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In all, 455 nomination papers filed
Senior leaders accompany Jakhar to election office
AAP candidate poorest
Khanna files papers amid fanfare
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AAP’s Jasraj overcomes hiccups to file papers
Cong alleges violation of poll code
Shagun Scheme cheques being distributed in Faridkot on Wednesday. Tribune photo
the tribune
special
Remark on INLD’s Dushyant has CM on back foot
Battle for Patiala: Badal addresses 3 rallies in a day
AAP numbers growing steadily
AAP candidate HS Phoolka campaigns in Ludhiana on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Himanshu
Mahajan
Approached by BJP leaders, Salaria Ravi Dhaliwal
BJP resorting to economic fascism: Amarinder
Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal at a press conference in New Delhi on Wednesday.
Tribune photo: Mukesh Aggarwal
Notice to state
Cong, BJP woo border area voters
BJP leader Arun Jaitley (right) canvasses with party leaders in Amritsar on Wednesday. A Tribune photograph
Sonia may campaign for
Ambika Soni
Over 30 per cent of food grain stored unscientifically: ASSOCHAM study
Bogus votes case: Joshi, kin fail to appear in court
Won’t go abroad again: Hoshiarpur youth
Proceedings against SSP to be dropped, govt tells court
Sampla accused of illegally occupying NRI's house
Teachers’ unions to hold meet to decide on voting
Work on Fazilka court complex begins
Oak Creek shooting: US Sikhs to honour cop
Inmates attack jail officer
Gang of car thieves busted, three held
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In all, 455 nomination papers filed
Chandigarh, April 9 A total of 455 nominations have been filed for the state’s 13 seats. As many as 219 were filed today, an official source said. Harminder Singh Gill (Cong-Khadoor Sahib), Bhai Baldeep Singh (AAP-Khadoor Sahib) and Jyoti Mann (AAP-Jalandhar) also filed their nominations today. Supreet Singh Gulati, Additional CEO, said Bathinda topped the list with 48 nominations followed by Ludhiana (44), Amritsar (43), Faridkot (39), Patiala (38), Anandpur Sahib (37), Jalandhar (34), Sangrur and Khadoor Sahib (33 each), Ferozepur (31), Hoshiarpur (30), Gurdaspur (26) and Fatehgarh Sahib (19). Among the top Congress contenders in the fray are former CM Capt Amarinder Singh (Amritsar), PPCC president Partap Bajwa (Gurdaspur), senior leader Ambika Soni (Anandpur Sahib) and Congress-PPP candidate Manpreet Badal (Bathinda). Among the BJP leaders in the fray are Arun Jaitley (Amritsar) and Vinod Khanna (Gurdaspur). Among SAD’s top contestants are Harsimrat Badal (Bathinda) and Ranjit Brahmpura (Khadoor Sahib). Nirmal Singh Dhaliwal (Patiala), Varinder Singh (Gurdaspur), Sukhdev Sharma (Sangrur) and Amarjit Singh Asal (Amritsar) are also in the fray. Holiday declared The state government today notified that April 10 would be a holiday to enable those who are voters of Chandigarh but are working in factories, shops/commercial establishments in Punjab to exercise their franchise. CEO advisory The Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), VK Singh, has advised leaders of all parties to refrain from using unparliamentary language during campaigning. In a letter addressed to presidents and general secretaries of the parties, he has pointed out that complaints in this regard were piling up in his office.
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Senior leaders accompany Jakhar to election office
Ferozepur, April 9 Prominent Congress leaders who accompanied Jakhar included sitting MLAs Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi (Guruharsahai), Parminder Singh (Ferozepur Urban), Karan Brar (Muktsar) and Mohammed Sadique; former MLAs Hans Raj Jossan, Mohinder Rinwa and Nathu Ram. Former ministers Balmukand Sharma and Malti Thapar, besides Satnam Kaur, Gurbir Singh Sandhu, Bhai Kukku, Raminder Awla, Gulshan Sharma were also present. Addressing the party workers, Jakhar said the state was reeling under economic bankruptcy with debts amounting to over ~1.1 kakh crore due to erroneous policies of the SAD-BJP regime. “The government has no money to pay salaries to its employees; what to talk about staggering arrears on account of pension and shagun schemes,” the Abohar legislator said. Accusing the ruling regime of pushing the state towards “anarchy”, Jakhar said the people of Punjab would give a befitting reply to the atrocities and mayhem unleashed by Akali leaders. Promises opening of borders Jakhar said he would make earnest efforts for the opening the Ferozepur-Lahore and Fazilka-Sadiqi India-Pakistan borders for trade and transit which would open floodgates of prosperity for lakhs of border residents. “I will ensure that the people get benefit of several Centrally sponsored schemes, besides creating employment opportunities in this hitherto neglected border area,” he assured. Nephew is his cover Jakhar’s nephew Sandeep Jakhar filed nomination papers as his covering candidate. Sandeep declared his assets worth ~16 crore. Quantum jump in assets In the 2012 assembly elections, Jakhar's assets were valued at ~6.84 crores with liabilities to the tune of ~176 crore. Since he has not liabilities this time, it indicates a quantum jump in his assets.
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AAP candidate poorest
Jalandhar, April 9 Armed with brooms (AAP symbol) and dressed in party’s signature caps, a group of 50-odd AAP activists accompanied Akshara as she headed to file the nominations for her maiden elections. Unlike other AAP candidates in the state, who boarded autos and buses to file their nominations, Mann walked from the party’s office to the Deputy Commissioner’s office. She violated the model code of conduct as she entered the DC’s office wearing caps with the party logo and badges bearing Arvind Kejriwal’s picture. When asked about it, she said: “We were never stopped.”
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ARO says no to amended affidavit Fatehgarh Sahib: Assistant Returning Officer (ARO) Pooja Sayal on Wednesday refused to accept an amended affidavit submitted by SAD candidate Kulwant Singh, saying four sets of papers had already been filed by him. Kulwant claimed that there were clerical mistakes in the affidavits filed earlier regarding the value of his assets. Sayal told his lawyer that neither could they withdraw the nomination nor allow a fresh one. Moreover, the information had been put on the EC’s website, she said. — TNS
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Khanna files papers amid fanfare
Gurdaspur, April 9 He named his wife, Kavita Khanna, a barrister-at-law from London University and former member of the BJP national executive, as his covering candidate. The filmstar, accompanied by hundreds of party workers, arrived from Pathankot at a local marriage palace, where he was accorded a warm welcome. Later, he went in an open vehicle to Jahaz Chowk, from where he and his entourage walked 1 km to the DC’s office. The parliamentary seat comprises nine assembly seats out of which three — Bhoa, Sujanpur and Pathankot — are represented by the BJP. One seat is held by the SAD, while the Congress rules the roost on the remaining five seats. He was accompanied by Deputy Speaker and Sujanpur MLA Dinesh Singh Babbu, whose support to Khanna is vital as he controls a major chunk of the Rajput votes in his assembly segment. The constituency has nearly 2 lakh Rajput votes and a major part of these votes fall in the Babbu’s Vidhan Sabha seat. This vote bank is considered a “clinching vote bank” and is being eyed by all three mainline political outfits — the BJP, Congress and AAP. BJP state president Kamal Sharma also accompanied the three-time MP from Gurdaspur. In the last elections, Khanna had lost to Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa by nearly 8,000 votes. The maximum number of SAD workers came from Fatehgarh Churian, where Ravi Karan Kahlon, son of former speaker NS Kahlon, rules the roost. All four SAD halqa in-charges (area chiefs) — former speaker NS Kahlon (Fatehgarh Churian), SS Langah (Dera Baba Nanak), SS Sekhwan (Qadian) and LS Lodhinangal (Batala) were present. Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Gurdaspur SAD MLA GS Babbehali too marked his presence. Khanna told the media, “My work during my 11-year tenure as an MP speaks for itself. I brought an airport to the constituency and built bridges on the Ravi, Beas and Ujh rivers, following which Gurdaspur was connected to mainline Punjab. I plan to stay in the constituency once I get elected. The BJP is being run like a family and there is no dissent within the party.”
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AAP’s Jasraj overcomes hiccups to file papers
Bathinda, April 9 After delaying the filing of papers to the last day, Jasraj did not turn up at the office of the District Returning Officer till 2:30 pm, leading to speculation among media and political parties. He finally arrived and filed his papers just before the nominations closed at 3 pm today. Jasraj’s nomination was under doubt as AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal’s tour to Punjab later this week does not include Bathinda visit. Further, Jassi had confessed to some mediapersons that he was finding it tough to arrange documents required for filing the papers. Sources said Kejriwal’s ignoring Bathinda came as a surprise as he had claimed several times that he was against dynastic politics and would put campaign at all seats featuring such candidates. There was disappointment among his supporters here who were working hard for the party without any organisational structure, they said. Both the SAD-BJP and the PPP-Congress candidates, Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Manpreet Badal, respectively, belong to political families. Jassi, labeled an outsider, is yet to reach out to masses in rural areas where there was an undercurrent of support for his party. Sources said Akalis were hoping that AAP would pocket anti-incumbency votes, if any, instead of these going to
Manpreet.
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Cong alleges violation of poll code
Faridkot, April 9 In a complaint to the district electorate officer (DEO), the Congress alleged that with an intention to influence voters, the district social security and welfare department distributed Shagun Scheme cheques to over 100 beneficiaries on Wednesday. "An amount of Rs 45 lakh under the Shagun Scheme was pending for distribution for the past over two years after the beneficiaries submitted an application with the department, but the social security department has started distributing the money at the time of elections to influence voters," alleged Kushal Deep Dhillon, general secretary, Punjab Congress, in the complaint. Mohammad Tayyab, DEO-cum-Deputy Commissioner, Faridkot, said he was looking into the matter. In the complaint, the Congress alleged that 350 cheques, dated March 6, of Rs 15,000 each, were sent by the state government to the District Social Security Office, Faridkot, and the process to distribute these cheques started when the campaigning of political parities was on its crescendo and the model code of conduct was in effect. Gurmit Singh Karyalvi, District Social Security and Welfare Officer, claimed there was no violation of the model code of conduct in distributing the cheques. “As the model code of conduct was already in effect when we received the cheques in the second week of March, we asked our head office whether the distribution of these cheques was a violation of the code,” said Karyalvi. "We were informed that since it was an ongoing scheme, there was no violation. We were directed that there should be no participation of any political leader or his associate in the distribution of cheques, which we ensured, he said. “We have received 75 more cheques for distribution among the beneficiaries,” he said.
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the tribune
special
Killianwali (Muktsar), April 9 Badal, who is close to Haryana’s Chautala family, had in July 2001 ordered that the state powercom’s office be demolished so the memorial could be built. Norms were thrown to the wind to raise it on a six
kanal, 12 marla plot. Moreover, powercom has still not received its compensation of Rs 42.03
lakh. The memorial is a huge statue of Chaudhary Devi Lal and was inaugurated by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in September 2001. Since, the memorial remained neglected during Capt Amarinder Singh’s regime from 2002-2007, the Badal government spent lakhs in renovating the structure. It also deployed an Assistant Sub-Inspector
(ASI) and four Head Constables in 2007 to guard it. Moreover, four gardeners and a watchman have also been hired for the upkeep of the memorial. Incidentally, all security personnel deployed here belong to Badal’s constituency of
Lambi. Two of the four gardeners — Gurdip Singh and Sukhjit Singh — are from Badal’s native village. Muktsar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Surjit Singh said that over four personnel had been deployed to guard the memorial. Information under the RTI Act revealed that the state Mandi Board had spent Rs 66.40 lakh to raise the memorial. The Malout Market Committee that is under debt has been entrusted with bearing the structure’s recurring expenses. The committee had spent Rs 6.19 lakh for the maintenance of electricity in 2010 and a new power transformer was put up at a cost of Rs 81,513. The committee also paid an electricity bill of Rs 8.15 lakh between 2008 and 2013. Having diverted a chunk of funds to maintain the grandeur of the memorial, the Malout Market Committee recently obtained a loan of Rs 3.19 crore to build roads. Muktsar Deputy Commissioner Paramjit Singh confirmed the state Mandi Board had been entrusted with maintaining the memorial. In contrast, 40 Muktas Minar erected in the district during Capt Amarinder Singh’s tenure cries for attention.
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Remark on INLD’s Dushyant has CM on back foot
Patran, April 9 Badal said it was only for BJP’s PM pick Narendra Modi to decide such issues. Addressing a series of rallies and meetings in support of SAD Patiala candidate Deepinder Singh Dhillon, Badal said he was no authority to propose anyone’s name for a Cabinet berth in the NDA Government. “Main taan nahi banuna minister…oh taan thorha jeha hilaara den waastay keha si (I am not making anyone minister. I said it to enhance voters’ morale in favour of Chautalas),” he said at the sidelines of the rally. He rejected the speculations that he was making a shadow Cabinet, expecting the NDA to win the elections, and said that his prime concern was to ensure NDA’s win. To a query if his support to the Chautala’s party would not affect his alliance with the BJP, Badal remarked: “We are with the BJP for more than 20 years and will not do anything against the party and its (BJP) senior leadership knows it well. Even in Haryana everything we are doing will surely be in favour of Modi.” On whether or not he would bring the INLD in the NDA domain if it formed a government at the Centre, the Chief Minister told The Tribune that he would not comment on this, but added in the same breath, “It will be decided by the Prime Minister. In Haryana, we have been trying for an alliance for long.” Earlier, Badal said the interlinking of rivers, as promised by the BJP in its poll manifesto, would not harm Punjab’s interests as the state had dams over all rivers. “The Congress is trying to spread false information about the NDA and its policies. My request to the voters is to cross-check facts and vote for the NDA,” he added.
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Battle for Patiala: Badal addresses 3 rallies in a day
Patiala, April 9 Badal today addressed three rallies in the city and despite his busy schedule, he was not late for any of them. Known to be punctual for his engagements, Badal reached Patiala last night. He spent the night at the Cabinet Minister Surjit Rakhra’s house. “We had requested Badal saheb to devote an entire day for canvassing in Patiala and he agreed,” said Dhillon. Badal woke up at 6 am. After his fitness regimen, which is now limited to yoga and physiotherapy, he went through newspapers. After a quick bath and reciting of prayers, he had porridge and fruit along with Rakhra and his brother Charanjit Dhaliwal. After discussing local political affairs, his personal staff informed him that local workers wanted to meet him. The CM eagerly met them. At his first rally at Patran, Badal took a dig at three-time MP Preneet Kaur for her “failure” to bring any project for the city. He addressed his second rally in Samana where he urged people to vote for Narendra Modi to end an era of “step-motherly” treatment to Punjab. Realising the presence of a large number of Hindus in the rally, he was quick to announce that his party had fielded 12 Hindu candidates. After an afternoon nap at Rakhra village, the CM was ready for his third rally in Patiala city.
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AAP numbers growing steadily
Amritsar, April 9 The party’s Khadoor Sahib candidate, Bhai Baldeep Singh, Ludhiana candidate HS Phoolka and Dr Ravijit, son of the party candidate from Amritsar Dr Daljit Singh, claim that AAP voters will break their silence on the polling day. Bhai Baldeep Singh, said: “My rally at Khadoor Sahib was cancelled at the eleventh hour after the organiser faced threats from his fellow traders. But I have received calls and messages from a large number people, saying they will vote for AAP because they want to change the system”. A confident Phoolka said: “Unlike our rivals, our supporters are not visible on the roads. But the people’s response during personal contact programmes and the flood of messages and calls from voters, expressing dissatisfaction with the government, indicates that the people are backing us and will vote for us to bring about a change in the system. ” Dr Ravijit Singh said the people were afraid to express their opinion. “However, when we speak to them, most of them tell us they will vote in favour of change”. Narinder Singh, a farmer from Tarn Taran, said: “Mainu ni pata kaun jittuga. Mainu taan eh vi nahin pata kaun khada hai. Par vote AAP nu bahut paini hai. Chahe jitte, chahe haare (I don’t know who will win. I don’t even know who the candidates are. However, I’m sure that AAP will get a large chunk of votes, whether it wins or loses).” Summing up the mood, a traffic cop, allowing a vehicle carrying AAP campaigners to make a wrong turn on the Ludhiana-Ferozepur highway, said: “Unlike you (mediapersons), we are not free to speak our minds. But we will press the right EVM button and show the exit door to the government”.
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Approached by BJP leaders, Salaria Ravi Dhaliwal
Gurdaspur, April 9 Senior BJP leaders held several meetings with Salaria. A Rajput from Chauhani village in Pathankot district, Salaria was hoping to get a major share of the two lakh Rajput votes in the Sujanpur, Bhoa, Diananagar and Pathankot Assembly seats. During the last Assembly elections, he was assigned the task of looking after these seats. The BJP had won win three of the seats and lost the Dinanagar seat. Salaria has raised funds for the SAD-BJP alliance through his Mumbai-based security firm - Trig Securities Private limited. Till last evening, it was almost certain that Salaria would file his nominations papers today. His campaign managers had intimated the district officials that he would do so after BJP nominee Vinod Khanna had filed his papers with the Returning Officer. But senior BJP leaders Shanta Kumar, Kamal Sharma and Rakesh Rathour met Salaria at his native village this afternoon and convinced him against contesting the seat. He was reportedly told that since he was a member of the party’s national executive, his decision to contest against the party nominee would amount to indiscipline and he could be removed from all party posts. Late last evening, a confident Khanna had told mediapersons that Salaria, being a loyal soldier of the party, would not contest as an Independent.
opts out of contest
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Kejriwal to give Patiala a miss; Gandhi unfazed
Patiala, April 9 Sources said Dr Gandhi was among the strongest AAP candidates in the state along with HS Phoolka in Ludhiana and Bhagwant Mann in Sangrur. Dr Sumel Singh Sidhu, convener of AAP state campaign committee, said Kejriwal had to cancel the visit following his ill health since he had been traveling a lot. “Many of our senior leaders and workers from Haryana and Delhi will devote their time in Patiala and other constituencies of Punjab,” he said. Undeterred by the change in schedule, Dr Gandhi has decided to go ahead with his original plan sans Kejriwal. “His visit would certainly have boosted the morale of party workers. We will continue our campaign with the same enthusiasm since we are getting immense response,” he said. Dr Gandhi said since the harvesting season had almost begun, they had started visiting villages in the early mornings and late evenings while devoting rest of the time in towns and cities.
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BJP resorting to economic fascism: Amarinder
Amritsar, April 9 In a statement today, he said: “Jaitley is so self-contradictory that on the one hand he welcomes FDI and at the same time, he opposes it in the retail sector. You can’t practise partial-liberalism. This will only mean that like a pseudo-Punjabi, you are a pseudo-liberal.” He pointed out that already several multi-brand retail outlets were owned by big domestic industrial houses like the Reliance and Bharti. “If the powerful domestic behemoths could not pose any threat to small traders across the country, how will the foreign investors do so,” he asked. He warned Jaitley against creating a sense of fear and animosity against foreign investors in the retail segment. The Congress leader advised his rival to learn from China which has allowed 100 per cent FDI in retail way back in 2004 and yet ensured that the interest of the domestic retailers and vendors were not harmed. “We can always provide protection to domestic traders and retailers while allowing FDI,” he argued. He was responding to Jaitley’s statement that FDI in retail would ruin small traders in places like Amritsar. The former Chief Minister said there could be only two reasons for Jaitley’s utterances. “Either Jaitley is trying to create fear and panic among the small retailers for garnering votes or is acting on somebody’s bidding,” he remarked. He advised Jaitley not to spread misinformation among small traders for petty interests. Targeting the Badal family, including Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and his brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia, Amarinder alleged that they had ruined real estate business in Punjab. Addressing a delegation of real estate dealers, Amarinder said Sukhbir and Majithia had deliberately destroyed the real estate market to drive owners to distress sale. “The want to thus buy costly properties at cheap rates and sell these at exorbitant prices later,” he alleged. Scores of ex-servicemen today pledged support
to Amarinder. Complaint against Cong candidate Jalandhar: The SAD has lodged a complaint regarding the alleged violation of the model code of conduct by Congress candidate Chaudhary Santokh Singh. Providing pictures as proof, Akalis alleged Chaudhary Santokh Singh entered the District Administrative Complex for filing his papers with a large number of supporters. Despite a ban, both Santokh Singh and Punjab Pradesh Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa were donning clothes with party symbols around their neck, they alleged. — TNS Capt says he will sue BJP leader Swamy Amritsar: Dismissing BJP leader Subramanian Swamy’s charges regarding foreign bank accounts by his family members, Amarinder Singh said these were “baseless and ridiculous.” He said he would sue Swamy for “criminal defamation”. He said the BJP’s frustration over the Congress move to field him from Amritsar, was understandable. “Given the fact that Jaitley has realised his position in Amritsar vis-a-vis mine, the BJP’s dirty tricks department has now come out with this dirty ploy,” he claimed. He said such frivolous allegations only showed as to how threatened the BJP felt in Amritsar. He challenged Swamy to substantiate his charges. State BJP chief Kamal Sharma said the Election Commission should take notice of the issue of Amarinder Singh’s wife and son holding foreign bank accounts and initiate strict action against him. He expressed surprise as to how a former CM contesting Lok Sabha elections could furnish “false information” in his affidavit.
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Work for BJP’s win in Delhi: Sukhbir
New Delhi, April 9 Presiding over a meeting of party workers here today, Sukhbir said all issues pertaining to the people of Delhi, the Sikhs and Punjabis would be resolved on a priority if a Narendra Modi-led government came to power at the Centre. “The perpetrators of the 1984 riots would get punished, new Khalsa colleges would be opened, a university for Sikhs would be set up and efforts would be made to bring new development schemes for Punjab," he said. He said this was possible as the Punjab Chief Minister enjoyed a good rapport with
Modi.
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Notice to state
Chandigarh, April 9 The Division Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli set a two weeks’ deadline for the task. The Bench issued a notice of motion to the state for May 6 after taking suo motu cognizance of the issue. — TNS
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Cong, BJP woo border area voters
Amritsar, April 9 At Attari, Jaitley said the farmers with land across the border fence often should be duly compensated. He said he was in favour of an increase in the cross-border trade. “More stores, godowns and hotels will be needed to accommodate traders and their cargo. These activities will provide greater employment opportunities to residents of the area,” he explained. In Bhakna Kalan village, Jaitley paid tributes to Baba Sohan Singh Bhakna of the Ghadar Party. Addressing a gathering, he dubbed his Congress rival “a reluctant candidate”. Amarinder asked the people to vote without fear and ensure that their voice was heard in Parliament. Addressing public rallies in the Attari and Rajasansi segments, he claimed: “State ministers Bikram Majithia and Anil Joshi will ensure the BJP candidate’s defeat in Amritsar. Resentment against them is so acute that Jaitley will not need enemies to pull him down.” He struck an emotional chord with the people of Rajasansi, recalling his personal association with the place. His daughter Jai Inder Kaur is married to Gurpal Singh, grandson of Major Harinder Singh Rajasansi. He asked the people to come out to vote without fear, assuring them that the parliamentary elections are held under the direct supervision of the Election Commission and so there was no possibility of anybody intimidating them. The former Chief Minister said he was aware of the problems of those living in the border area. He advocated a special package for the border belt. He blamed the Akalis for unemployment and rampant drug addiction in the border villages.
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Sonia may campaign for
Ambika Soni
Ropar, April 9 The state leadership has already sought Sonia's nod in this regard. Sources said in view of Soni's proximity to the high command, it was almost certain that Sonia would address a rally here in the last week of this month. Meanwhile, the party has started roping in Congress leaders from other states to campaign in the constituency. Former MLA Rana KP Singh said Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh would address public meetings in the area on April 11. GS Bali and Thakur Ram Lal from the hill state had already been canvassing here, he said.
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Over 30 per cent of food grain stored unscientifically: ASSOCHAM study
Chandigarh, April 9 “Each grain bag is handled at least six times before it is finally opened for processing which leads to higher storage and transportation charges and also adds to wastage of food grain during transit and handling,” said DS Rawat, Secretary General of Assocham. “Much needs to be done to build additional storage capacity, renovate existing warehouses and implement a robust Negotiable Warehouse Receipt (NWR) system to make available more funds to farm producers and simultaneously provide security to the lenders,” he said. Growing at a compounded annual growth rate (CAGR) of about nine per cent, the market size of warehouse was over Rs 22,800 crore in FY 11 which is expected to cross Rs 35,000 crore mark in FY 16 and only 12 per cent in this accounts for agro-warehousing, while the remaining is industrial. The warehousing space, clocking a CAGR of about four per cent, was about 1.52 billion square feet in FY 11. It is expected to grow to 1.84 billion square feet till FY 16 and only 29 per cent of this accounts for agro-warehousing, while the remaining for industrial. “India needs to recalibrate its strategy to mitigate the challenges of high food grain wastage due to lack of scientific storage facilities and high inflation due to lack of cold chain infrastructure such as cold storage and refrigerated transport as it leads to wastage of fruit and vegetables,” suggested the ASSOCHAM-Yes Bank study.
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Bogus votes case: Joshi, kin fail to appear in court
Amritsar, April 9 The process server, in his reply, to the court had pointed out that Joshi was not available at his local address while no other members of his family were found to be living at that place, said Sandeep Gorsi, an advocate and Congress leader who had approached to the Election Commission (EC) regarding this. The court has now re-issued the notice to them asking them to appear before it by May 9. The court of Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) had issued the notice on February 25, asking Joshi and his eight members of family to appear before the court in the designated period and then seek bail. The notice was issued after ADC Pardeep Sabharwal in his capacity as Returning Officer of Amritsar North assembly constituency represented by Joshi had filed a complaint in the court regarding the dual vote controversy.
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Won’t go abroad again: Hoshiarpur youth
Hoshiarpur, April 9 Jagjit said he had to pinch himself to realise that he had finally boarded a flight for India. His mother Sukhvinder Kaur, whose joy knew no bounds, thanked the media for highlig\hting the issue and facilitating the safe return of her son. She appealed to the governments of India
and Saudi Arabia to help other youths in Riyadh to return home. Jagmeet Singh of Kapurthala also returned from Riyadh this morning. After landing at the Indira Gandhi International Airport at Delhi, he told The Tribune that five more youths had been sent back. He further said more youths were likely to return safely from Riyadh in the future.
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Proceedings against SSP to be dropped, govt tells court
Chandigarh, April 9 An affidavit to this effect was filed by retired Additional District and Sessions Judge BC Gupta. He was made the inquiry officer, replacing retired IAS officer C S Talwar Gupta told the court that the proceedings were being dropped as the allegations could not be established. The government has already ordered stoppage of one annual increment of Under Secretary (Home) Sewa Singh after holding him responsible for causing delay in Gurdaspur firing case. The government also decided to drop the charges against PCS officer Tejinder Pal Singh after he was given a clean chit in an inquiry into
the allegations of dereliction of duty.
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Sampla accused of illegally occupying NRI's house
Jalandhar, April 9 Bakshi, who has the “general power of attorney of Tanday's house”, said, "The matter of the ownership of the house between Tanday and his estranged wife Harjinder Kaur is pending in court." While showing the copies of the court orders, Bakshi said the court had restrained Harjinder from interfering in the “peaceful possession of the house” till the disposal of the suit. He alleged that despite the court orders, Sampla had forcibly taken the possession of the house. Khaira alleged that the BJP was fielding criminals in the elections. "Tanday's relatives are running from pillar to post but no one is helping them because Sampla wields immense political pressure," he stated. Sampla denied the allegations of occupying the house illegally. He said, "I was made the caretaker of the house by Harjinder Kaur and so far, no one has ever approached me on the matter as claimed by Tanday's relatives." Sampla further said if the court asked him to vacate the house, he would do so.
BJP leader denies allegation Sampla denied the charge saying, "I was made the caretaker of the house by Harjinder Kaur and so far, no one has ever approached me on the matter as claimed by (NRI Vijay Kumar) Tanday's relatives." Sampla further said if the court asked him to vacate the house, he would do so.
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Teachers’ unions to hold meet to decide on voting
Bathinda, April 9 During an exclusive chat with The Tribune, the heads of these unions, which have protested many times against the government for delay in the release of their salaries and non-regularisation of their jobs, said the government could not take away their right to choose the candidate of their choice. “Our union thinks that rules and the mindset need to changed and all the candidates are similar. If the SAD-BJP Government didn’t do anything for us, Congress candidates also can’t boast much about what their government did in our favour,” said Resham Singh of the Democratic Teachers Front. “We are yet to decide if we want to teach a particular party a lesson. We had been protesting against delay in the release of our salaries for long. The government released the grant in March and it is yet to release funds for payment of arrears of hike in pay grade and dearness allowance,” said Shrikant Sharma of the Aided School Teachers & Other Employees Union. At the meeting, the unions will discuss the pros and cons of voting for various candidates to reach a consensus. Meanwhile, members of the Unaided Staff of Aided School Front, Punjab, have made their choice clear as they have been pasting and distributing anti-government posters in the Bathinda constituency.
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Work on Fazilka court complex begins
Fazilka, April 9 Tractors have been pressed into service to level about 12.5 acres of land, where a three-storey complex would come up. The construction work has been assigned to the Public Works Department (PWD). The land was provided by the local Municipal Council. Sub-divisional Officer (SDO), PWD, Ranjit Singh Sandhu told The Tribune that 11 courts of district-level judges and an equal number of residences would be raised in the complex at Old Dussehra Ground on the National highway 10. “The construction of the complex, for which the first instalment would be released by the Building Committee of Punjab and Haryana High Court soon, is scheduled to be
completed in 18 months,” said the SDO. A sum of Rs 52 crore will be spent on the construction of
the complex.
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Oak Creek shooting: US Sikhs to honour cop
Washington, April 9 Murphy, the first Oak Creek (Milwaukee) police officer on the scene of shooting that left six worshippers dead and three others wounded, will be presented with a Sewa (service) Award by Washington-based community organisation Guru Gobind Singh Foundation. The white supremacist gunman, Wade Michael Page, killed himself after he was wounded by a rifle shot from Murphy. Murphy, 52, has recovered from his wounds, but has no feeling in his right forearm and leg and has limited use of his left thumb because of the injuries he suffered. Murphy is travelling with his family from Wisconsin to attend the ceremony at a gurdwara in Rockville, Maryland, a Washington suburb, on Baisakhi, an important day for all the Sikhs, the foundation announced. The foundation presents the Sewa award annually to people who have helped the Sikh community. Inder Paul Singh Gadh, the foundation chairman, said the Sikhs were highly grateful to Murphy “for his sacrifice and exemplary service and providing protection to all citizens of Oak Creek. His actions were able to prevent a much bigger massacre of Sikhs, who were still trapped inside the gurdwara,” he said. — IANS
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Inmates attack jail officer
Ropar, April 9 The accused have been identified as Jagjit Singh and Baljit Singh, residents of Takipur village,
Mohali. Deputy Superintendent (jail) Rajiv Arora said Darshan Singh found Jagjit Singh was carrying a mobile phone. When he was asked Jagjit to hand it over, both the brothers attacked him and injured him seriously. Owing to some land dispute, Jagjit and Baljit together killed three brothers Ravinder Singh, Balwinder Singh and Kulwant Singh, eight years ago in 2006. A Ropar court delivering the judgement in 2009 awarded death sentence to
Jagjit, while his brother was sentenced to life. Later, the Punjab and Haryana High Court gave relief to Jagjit Singh and converted his death penalty into life
term. Arora said a complaint against the accused brothers had been lodged with the local police.
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Gang of car thieves busted, three held
Fatehgarh Sahib, April 9 Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Gurmeet Singh Chauhan said the police, on a tip-off, had set up a naka at Kotla Peer Jain village. He said they seized a Tata Sumo and a Bolero at the naka. Chauhan said the Sumo was stolen from Gurdwara Jyoti Sarup and the Bolero jeep from Rajasthan. The arrested accused have been identified as Roop Singh of Samaspur, Somvir Singh of Bhiwani and Gurmukh Singh. A .32 bore pistol and six live cartridges were also recovered from them. The SSP said during preliminary investigation, the accused revealed the kingpin of the gang, Pardeep of Chhilar village, was still at large.
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Vinod Khanna, BJP nominee from Gurdaspur, filed his nomination papers in the office of the Deputy Commissioner-cum Returning Officer Abhinav Trikha here today amid much
fanfare.
The distribution of Shagun Scheme cheques to over 100 beneficiaries in Faridkot today led to a complaint by the Congress accusing the state government of violating the model code of conduct for elections.
The memorial for former Deputy Prime Minister Chaudhary Devi Lal at Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s home-turf has become a liability for the cash-strapped state. This gesture of the
Chief Minister costs the state around Rs 25 lakh annually. Badal, who is close to Haryana’s Chautala family, had in July 2001 ordered that the state powercom’s office be demolished so the memorial could be built. Norms were thrown to the wind to raise it on a six
kanal, 12 marla plot.
A day after he announced a post-poll alliance between the INLD and the BJP, and publicly promised a Cabinet berth for Devi Lal’s great grandson, Dushyant
Chautala, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal today backtracked and said he was “no one to decide on Cabinet berths and such political tie-ups”. He clarified that his remarks in the Sirsa rally yesterday were only to boost the electorate.
The anti-government sentiment among the voters is running high. But fearing a backlash, the people are hesitant to criticise the establishment. Interacting with voters on the streets, inside their homes and over lunch in
dhabas, The Tribune team found that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supporters are on the rise. And this is bound to impact the election outcome in the state.
Claiming that after preaching “theo-fascism”, the BJP was now resorting to “economic fascism", Congress candidate Capt Amarinder Singh today asked his BJP rival Arun Jaitley to explain how FDI in retail would hit the domestic retailer.
In a statement today, he said: “Jaitley is so self-contradictory that on the one hand he welcomes FDI and at the same time, he opposes it in the retail sector. You can’t practise partial-liberalism.
Arun Jaitley, BJP candidate, and his Congress rival Capt Amarinder Singh today wooed voters in the border belt, promising adequate development in the area and compensation to farmers who own land across the border fence. Both addressed a series of meetings in the Attari and Rajasansi Assembly segments.
Jagjit Singh, who returned from Riyadh last night, vowed never to go abroad again today. His parents were relieved to see him at their house in Gokul Nagar in
Hoshiarpur. The traumatised Jagjit advised the people gathered at
his house never to go abroad and to instead try and find employment here. “The five months in Riyadh were a nightmare. I now want to start my life afresh,” he said.
Relatives of an NRI, Vijay Kumar Tanday, have accused BJP candidate from Hoshiarpur Vijay Sampla of illegally occupying Tanday’s house for over a year. Addressing a press conference along with PPCC spokesperson Sukhpal
Khaira, Tanday's uncle Bakshi Ram said house number 115, Shalimar Nagar,
Hoshiarpur, was owned by Tanday. Sampla has been operating from this house since he shifted his base to
Hoshiarpur.
The study highlights that there is an urgent need to develop a strong warehousing system equipped with modern and scientific storage facilities such as warehouses, silos, silo bags and others. The grain storage capacity in India has not been keeping pace with the marketable surplus. This study, titled ‘Agri-Infrastructure in India: The Value Chain in India’, says that in India, around 20-30 per cent of total food grain harvest is wasted due to inadequate storage capacity, regional imbalance in warehouses, lack of adequate scientific storage and inefficient logistic management.