Work first, then ‘thoko taali’

Chandigarh: Wary of cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu’s popularity and his being the centre of attraction at public functions, many of his Cabinet colleagues are critical of his style of working. One of his colleagues, while poking fun at the Local Bodies Minister’s one-liner “thoko taali”, said making more noise did not mean getting things done. “One has to first accomplish the target and then boast of the achievement,” he said. A piece of advice for Sidhu!

One for the noble cause

Chandigarh: The BJP and AAP leaders are always at each other’s throat. But recently in the City Beautiful, two prominent leaders shared a platform on the occasion of International Conclave on Human Rights organised by the Human Rights Protection Group. AAP former MLA Jarnail Singh was honored with Hero award along with advocate Ranjan Lakhanpal in the presence of BJP MP Kirron Kher. They then came together to announce that social worker Prabhloch Singh would launch a pan-India network to perform the last rites of unclaimed bodies. Hope the cooperation continues in other fields too.

Govt orders not for pvt schools?

Patiala: Additional District Magistrate Poonamdeep Kaur recently ordered that all schools and anganwari centres would open at 9 am. The orders put the district administration in a spot as the government schools were already following this time, while the private schools, which were not mentioned in the orders, opened much before this time. Even worse, after the government ordered holidays till Sunday last week, many private schools flouted the order and functioned as usual. 

Pinki leaves BJP leaders red-faced 

Ferozepur: Congress MLA Parminder Singh Pinki recently caused ripples in the BJP rank and file during his address at a public function. He claimed that people from various walks of life and even some BJP leaders voted for him during the Assembly elections early this year, while pointing towards some district BJP leaders present there. The latter then got into a huddle and started giving justification for the MLA’s “unwarranted comments”. Some even held press conferences to explain their position. Already reeling under infighting, the BJP is surely not having “achhe din”.

Cops ‘busy’, so are snatchers

Amritsar: Even as the city police were yet to lay their hands on prime suspects in the Hindu Sangarsh Sena leader Vipin Sharma murder case, Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, in a press conference recently, was all praise for the police in “controlling the crime”. He said the Congress government gave a free hand to the police unlike the previous government. Residents allege while the high-profile cases are keeping the cops busy, snatchers are having a field day in the city. 

He stands out amid blame game

Ropar: Even as politicians in Punjab, Haryana and Delhi as well as the Centre are busy blaming each other for rising air pollution in the region, a song penned by Ropar Additional Deputy Commissioner Lakhmir Singh Rathor advising farmers not to burn stubble has gone viral on social media. This is not the first time that Rathor has written on social issues under the name of Lakhmir Rajput. He had earlier written songs to promote MGNREGA, literacy and even presented a skit to make mathematics an interesting subject.

Credit war over Centre’s project

Ropar: Politicians usually do not miss any chance to take credit of development works in their constituency. In one such incident last week, Chamkaur Sahib MLA and Cabinet Minister Charanjit Singh Channi issued a press release claiming that the Centre had declared the Morinda-Chamkaur Sahib road as national highway. A few hours later, SAD spokesman Prem Singh Chandumajra called mediapersons to brief them about the development.

Painting her way to glory

Abohar: Ludhiana-born 1985-batch IAS officer Kiran Soni Gupta, first woman Deputy Commissioner in Sriganganagar, has done a hat-trick with her artwork being selected by the Societe Nationale des Beaux Arts, Paris. She will soon be showcasing her art at the most famous and world’s biggest museum the Louvre, Paris. Her artwork titled “Shelter” has been selected for the exhibition to be held from December 7-10. “Shelter” depicts man’s physical need for housing and protection. It also symbolises the need for security and protection at emotional and spiritual level. Earlier, Kiran had also showcased her works “Poojatimes” and “NREGA” in 2012 and 2013. Kiran says: “Although painting is my passion, what I enjoy most is my official work because our decisions impact a large number of people.”

Contributed by Jupinderjit Singh, Rajmeet Singh, Anirudh Gupta, PK Jaiswar, Arun Sharma and Raj Sadosh