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Yogendra Yadav takes jibe at Modi over narco-terrorism
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Homegrown drugs more fatal: Capt
leaders
react to the tribune’s report
Dhuri MLA fuels talk of moving to SAD
Balram Jakhar chips in to boost son’s campaign
Wheat crop on 90 acres set afire in Kotkapura
Rahul’s Bathinda rally venue shifted
MBBS aspirants needn’t study Class X from state
Procurement staff harassing us: Farmers
Ensure officials get postal ballot: CEO
Accused in Ludhiana AIG assault case dies
NRI AAP supporter held; kin cry foul
Heroin worth Rs 110 cr seized, four arrested
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Yogendra Yadav takes jibe at Modi over narco-terrorism
Moga, April 26 Talking to The Tribune, he said, “It is unfortunate that leaders such as Modi sit beside drug mafias and talk on narco-terrorism. There is a need to clean your own house before you talk about others.” Yadav said there was a strong anti-incumbency factor against the SAD-BJP government in Punjab and the Congress at the central level. “The mood of the people this time is to reject both the parties and bring in good governance. We have come out as a better choice for the common man to change the nature of politics,” he added. “We will ensure maximum participation of people in governance by bringing in administrative reforms,” he said. ‘Imposters donning AAP caps may distribute cash, liquor’ Jalandhar: Aam Aadmi Party leader Yogendra Yadav on Saturday said he had received information from SAD sources that the last few days before the elections would see rampant buying of votes and flow of liquor. He was addressing mediapersons during a roadshow in support of Jalandhar candidate Jyoti Mann Akshara here. "A SAD activist came to me last night secretly and said he has been given the task of acquiring votes for cash. Our Anandpur Sahib activists say workers from other parties will don AAP caps and distribute liquor and cash, just like it happened in Delhi. I appeal to the EC and the police to prevent this practice. If you see a person donning AAP cap distributing liquor, you should immediately catch him. Locals will be able to tell if they are AAP activists or impostors," he said. — TNS
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Homegrown drugs more fatal: Capt
Amritsar, April 26 Addressing a press conference here, Amarinder said, “It appeared quite paradoxical that Modi was delivering his sermon on narco-terrorism with Bikram Singh Majithia on his side.” The former CM asked Modi as to why only Punjab was affected by drugs smuggled from outside when there were other border states too like Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan and Gujarat, which also shared a long border with Pakistan. “Why the drugs don’t flow into those states?” he wondered. He pointed out a large haul of drugs was regularly seized along the border. However, Amarinder clarified the problem in Punjab was caused by synthetic drugs manufactured within the state, which were cheap and easily available. “And it was in this trade Majithia's name had come up in the Bhola drug racket,” he alleged. He also hit out at CM Parkash Singh Badal over drugs issue, saying, "He knows exactly what is happening in the state but conveniently turns his back. He is in knowledge of everything and he owes an answer to Punjab as to why this is happening."
Says it’s ‘baap-bete ki sarkar’ in Punjab Lashing out at Modi for his personal attacks on Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahul Gandhi by frequently referring to “Ma-Bete ki sarkar”, Amarinder Singh reminded Modi that “he was making this “shameless and senseless statement” at a place which had been "looted and robbed by Baap-Bete ki sarkar" (of Parkash Singh Badal and Sukhbir Badal). Questioning Modi's stand on opening border trade, he said on one hand Modi talks of boosting bilateral trade and on the other shows belligerence against Pakistan. He said Modi must know that you need to have peace to allow trade to flourish. — TNS
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Another stepbrother of PM backs Capt
Amritsar, April 26 While PM’s brother Surjeet Singh Kohli stood by the side of Congress candidate Capt Amarinder Singh during his election campaign throughout the day, his brother’s grandson Randeep Singh said the entire family was backing Amarinder to the hilt. “We are canvassing for Amarinder day and night and will ensure that he wins by a huge margin. We are saddened by Daljit Singh’s decision to join the BJP, but it will not affect the poll prospects of the Congress in any way,” Randeep said in a statement. Earlier, during a press conference along with Amarinder, Surjeet Singh said their entire family stood firmly by the PM and the Congress. “We are four brothers and six sisters and we all are with
the PM and his party, except for Daljit.” Surjeet was later seen alongside Amarinder during his roadshow in the city. Surjeet Singh is Daljit’s real brother but the stepbrother of the PM. Amarinder alleged Daljit was a non-entity and his move to join the BJP would not affect the Congress. “Is he a politician? He is just an individual. Besides, he is suffering from a depressive ailment and perhaps joined the BJP in a fit of it,” said Amarinder. He termed it a ploy of the BJP’s “dirty tricks department” while wondering how many people knew Daljit in Amritsar. He said the move showed the desperation of the BJP as it was fast losing the ground in Amritsar. On the other hand, Daljeet Singh denied the allegation that there was some sort of deal behind his decision to join the BJP. “The only deal I have struck is for the development of Punjab,” he quipped. He denied comment on Manmohan Singh’s reaction that he was saddened by his move to join the BJP. He also denied that he was under any depression, saying he was perfectly alright.
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leaders
react to the tribune’s report
Addressing a press conference here, Shergill alleged both the SAD and the Congress were promoting dynastic rule. The ruling SAD-BJP combine had destroyed the state's economy with corruption and drugs, he alleged. People of state were against both these parties and the poll results would come as a surprise for all, Shergill said, claiming that AAP would get 70 per cent of votes. Calling upon his party workers to conduct sting operations of people trying to win over voters using illegal means, Shergill said such people were a threat to democracy and must be exposed. Chandigarh: Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee spokesperson Sukhpal Khaira today sought BJP's reaction to the Badal clan's conflict of interest, as mentioned in a news report published in The Tribune. The Congress leader said: “The BJP's Amritsar candidate, Arun Jaitley, has been accusing Robert Vadra of using his political clout for personal gains. It is unfortunate that Jaitley is mum on charges against the Badal, Kairon and Majithia families.” Khaira said: “It is common knowledge that the Badals have taken over all the important trades, including mining, transport, cable network, liquor and real estate". Amritsar: Amarinder Singh said the Akali leadership had allegedly bankrupted Punjab while their personal wealth had grown umpteen times. "The state is reeling under a tragic situation. There are no funds to pay salaries to employees and pension to elderly. The state coffers are literally empty and the RBI has refused it further overdraft," he added.
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Dhuri MLA fuels talk of moving to SAD
Barnala, April 26 Khanna's absence from the rally remained a matter of discussion in the party circles, given his differences with party candidate from Sangrur Vijay Inder Singla. Khanna has not been campaigning for Singla even in the Dhuri Assembly constituency. Barring Khanna, all four Congress MLAs from the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency, Rajinder Kaur Bhattal (Lehragaga), Kewal Singh Dhillon (Barnala), Harchand Kaur (Mehal Kalan) and Mohd Sadique (Bhadaur) were present.
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Balram Jakhar chips in to boost son’s campaign
Muktsar, April 26 Hundreds of people attended Sunil Jakhar's roadshow, just to get a glimpse of the towering figure. Balram Jakhar (90) is a prominent leader in the region. He won from this constituency with a thumping majority in 1980 and served as Lok Sabha Speaker from 1980 to 1989. He also became the Union Agriculture Minister in the PV Narasimha Rao Government in 1991. Jakhar has also been the former Governor of Madhya Pradesh. Balram Jakhar’s move will prove to be a shot in the arm for his son’s campaign. Three-time MLA from Abohar Sunil had lost this seat to BSP candidate Mohan Singh by a margin of 59,912 votes in 1996. Sunil Jakhar’s father Balram is expected to cover all the nine assembly constituencies in the parliamentary seat by Monday. “This time, the Jakhar family is not taking any risk and has roped in all their relatives from Rajasthan and Haryana to campaign for them. Chaudhary Balram will certainly boost the morale of party workers,” said Rupesh Kumar of
Abohar.
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Wheat crop on 90 acres set afire in Kotkapura
Kotkapura (Faridkot), April 26 In his complaint to the police, one of the affected farmers, Harish Gandhi, alleged that a few supporters of Chief Parliamentary Secretary and Akali Dal MLA from Kotkapura Mantar Singh Brar set on fire the crop on his 24-acre plot. The fire spread to the adjoining fields, destroying the crop over 90 acres of land. Apart from Mantar Singh, Gandhi has named 15 of his supporters, including Baljit Singh and Gurjant Sharma, in his complaint. He alleged that the Akali leader wanted to forcibly take possession of the land. Till the filing of this report, the police had not registered any case against the MLA and his supporters. Deputy Superintendent of Police Baljit Singh Sidhu said the statements of Gandhi and other farmers whose crop was destroyed had been recorded for necessary action. Brar, on the other hand, claimed that it was a
political drama to entangle him in a false case to extract mileage during elections. Gandhi, however, alleged that when he reached his fields in Kothe Dhaliwal village today, around 15 persons arrived there and stopped him from harvesting the crop. When he resisted, the accused set the field on fire, which soon spread to adjoining Wander Jatana and Duareana villages, alleged Gandhi. He alleged Baljit and Gurjant were Brar’s henchmen and had earlier too tried to take possession of the land. The blockade was lifted only after the SDM reached the spot and assured necessary legal action against those behind the incident. Gandhi alleged it was not the first time that Brar and his men had tried to take possession of the land. He had lodged a similar complaint on April 20 against Brar, Baljit and Gurjant. But in the FIR (No. 81), the police gave a clean chit to Mantar, saying “his name was being unnecessary dragged into the case as he was a sitting MLA”.
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Majithia meets Takht Jathedar, tenders apology
Amritsar, April 26 Bar him from campaign: Capt
Drawing a parallel with the cases of BJP leader Amit Shah and SP leader Azam Khan, Congress candidate Capt Amarinder Singh has urged the Election Commission to bar Revenue Minister Bikram Majithia from campaigning in Amritsar for his recent "blasphemous" speech. Amarinder said: "The EC must go by its recent decision to bar Amit Shah and Azam Khan from campaigning. Majithia's crime is no less as he distorted gurbani while canvassing in favour of Arun
Jaitley."
Akalis circulate Capt’s property tax paper Bathinda: With property tax becoming a major poll issue in urban areas of the state, supporters of the SAD-BJP alliance are distributing copies of a document reportedly signed by Capt Amarinder Singh in December 2006 giving his approval for the tax. The document stated the then Congress Government approved the tax in December 2006 for its implementation by June 2007. It, however, could not implement the same due to impending elections in early 2007.
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Rahul’s Bathinda rally venue shifted
Bathinda, April 26 Shakeel Ahmed, AICC general secretary and Punjab affairs in charge, said he had complained to
the Election Commission against the local administration for “creating unnecessary hurdles”. The Thermal Colony venue was finalised after much discussion and deliberation between the district administration and Congress MP from Sirsa (Haryana) Ashok Tanwar, who reached Bathinda at Ahmed’s behest. Initially, the venue was at Model Town where NDA’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi addressed a rally yesterday. However, the local administration allotted it to an Independent candidate even though the Congress had paid the requisite fee for using the property. The venue was again earmarked to the Congress but the Independent candidate was given an adjoining ground to hold his rally. The Congress started preparations only to find that the tent house owner who agreed to set up the ‘shamiana’ had backed out. “We met Bathinda DC Kamal Kishore Yadav and Senior Superintendent of Police Gurpreet Singh Bhullar and discussed the matter with them. Although they gave us their approval for the Model Town ground, it was yet to be cleared of the stage and structure erected for Modi’s rally,” Tanwar said. “Though we needed at least two days to erect the stage and the structure for the rally, we will make the most of the time we are left with. The focus areas will remain the barricading and the stage. We have been entrusted with the task of mobilising people for the rally. From here on, the SPG will take over,” he said.
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MBBS aspirants needn’t study Class X from state
Chandigarh, April 26 However, a new clause has been added, which states that a candidate needs to belong to the state. When the matter was brought up in the Punjab and Haryana High Court today, the state government counsel was asked to clarify the new clause on its next hearing on Tuesday. The petitioners alleged that the new clause has caused more confusion among the medical aspirants. In a well-planned move before the medical aspirants’ petition is heard in the High Court on Saturday, the government has updated the new corrigendum on the website of the Department of Medical Education and Research. Petitioner’s advocate Gurminder Singh said, “The new corrigendum has added to the confusion, there is no clarification as to how the state will decide whether or not the candidate belongs to the state.” Singh said the government had contradicted its original guidelines of a bonafide resident dated June 6, 1996, which stated that candidates who have studied for a period of five years in Punjab or have studied in Punjab for two years just preceding the qualifying examination for admission would be considered eligible. The new notification has not gone down well with the aspirants and their parents. Hema Bedi, a medical aspirant’s mother, said, “The government has removed one clause and added another, leaving our children in the dark again. With hardly any time left for the AIMPT exam, the state is playing with the lives of the youth.” Demanding a rollback of the notification, Dr Arvind Goyal, PMT trainer and member of the Medical Aspirants Forum, said, “The affected students will be under undue stress.” Meanwhile, Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education, could not be contacted.
PU colleges to have semester system Chandigarh: The colleges affiliated to Panjab University (PU) will have a semester system in undergraduate courses (from the first year) from the next session. This was decided in the syndicate meeting held here on Saturday under the chairmanship of Vice Chancellor Prof Arun Kumar Grover. PU Registrar Prof AK Bhandari has issued instructions for holding faculty meetings before May 15 so that the decision could be implemented. — TNS
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Procurement staff harassing us: Farmers
Sirhind, April 26 Harinder Singh, a nambardar of Ganduan village, said “I brought 150 quintals of wheat four days ago, but it has not been procured yet,” said Harinder Singh.
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Ensure officials get postal ballot: CEO
Chandigarh, April 26 Additional CEO Raminder Singh confirmed the development and said, “We have received several complaints, including from the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee. Denying someone the right to cast his ballot is a serious matter, so we have directed all the DCs to seek a status report on the distribution of the postal ballot and voter satisfaction.” Joint Electoral Officer Amit Talwar said they had asked the DCs to submit the figures by tomorrow morning. Surjit Singh Siwach, chairman of the PPCC (legal cell), said, “Policemen, who are posted away from their homes, have complained that their seniors were trying to influence the ballot in several cases. Several policemen said they had not been issued their postal ballot.” Joint CEO Talwar said, “Employees on duty could either avail the Election Duty Certificate (EDC) facility or the postal ballot facility.” CEO VK Singh said the employees exercising the postal ballot need not fear the disclosure of their preference as the document would be sealed.
135 interstate points sealed
CSR Reddy, Additional DGP (elections), today said 135 interstate points would be sealed to ensure a peaceful environment on the date of the election. He directed the police to use the central paramilitary forces strictly for polling/patrolling duty, besides ensuring the sealing of ‘malkhanas’ 48 hours before polling.
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Accused in Ludhiana AIG assault case dies
Ludhiana, April 26 Sources said the family had told the police that Sunny died of a heart attack. Ravinderpal Singh Sandhu, ACP, West, said as per the family's version Sunny complained of chest pain at 8:30 am following which he was rushed to Raghunath hospital where he was declared dead. Later, a postmortem was conducted by a group of doctors. Sandhu said further investigations would depend on the postmortem report. Meanwhile, there are rumours that Sunny has committed suicide.
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US Punjabi woman let off in murder case
Sacramento (California), April 26 Yuba City resident Baljit Kaur, 68, was found dead in her house with injuries on her head on October 26, 2012. Her daughter-in-law who was six months pregnant that time was arrested for her murder. Baljinder Kaur, lodged at the Sutter County Jail,
gave birth to a girl in January last year. Defence lawyer Mani Sidhu told the court that Baljinder was intimidated into consulting a local gynecologist for the abortion of her female child. “Refusing to follow through with the abortion, she became the target of calculated torture and abuse. Baljinder was forced to defend herself and her unborn child from imminent death at the hands of her mother-in-law. She was left with no choice but to protect the life of her child,” Sidhu said. He said Baljinder, an immigrant from Punjab, India, did not have any immediate family in California and was dependent on her in-laws for the necessities of life. “Her mother-in-law came from a culture in Punjab where sex selective abortions and murder of female infants are common and a widely-known fact”. Sidhu told jurors that Kaur saved the life of her unborn daughter when she killed her in-law. The child could have been another victim of the gender-based infanticide that has taken the lives of 100 million Indian girls, he said.
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NRI AAP supporter held; kin cry foul
Ludhiana, April 26 The case has been registered on the complaint of Bagli village sarpanch on the Samrala-Chawa road. Paramjot's relatives alleged that the case was registered at the behest of the ruling SAD-BJP coalition. They alleged the sarpanch had misused the law meant to protect the Dalits. Raghubir Singh, AAP’s campaign committee in charge, said the matter had been brought to the notice of senior party leaders. He said a panel of leaders would soon visit Ludhiana to ascertain whether there was any foul play.
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Heroin worth Rs 110 cr seized, four arrested
Amritsar, April 26 Among those arrested include Jagjit Singh alias Laddi of Dinanagar in Pathankot, Davinder Singh alias Goldy of Arjechak village in Gurdaspur, Kuldip Singh alias Babbu of Hawelian village in Tarn Taran and Harbinder Singh of Gaji Nangal in Gurdaspur. Manmohan Singh, Assistant Inspector-General (AIG), Counter-Intelligence, said the accused were held from Fatehgarh Churian Road following a tip-off. He said the accused were waiting for someone to deliver the consignment. Singh said Kuldip Singh and Jagjit Singh were notorious smugglers with several cases registered against them. A case under the NDPS and the Arms Acts has been registered.
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Ropar, April 26