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Curtains on campaign with roadshows
On final day, Khanna raids
Bajwa’s den
Farm suicides: No fervour in this village of widows
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Amarinder finale a grand affair
Jaitley: Response encouraging
BJP anti-Dalit, claims Rahul Gandhi
Wary of saffron party, young voters tilt towards AAP
Chandumajra woos kandi voters
Majithias holding back farmer’s arrears: BKU chief
Graft, drugs and sand mafia key issues in Doaba
Starry-eyed students discard the old, embrace the new
NRI youths bat for
candidates with clean image
Jakhar slams SAD over‘delaying’ RoB project
Congress, BJP slug it out over liquor mafia
Singers attend Bhagwant’s roadshow Modi avoided visit to Golden Temple: Capt
Tourist complexes sold for a song
‘Black water’ worries Abohar villages
BSF beefs up security to guard farmers
HC dismisses petition against Tikshan Sud
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Curtains on campaign with roadshows
Chandigarh, April 28 As the curtains came down on the high-decibel campaign at 6 pm today, candidates cutting across party lines put in their best foot forward in displaying their show of strength. While the Congress campaign in the state got a boost from Rahul Gandhi’s rally at Bathinda today, and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda came out to support Mohinder Singh Kaypee in Hoshiarpur, most other Congress top guns in the fray remained confined to their own constituencies. The SAD-BJP campaign too reached its feverish pitch with party president Sukhbir Badal addressing rallies at Anandpur Sahib in support of Prem Singh Chandumajra. He, though, spent maximum time in Bathinda today, the seat where his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal is caught in a close fight with her estranged brother-in-law Manpreet Singh Badal. Chief Minister and SAD patron Parkash Singh Badal too spent the day seeking votes for Harsimrat at Kot Shamir and Goniana villages of Bathinda. On the other hand, AAP candidate from Patiala Dr Dharamvir Gandhi’s campaign got a dash of glamour with actor Gul Panag campaigning for him. In this high-stakes battle between, the AAP may turn up as the surprise element in at least eight of the 13 Lok Sabha constituencies. The SAD and the Congress faces anti-incumbency from the electorate. The AAP will be feeding on this anti-incumbency to make a significant place for itself in the state’s political arena. Almost 250 candidates from various political parties have thrown their hat in the ring in order to test their fortunes in this election. Almost 1.95 crore voters will be exercising their franchise to send their representatives to Parliament. The Election Commission has made elaborate arrangements for conducting the polls efficiently. Star power *
The high-pitched political battle in Punjab saw the BJP's prime ministerial aspirant Narendra Modi trying to fuel the "Modi wave" by addressing five mammoth rallies at the fag end of the campaign *
Sonia Gandhi and her son Rahukl Gandhi too campaigned in the state, despite the state government allegedly creating hurdles in allowing their rallies *
In the high-decibel Amritsar battle, Congress candidate Capt Amarinder Singh used his own personal charisma to woo the voters *
His rival BJP's Arun Jaitley relied on star power, including Vivek Oberoi, Shatrughan Sinha, Kirron Kher, Divya Dutta and Preeti Sapru *
BJP's Gurdapur candidate and yesteryears superstar Vinod Khanna had his son and actor Akshaye Khanna campaigning for himself *
The AAP used Gul Panag, who was their candidate in Chandigarh, to put her weight behind party's other candidates *
Actor Sunny Deol too campaigned for SAD candidate from Sangrur, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa
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On final day, Khanna raids
Bajwa’s den
Gurdaspur, April 28 Former Union Minister and three-time MP Vinod Khanna paid a whirlwind visit to Qadian, the hometown of his main rival Partap Singh Bajwa. Khanna, who is heavily banking on the support of senior SAD leaders who have been designated as halqa in charges (area chief) to see him through the Akali-dominated seats of Gurdaspur, Fatehgarh Churian, Qadian, Batala and Dera Baba Nanak, was accompanied by former Minister SS Sekhwan. Bajwa ended his campaign by being part of a 'Rath Yatra' taken out in his support by the Rajput community in the Assembly seats of Sujanpur, Bhoa, Dinanagar and Pathankot. The community has a vote share of nearly two lakh votes and all the three candidates have tried their best to woo this vote bank. Chottepur,
whose campaign got a boost when party chief Arvind Kejriwal visited the
constituency in the second week of April, held a roadshow in Pathankot where
scores of motorcyclists spread the message that "Vote for Kejriwal as he
is seen a metaphor for change".
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Farm suicides: No fervour in this village of widows
Chottian (Sangrur), April 28 Amarjit Kaur is not alone. This village in Lehra sub-division witnessed eight suicides last year and a total of 67 suicides since 1998, according to a survey by the Baba Nanak Educational Society. Another widow Sulochana, mother of three girls, said: “We learnt that the government was conducting a survey two years ago to give us compensation, but nothing happened. We mean nothing to them (leaders). We will also not bother to walk up to the polling station and waste our vote.” Karnail Kaur, whose husband Karnail Singh had allegedly gulped a bottle of pesticide right in front of her last year, said: “I have two daughters. We had 2.25 acres of land which is gone. Our tubewells have dried up and the canal water does not reach here more than twice a month. When nobody is bothered about our plight, why should we care to vote.” Inderjit Singh Jaijee, chairman, Baba Nanak Educational Society, which is providing education to children of farmers who committed suicide, said: “Farmers with meagre landholdings are facing a severe financial crisis. Banks do not give them loans. They take money from private lenders at high rates and pay back at the time of two main harvests (kharif and rabi). In case of a failed crop, the farmers get trapped in a vicious debt circle”.
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Amarinder finale a grand affair
Amritsar, April 28 Accompanied by all the local leaders including MLAs, ex-MLAs, sitting and former councillors and prominent party workers, Amarinder moved in an open vehicle. He was showered with flower petals on the way. Talking to the mediapersons, Amarinder said he was touched and overwhelmed with the love and affection showered by the people of Amritsar. Replying to a query, he said BJP’s PM candidate Narendra Modi was “alien to the idea of India and not at all secular” while asking Modi as to why he “refused to pay obeisance” at the Golden Temple. “Or does paying obeisance at Darbar Sahib go contrary to your beliefs and worldview?” he asked. He said it was for the first time that a leader, who aspires to be the Prime Minister of a secular India, “avoided paying obeisance at Darbar Sahib" which has its doors open on all the four sides for all the people irrespective of their race or religion.” — TNS
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Jaitley: Response encouraging
Amritsar, April 28 Talking to the mediapersons after culmination of campaign, Jaitley said, “The kind of response I have received from the residents here is overwhelming. Moreover, our vast election campaign reaching out to almost all the sections of the society has left a deep impact on the masses. I am sure the people will vote for me in large numbers on April 30.” He said the people of Amritsar support issue-based politics and the agenda of all round development. Earlier, his supporters participated enthusiastically in the road show, donning T-shirts and caps of Narendra Modi. Addressing a gathering at the road show, national BJP spokesperson Nalin Kohli made an appeal to the people to vote for Jaitley as he will leave no stone unturned for the development and welfare of city.
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BJP anti-Dalit, claims Rahul Gandhi
Panjgrian (Faridkot), April 28 He said he saw Narendra Modi’s hand in yoga guru Baba Ramdev’s remark against him.The latter had said that Rahul visited homes of Dalits for “honeymoon and picnic”. Addressing a rally here, Rahul said: “The BJP leaders see my dining with Dalits in their homes and listening to their grievances as picnic. It is shocking.” Rahul alleged that the BJP did not feel for the tribals, Dalits and the poor. Under Modi’s Gujarat model, only a selected few and not all sections had prospered, he claimed. Rahul said the 2014 poll was a fight between two ideologies- one espoused by the BJP that had no concern for the poor and the other by the Congress with focus on the deprived sections. He talked of various welfare schemes, such as MGNREGA, introduced by his party. He alleged that the Gujarat model, propagated by Modi, had benefited only one business group, the Adanis. “The latter was given 45,000 acres of land for Re 1 per sq meter. We don?t want this model of development which is Adani-centric. We want every section of society to be part of the development model,” Rahul said. Speaking at length on the drug menace in Punjab, Congress leaders Jagmeet Brar, Joginder Singh, Gurpreet Kanagar, Raja Warring time and again referred to druglord Jagdish Bhola’s disclosures. The latter has accused Revenue minister Bikram Majithia of heading a drug cartel in the state. “Two year ago, when I said that 70 per cent youths in the state were hooked to drugs, there was a furore. Admitting the menace, the Punjab Government is now blaming Pakistan for it,” Rahul said. He spoke of the plight of Sikh farmers in the Kutch region of Gujarat. “It is BJP policy to divide the people on the basis of caste, creed and religion. “Today, I’m sporting a turban, tomorrow I can grow a beard,” he remarked as Congress general secretary Kushaldeep Dhillon honoured him with a
kirpan.
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BJP must prove charges against Vadra: Ambika
Chandigarh, April 28 The BJP had yesterday released a CD, giving details about the wealth amassed by Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law Vadra. “The Congress has always been against any form of corruption. None has immunity. We have never advocated a special treatment for anyone within the party. There have been inquiries into the 2G and coal block allocation scam,” she said. She said the Congress had always stood for development and that was why the people continued to repose their faith in the party candidates. “In my constituency, anti-incumbency against the SAD- BJP Government is palpable because of illegal sand mining, goonda tax, liquor cartel and the transport mafia. The state government has imposed property tax and raised VAT on several items. The people are disillusioned and want to bring in change,” she claimed. Soni maintained that while inflation was not much of an issue, the alleged diversion of central funds by the state government was definitely one of the key issues. “With the Congress fighting the elections as one, the party’s prospects have become brighter,” she added.
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Wary of saffron party, young voters tilt towards AAP
Malerkotla, April 28 However, at a tea shop in the heart of the main market, a few youngsters, mostly Muslims, are engaged in an intense discussion on BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi. What will Modi do if he comes to power in New Delhi, is the big question. One can’t miss a hint of anxiety in there tone. They have several fears and apprehensions. “We are not sure if Modi will be good to the Muslims,” says Farooq, who is doing graduation. “The recent statements by VHP’s Parvin Togadia, BJP’s Giriraj Singh and Shiv Sena’s Ramdas Kadam about the Muslim community are alarming,” said Shahid, another student. Modi’s statement that the Muslims had nothing to fear if he became PM as he would be ruled by the Constitution, seemed to have instilled little confidence in them. Malerkotla is a part of the Sangrur Lok Sabha constituency.The SAD has fielded Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa from here. The young Muslim students said the SAD was a part of the BJP-led coalition at the national level and would not be able to influence the latter’s political line. Shehbaz claimed that his family was a staunch Dhindsa supporter and they would stick to their stand.This town saw peace and communal amity even during Partition when most parts of the region witnessed a bloodbath. Post-Independence, the town has hardly ever seen a communal flare-up. The mood in the town, that has a literacy rate of more than 70 per cent, seems against the main political parties with the youth tilted towards the the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). The Congress finds little mention in the discussions. There is a feeling that the Congress did not pay adequate attention to the community. Arshad Dally, who has acted in films, including “I am Singh”, and is associated with the BSP, said unemployment, “interference” of ruling party politicians in day-to-day functioning of the administration and the rising prices of sand and gravel were the key issues in Malerkotla. On Modi, he said: “The Muslims wonder what Modi’s approach towards the Muslims will be if he becomes Prime Minister. The SAD- BJP leadership has failed to allay Muslim fears on the issue.” Haji Abdul Rasheed, a cloth merchant, credits Dhindsa with ensuring peace in the town despite a tragic incident some months ago. He has no hesitation in admitting that young voters were swayed by AAP’s Bhagwant Mann. The president of the Punjab unit of Indian Union Muslim League, Maqsoodal Haque, said what was weighing on the minds of the Muslim community was the BJP’s insistence on a uniform civil code, its stand on the Babri Masjid issue and Article 370. “The SAD should have spelled out its stand on these issues,” he added. Sehajdharis to back AAP, says Ranu Ludhiana: The Sehajdharis have extended support to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). Dr Paramjeet Singh Ranu, president of the Sehajdhari Sikh Party, said here on Monday: “The Sehajdhari Sikh Party has broken its ties with the Congress as the Congress-led UPA Government at the Centre failed to support our cause in the Supreme Court. The Sehajdhari community feels cheated and has decided to go with AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal.” Dr Ranu claimed that AAP was the “only secular third front” in Punjab which could combat communal forces. “For a progressive Punjab, it is the need of the hour to implement progressive policies such as the ones formulated by Kejriwal. This is why the Sehajdhari Sikh Party has given its unconditional support to Kejriwal,” he added.
—TNS
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Chandumajra woos kandi voters
Mohali, April 28 Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has time and again opposed the formula, saying that he would not allow any diversion of state rivers. Chandumajra said this in presence of Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal while addressing a gathering at Kansal village. He said: "If Modi ji comes to power, the rivers would be interlinked following which there would be no shortage of water anywhere. This kandi area would also be provided with lot of water." In his address, Sukhbir said farmers would be allowed to lift soil from their fields if the NDA came to power. — TNS
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Majithias holding back farmer’s arrears: BKU chief
Amritsar, April 28 Rakesh Tikait, BKU president, at a press conference here today, claimed that Saraiya Sugar Mills, Sardarnagar, in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, owned by the Majithia family has not made payment to thousands of farmers. “Once the elections are over, the farmers will stage a protest against Majithia in Punjab. How can any farmer think of voting for the SAD-BJP alliance when its leaders are indulging in such acts,” he asked. He said the farmers would force a shutdown of a distillery owned by the family in UP, if the farmers were not paid. He accused the SAD and BJP of being anti-farmers and anti-villages. “The rural areas can only prosper under a leader like Capt Amarinder Singh,” Tikait claimed, while listing Amarinder’s achievements. The charges *n Rakesh Tikait, BKU president, claims that Saraiya Sugar Mills (Sardarnagar) in Gorakhpur district of Uttar Pradesh, is owned by the Majithia family *
That the family has not paid arears amounting to Rs 51 crore to the farmers *
That the farmers will stage a protest against Majithia in Punjab after the poll *
That they will force a distillery owned by the family to shutdown
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Graft, drugs and sand mafia key issues in Doaba
Jalandhar, April 28 Corruption, drug addiction and sand mafia have emerged as key issues in this region that has traditionally been a Congress bastion. Now, voters appear to be in a mood to usher in change. Students at the Regional Centre , Guru Nanak Dev University, Ladhewali, on the outskirts of Jalandhar, spoke about their resolve to end corruption. “We will choose a party that promises development and a corruption-free regime, said Sukriti, who was all praise for AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal. Chetandeep Kaur Sodhi, another student, said: “The SAD-BJP Government has done other than to patronise corruption. There are hardly any employment opportunities in the state.” Bhaginder Singh Ghumman, MTech, said he had given up his job as a lecturer to work whole-time for AAP. He was convinced that elimination of corruption alone could generate employment avenues for the youth. Aged voters in rural areas are still aligned with traditional mainstream parties-Congress, SAD, BJP and the BSP. Pushpinder Singh, a progressive potato farmer of Naseerpur village near Sultanpur Lodhi in Kapurthala, claimed that nothing except groupism determined the voting pattern in villages. Industrialist-cum-exporter Ashwani Kohli said successive governments had done nothing to ensure the growth of industry and exports. “How can we compete with other states when we have been burdened with taxes by the state government and have no incentives from the Centre,” he asked. With the cost of land running into crores, nobody could think of setting up a new unit in the state, Kohli, vice-chairman of the Punjab Chamber of Small Exporters, said. Nayala Arora, a research scholar, said the state needed to create greater employment avenues. Santosh Sud, 86, a resident of Bahadurpur locality in Hoshiarpur, was at first unwilling to speak about her political leanings. She gradually expressed her preference for the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate, who, she said, had the ability to change things”. Jabru, 60, a Gujjar, said elections had never made a difference to his or his family’s fortunes all these years. He was indifferent to the elections.
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Starry-eyed students discard the old, embrace the new
Patiala, April 28 The Tribune team visited the Punjabi University campus and got to know what the young minds thought about the current elections. Most of the students on campus favoured the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and felt it was the only party that could pull the country out the mess it found itself in. A disgruntled MSc student of mathematics, Manpreet Kaur said, “Nothing in the system works. Scam after scam has hit the nation; inflation is sky high; unemployment is rising; the education system is faulty; and the women are unsafe.” She said the government urgently needed to create jobs to keep the GDP growing. “We also need to focus on admitting meritorious students to our institutions and do away with reservations. Only those from poorer families should get benefits.” Paramjeet Singh Kattu, a Punjabi research scholar, was disillusioned with the two main parties and hoped the AAP could bring about a change. Navkiran Kaur of the Journalism Department opined the government needed to ensure that the women were safe considering the increasing number of crimes against them. Student Naresh Kumar, who has cleared the National Eligibility Test, said, “Even after 67 years of independence, several people in the country couldn’t afford three meals a day. They do not have basic facilities such as potable water, proper sanitation. The government should focus on these key issues.” Sandeep Kaur of the Physical Education Department said the government needed to get hold of the black money stashed away in foreign accounts. Gurkirat Kaur of the English Department said, “The nation needs to become truly secular. Though political parties are playing the religion card to attract voters, the electorate too lays more emphasis on the caste of a candidate than his achievements.” Gagandeep Singh from Jalandhar: This poll season, students of the Lovely Professional University are intensely debating issues like women safety bill, anti-corruption bill, unemployment, better governance, development, reservation in education and employment and health services. Sandeep Bagga, BBA Honours student, said that whichever party that came to power should be accountable to the public. Citizens paid huge amount to the government in taxes, but the politicians increasing their wealth instead of developing infrastructure. Priyanka Sharma, BJMC student, said that apart from infrastructure development, the health and education system needed to be improved. Gurlal Singh, a BTech (mechanical) student, feels that emphasis should be laid on development. The issues relating to youth such as unemployment are being ignored by all the political parties. Surya Bhardwaj, a BJMC student, said she would not vote for the party that had workers or leaders with a criminal background. Reenu Datta, BBA Honours student, said since no political party was serious about women's issues, she was going to press None Of The Above (NOTA) button. She said all other issues including, unemployment, reservation and development were secondary for her. Saurav Verma, a BTech student, said the next government should address issues such as corruption and inflation. Although, he said, the country also needed to be taken back on the path of development. Himanshu Agnihotri, a BTech (electronics) student, was impressed by the Gujarat development model and wished Narendra Modi became the next Prime Minister. Aishwana Verma, a BJMC student, said she didn't like parties that were formed to cater to the interests of any particular religion, cast or creed. Youthspeak We need to do away with reservations in all our educational
institutions The black money stashed away in foreign accounts should be brought
back The government needs to ensure that the women in the country are
safe I hope the AAP can bring about a change as the other two parties have failed
us We need to ensure that everyone has access to basic
amenities The voters should be secular and look at a candidate's credentials, not his
caste Whichever party comes to power should be accountable to the
public I will press the NOTA button since no party has worked on issues related to
women Apart from infrastructure, the health and education system also need to be
improved We need to create jobs. Successive governments have ignored this
issue The next government should address issues such as corruption and
inflation The country can only progress if it follows the development model of Gujarat On their priority list * Development * Reservation in education * Improved health services * Reducing inflation * Secular
electorate * Bringing back black money * Women's safety Bill * Anti-corruption Bill * Reducing unemployment * Better governance * Politics free of crime
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Dhillon banking on Modi wave
Patiala, April 28 In the final phase of campaigning, Dhillon focused on rural areas of the constituency. He addressed impressive gatherings in villages such as Bhogla. In every village, he got a rousing welcome. All along his canvassing, Dhillon tried to strike a personal cord with enthusiastic supporters. In most of his speeches, Dhillon apprised the voters of proximity of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with Modi and how they would be benefited after a Modi-led government was formed at the Centre. Dhillon also consistently spoke about the alleged anti-people policies of the Congress-led UPA Government and highlighted various scams that took place during its regime. “You have seen Maharani Sahiba for 15 years and all this while, she never even visited you even once. Support me this time and I assure you that all your problems will be sorted on a priority,” Dhillon appealed to voters. Though people at most of the places seemed convinced with his arguments and assured him of support, true picture will emerge only on May 16, the day when poll results will be announced.
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NRI youths bat for
candidates with clean image
Bassi Pathana, April 28 Having
arrived from Australia, Dubai, New Zealand and other countries, these youths
have been exhorting the electorate to elect an MP who has a clean image. “We
were quite busy in Australia but the desire to be part of the change brought us
here,” says Sarpreet Singh of Sampla village near here. He along with his
friends, all having their roots in Fatehgarh Sahib, Gurinder Singh, Satinder
Singh, Malkiat Singh and Nardeep Singh have flown in from Australia. Then,
Sukhwinder Singh has come from New Zealand and Gurbinder Singh and Avtar Singh
from Dubai in UAE. “We have constituted a group and are focusing on rural
areas. We are urging the electors to vote for a candidate who has a clean image
and does not have a criminal past,” says Gurinder Singh. Gurinder says in Australia people respect politicians and if ever they are caught on the wrong foot, they immediately resign from the office held by them and even move away from active politics. “But
in our country, politicians facing all sorts of criminal and corruption charges
get elected. This is the worst aspect of our political system, which needs to
be changed,” he avers. Asked whom for they are canvassing for in Fatehgarh
Sahib (Bassi Pathana is a part of the constituency), they say the Aam Aadmi
Party has caught the fancy of the NRIs. “The traditional parties have
failed us. Youngsters have to travel to Australia, Canada, US, Italy, Dubai and
other countries and are often forced to do menial jobs,” says Gurbinder. Why
our politicians can’t perform like their counterparts in developed nations
like Australia, America, Canada and Italy do, they ask. “Our leaders
only look after their vested interests. They loot state resources and mostly
are seen adjusting their wards in politics,” say another youth. The youths
have adopted three modes for campaigning: Moving from village to village, using
the social media and holding roadshows to convey their message to the voters.
“We have been receiving good response. Some staunch supporters of mainstream
political parties have joined our cause and assured to vote for a clean
candidate,” adds Sarpreet.
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Jakhar slams SAD over‘delaying’ RoB project
Abohar, April 28 Councillor Prem Kalra, who had led the agitation for the RoB, said Ghubaya got the work postponed indefinitely through then Fazilka Deputy Commissioner (DC) Basant Garg. The DC, in alleged connivance with sitting MP Sher Singh Ghubaya and Balluana legislator Gurtej Singh Ghuriana, got the foundation stone laying function postponed. Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) AK Kathpal had reportedly informed CLP leader Sunil Jakhar that then DC had advised him (Kathpal) not to hold the function on February 6. The DC reportedly wanted that the names of Ghubaya and Ghuriana, both Akali leaders, should be engraved on the foundation stone. Garg had reportedly said, “It is desirable that the foundation stone laying function should be postponed for a few days so that all leaders can be present. The DRM had spoken to the MP over phone and invited him, but the he did not respond. The stone that had Jakhar’s name, along with the DRM’s, was removed.” Addressing the election rally yesterday, Jakhar criticised Ghubaya for sabotaging the function and claiming credit for getting sanctioned the light iron bridge and railway underbridge projects. The Congress leader dared the SAD parliamentarian and the legislator to prove they had ever sent any letter to the Railway Minister or the Railway Board Chairperson in connection with the projects. He claimed that it was he who took up the matter with then Minister of State for Railways KH Muniyappa and got the projects sanctioned from Railway Minister Mallikarjun Kharge. “Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal sanctioned ~4 crore on my request for the RoB; PWD Minister Sharanjeet Singh Dhillon cleared the decks for the RoB project. Ghubaya or Ghuriana made no contribution to the project. They instead sabotaged it,” Jakhar claimed. What’s the matter *
Then Fazilka DC, in alleged connivance with sitting MP Sher Singh Ghubaya and Balluana legislator Gurtej Singh Ghuriana, got the foundation stone laying function postponed *
The DC reportedly wanted that the names of Ghubaya and Ghuriana, both Akali leaders, should be engraved on the foundation stone *
Congress leader Sunil Jakhar claimed the Punjab CM sanctioned ~4 crore on his request. “Ghubaya or Ghuriana made no contribution to the project. They instead sabotaged it,” he said
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Congress, BJP slug it out over liquor mafia
Hoshiarpur, April 28 The BJP alleged that Congress candidate Mohinder Singh Kaypee had close relations with members of the Jalandhar liquor mafia. Dewan Amit
Arora, spokesperson for the BJP Punjab, said: “We have demanded of the Chief Election Commissioner strict action against Kaypee for his close relations with the liquor mafia. They are tempting voters with liquor.” He alleged that a few days ago, the police had recovered illicit liquor from a Congress worker and booked him. Giving copies of the information received under the RTI Act and a couple of photographs of Kaypee sitting with a man encircled in red in a public meeting, Arora alleged: “Sukha
Foldiwal, who has been booked five times under the Excise Act, has close relations with
Kaypee. These pictures prove this.” Arora has sent the copy of the complaint to the Hoshiarpur District Electoral Officer
(DEO) and the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) to issue an alert and take strict action against the distribution of liquor. Kaypee, meanwhile, refuted the allegations. “What right the BJP has to level such allegations against anyone when its state leader was recently booked twice for illegally storing liquor?” he told the media later in the day. He was referring to BJP SC Morcha state vice-president. “They
(BJP) are trying to throw dirt over others but they are themselves involved in illicit liquor trade,” the Congress leader said. Kaypee alleged that the BJP’s Hoshairpur candidate (Vijay
Sampla) had grabbed an NRI’s house. “The BJP candidate was not ready to vacate the illegally occupied house of an NRI even after the court orders. The Congress took up the matter and forced him to vacate the house. People can understand it very well that a man who had grabbed the property on his arrival, what he will do if he comes to power,” Kaypee added.
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Singers attend Bhagwant’s roadshow Sangrur, April 28 Mann started his roadshow from Dirba, which passed through Sunam, Sangrur and Dhuri before reaching Malerkotla. Several Punjabi singers, including Sherri Mann and Ravinder Grewal, accompanied him. A large number of youths participated in the roadshow, riding motorcycles while others were in four-wheelers. Singla started his roadshow from Sunam and concluded it at Malerkotla. He was accompanied, among others, by former Sangrur MLA Surinderpal Singh Sibia, Congress Sunam in charge Aman Arora and former Sunam municipal council president Geeta Sharma.
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Modi avoided visit to Golden Temple: Capt Amritsar, April 28 Accompanied by all the local leaders including MLAs, sitting and former councillors and prominent party workers, Amarinder moved in an open vehicle. On the way, he was showered with flower petals. Talking to mediapersons, Amarinder said he was overwhelmed with the love and affection of the people of Amritsar. To a query, he said BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi was “alien to the idea of India and not at all secular”. He asked Modi why he had “refused to pay obeisance” at the Golden Temple. “Or does paying obeisance at Darbar Sahib contrary to your beliefs and worldview?” he asked. He said it was for the first time that a leader, who aspired to be the Prime Minister of a secular India had “avoided paying obeisance at Darbar Sahib" which had its doors open to all people, irrespective of their caste or religion. The former Chief Minister said: “This reflects Modi’s true character. He publicly rejects the humble offer of wearing a skull cap, hurting millions of people, and now he choses not to pay obeisance at Darbar Sahib.” Amarinder questioned the high moral ground taken by BJP candidate Arun Jaitley on corruption and black money and his personal attacks on Priyanka Gandhi. Describing his rival’s personal tirade against the Gandhi family as a classic example of the pot calling the kettle black, Amarinder said it was an irony that Jaitley had led protests in Parliament against coal blocks allocations to private companies while “conveniently choosing to ignore his own stand and opinion a few years ago that benefited the Tatas and another company".
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Tourist complexes sold for a song
Jalandhar, April 28 The RTI was filed by city-based activist and Congress leader Sanjay Sehgal. Gurdaspur-based Coral Tourist Complex, set up in a 1.662 acre land near Madhopur, garnered only Rs 7.01
crore.
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‘Black water’ worries Abohar villages
Abohar, April 28 This, the BKS feared, would damage crops, besides spreading epidemic. Its spokesperson Subhash Sehgal said water was released last week after the opening of Gang (Bikaner) Canal that was closed for 20 days due to brick lining work. The authorities had cautioned against using canal water for four days beginning from April 21 since they were aware of the Punjab Government’s “inability” to check mixing of Ludhiana sewage water besides chemicals discharged in the Sirhind canal by more than 100 industrial units. But the canal system continued to receive “black water” even after a week, Sehgal said. There is no arrangement for filtering highly contaminated water in most of the rural water works. The use of contaminated water might spread jaundice, physicians warned. Women have no option but to wash clothes with contaminated water near a water course in Dhaani Bishesharnath village on the Abohar bypass. They said groundwater was not fit for drinking.
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BSF beefs up security to guard farmers
Fazilka, April 28 “We have beefed up security in the light of General Elections to prevent smuggling of narcotics and infiltration from across the border during wheat harvesting,” said AK Sharma, Deputy Inspector General (DIG), BSF. More forces have been deployed to guard the border and farmers, Sharma added. Security cover is being provided to the farmers whose land is situated near the zero line during wheat harvesting to prevent any untoward incident. The BSF personnel are carrying out a search of wheat-laden tractor-trailers, particularly the gaps in the vehicle, at the time of crossing the fencing gate to check the smuggling of narcotics.
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HC dismisses petition against Tikshan Sud
Chandigarh, April 28 The HC dismissed the petition filed by retired government school teacher Harbhajan Singh for CBI probe against the forest minister. The Bench took note of the fact that Punjab Divisional Forest Officer RR Kakkar, who had alleged embezzlement of funds and collection of bribe by the then minister, has been proceeded against and “inflicted punishment”. In his petition based on newspaper reports referring to allegations levelled by Kakkar in a representation, Harbhajan Singh had claimed that he was pained to bring to the High Court’s notice the havoc of corruption caused by the industries minister and other senior forest officials of the state. Taking up the matter, the Bench of Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Arun Palli referred to another petition filed by two former wild life wardens through counsel APS Shergill for taking cognisance of news items on corruption in the Forest Department and representation on the issue by Kakkar against the forest minister. “This petition has been disposed of on March 19 in view of the affidavit filed by the Financial Commissioner that the inquiry against the delinquent officer already stands concluded and punishment has been inflicted on December 19, 2013. The present petition, in effect, is a parallel petition to that petition, claiming the same relief…. “There is no personal knowledge attributed to the petitioner herein whereby he can contribute to the matter in hand. The petition is purely based on news paper reports arising from the complaint/representation of RR Kakkar. “The petition does not satisfy the norms for a public interest litigation and we have often observed that merely on newspaper cuttings, public interest litigations cannot be maintained in this fashion”. The petitioner had earlier stated: “It has been splashed in every national and regional newspaper as to how the minister used to receive bribes for departmental transfers and forced forest officers to collect party funds.
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“Elections don’t mean anything to us. Our numbers are too small for ballot-begging leaders to waste their time on. 
