no longer evinced any interest in the elections, although they did cast their vote. Panjwar’s teenaged nephew Jaskaran Singh said they were not at all interested in the polls as neither the SAD nor the Congress did anything for their family. “Justice has not been done to us,” he averred. When asked as to what “justice” means to the family, he said the name of his uncle (Paramjit) continued to figure in the black list even after over two decades since he left home. “Also my uncle's name is still figures in various cases. If any narcotics or drugs are recovered near the border, he is blamed for it. Our other family members too have been falsely implicated in different cases in the past,” he alleged. There are also some families of former terrorists whose majority of members have settled abroad. For instance, two out of three sons of Gurbachan Singh Manochahal, founder member of Bhindranwala Tiger Force of Khalistan (BTFK), have shifted to Canada. His third son, Harjinder Singh, works with the SGPC and lives with her mother in Amritsar. Like Panjwar’s kin, he too is disillusioned with the political class. “No political party did anything for us,” he said. He alleged that their house at Naushera Panua town in Tarn Taran is under illegal encroachment and they sought help from every political party when they were in power, but to no avail.
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EC to monitor polling on the web
Chandigarh, January 19 VULNERABLE AREAS The State Election Commission has identified 999 vulnerable areas in the state. According to Gurkirat Kirpal Singh, Joint CEO, flag marches will be held by the paramilitary forces in these areas to infuse confidence among the voters. These areas will be visited by the election observers concerned frequently. MORE TRANSFERS Following complaints regarding his involvement in political activities, DSP Mukhwinder Singh, Malout, has been transferred to 9th Battalion of the Punjab Armed Police , Amritsar, and DSP Jaswant Singh transferred to Malout in his place.
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Poll Snippets
Chandigarh: Come elections, politicians of Punjab and Haryana unite and campaign for each other notwithstanding rhetoric on various inter-state issues. Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would campaign in Punjab for the Congress for six days. While he will address election rallies at Kurali and Nayagaon on January 22, he would be in Munak in Sangrur district the next day. Hooda would seek votes for the Congress in Bholath of Kapurthala district on January 24 and in Raikot and Maur Mandi on January 25. After a day's break, Hooda will address rallies in Sardulgarh on January 27 and at Talwandi Sabo on January 28, the last day of campaigning. — Yoginder Gupta
BJP manifesto to be out tomorrow
Phagwara: The Bharatiya Janata Party would release its election manisfesto on January 21, party national general secretary Jagat Prakash Nadda said while addressing mediapersons here on Thursday. Nadda said though both the SAD and the BJP would release their election manisfestos seperately, both would be on the same political lines. He said “big” rallies would be organised in all 23 assembly constituencies, from where the BJP had fielded its candidates, in the run-up to the January 30 polls. — Ashok Kaura
Ballot in braille for visually impaired
Ludhiana: To enable the visually impaired to vote without any assistance, the Election Commission has developed new ballot units in the EVMs that carry the numbers 1-16 in braille. These numbers will be on the right of the voting buttons. The EC has ordered the printing of braille ballot papers for all the 19,841 polling booths in the state. The visually impaired were earlier allowed to take an assistant inside the booth. — Shivani Bhakoo
Notice to 8 Gidderbaha candidates
Gidderbaha: The election authorities on Thursday served notice to eight of the 11 candidates in the poll fray from Gidderbaha constituency. Those served notice include Manpreet Badal of the PPP, Amarinder Singh Warring “Raja” of the Congress, Sant Singh Brar of the SAD, Baldev Singh of the SAD (A) and four other Independent candidates. Puneet Goyal, returning officer-cum-SDM, said, “I have served notices to eight candidates who failed to maintain their expenditure register as per norms. They have been directed to give immediate reply.” — Archit Watts
Chautala campaigns in Dera Bassi
Dera Bassi: Haryana former Chief Minister and INLD president Om Prakash Chautala on Thursday blamed the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre for the rise in inflation and corruption. Addressing election meetings in favour of SAD candidate NK Sharma from Dera Bassi assembly constituency, Chautala claimed the country would witness mid-term polls after the assembly elections in five states. He alleged that the Congress governments had always adopted anti-farmer and anti-poor policies. He addressed election meetings in Amlala, Barouli, Mehamandpur and Dera Bassi. — Parmod Mehta
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Bicycles under Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme
Chandigarh, January 19 The development is significant as the petitioner has alleged the distribution of the cycles was timed with Punjab elections. The notice has been issued for March 14 by the Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice AK Mittal. In his petition, Amritsar resident SC Aggarwal has sought inquiry into the purchase of bicycles for Rs 41 crore under the Mai Bhago Vidya Scheme. Referring to newspaper reports, he said the cycles were purchased to be delivered at election time in Punjab. A news item was also placed on record "which showed how the government was using public money to influence the common man". Counsel for the petitioner Gourave Bhayyia Gilhotra added even if the state policy was beneficial, it has to be exercised in a fair manner, which in the present case was missing. Gilhotra added bicycle of the same specification were purchased by the State of Haryana by paying Rs 512 less for each bicycle. "The State of Punjab was fully aware of the price at which the neighbouring State of Haryana was making the purchases, which clearly proves that the respondent Controller of Stores took the decision to buy the bicycles at a high rate for some ulterior gaining". The decision resulted into a "lavish expenditure of around Rs 9 crore, which could have been very easily saved", he has added.
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Adesh Partap Kairon is known to rely less on oratory and more on good management. That is the secret behind his three successive victories from this constituency.
Patti has been a Kairon borough ever since Adesh joined the Shiromani Akali Dal 15 years back. A man of few words, Adesh’s speeches are short and crisp.
Pitted against four-time Congress MLA Brahm Mohindra from Patiala Rural, considered as one of the “safe” constituencies for the Congress, Akali candidate Kuldeep Kaur Tohra is banking on the Tohra legacy. Being the foster daughter of former SGPC president late Gurcharan Singh Tohra, Kuldeep is being considered a heavyweight candidate, who is into aggressive electioneering.
Barnala, January 19
Moving around in a Pajero, she implores the voters not to “fall into the trap of thegavaiya”, a reference to Bhagwant Mann, PPP candidate. People queue up on the muddy tracks as her cavalcade traverses through villages (72 in all) and the towns of Lehra, Moonak and Khanouri.
Patti has been a Kairon borough ever since Adesh joined the Shiromani Akali Dal 15 years back. A man of few words, Adesh’s speeches are short and crisp. He neither tom-toms his achievements, nor makes any promises as he campaigns in Nandpur and Thattian Mahantan villages in the Naushehra Panuan block. 
Kuldeep is, however, well aware of the fact that it’s not going to be easy. “There is no question of a triangular contest. The contest is between the SAD and the Congress. Akali rebel Satbir Singh Khatra will fail to get even respectable number of votes. Brahm, of course, is Congress stalwart, but we are sure that this time, people will vote for the Akali-BJP alliance, for it has done an exceptional work for the overall development of the state in the past five years,” she said.