Gurdaspur Diary: Karanjot Singh excels in CBSE athletics meet
Karanjot Singh, a grade 12 student of Laurens International School, excelled in the CBSE National Games 2024, by clinching the third spot in the triple-jump event (Under-19) which concluded in Varanasi recently. He covered a distance of 14.08 meters. Earlier, he had done his school proud by coming first in both long jump and triple jump events of the CBSE North Zone Cluster Games. School Principal Upma Mahajan said the school has a long list of sporting achievements. “Karanjot Singh is proof of how well our school is doing in the sporting arena. I always tell my students that your goals can be out of reach but never let them go out of your sight. Karanjot has earned accolades not only for himself but also for his school at the national level. Our sports persons hope to perform even better in future championships,” said Principal Upma Mahajan.
Panchayat poll candidates rally around youth Congress leader
In this season of heightened political activity triggered by the panchayat elections, one man who is making the most of the moment is Congressman Amandeep Jantipur. The youngster has taken it upon himself to ensure that his party men whose papers have been ‘unjustly’ rejected get justice from the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Like good leaders who want to stay in touch with their roots, he prefers to suffix the name of his village with his first name. He is playing the role of Good Samaritan for the beleaguered Congressmen who are claiming that the administration is disallowing their papers without assigning any valid reason.
Amandeep is the same man who is providing employment to youngsters who have kicked the habit of drugs. He has already arranged jobs for scores of reformed young men. His plush office at Chanda Palace, near Jassa Singh Ramgarhia Hall, is teeming with activities these days. The reason is simple: Candidates, a majority of them who are short of money but nevertheless nurture political ambitions, flock to his premises early in the morning. Once there, they are asked to get in touch with advocates NPS Mann and Sultan Singh, both of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and advocate Varinder Bassa. The lawyers camp in his office throughout the day. He belongs to a family of dyed-in-the-wool Congressmen and is the son of Rajinder Kumar Pappu Jantipuria who is also the ex-chairman of Amritsar Zila Parishad. Amandeep shot into prominence when he handled the campaign of MP Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa in the run-up to the 2024 LS polls from the Batala VS segment. The Congressmen whose papers were disallowed by the Returning Officers on flimsy grounds have now moved the Punjab and Haryana High Court to get a stay on the election process for their respective panchayats. “I got their papers prepared with the help of a lawyer. Once a prospective candidate approaches me, he is not allowed to spend a single rupee from his pocket. I am the one who is spending all the money,” he says. His close associates claim he is eyeing the Congress ticket from the Batala assembly seat for the 2027 elections. “He is preparing the ground. Let us see how far he goes to achieve his ambition,” said Jagjot Singh Sandhu, a close aide. (contributed By Ravi Dhaliwal)
