Punjab Diary: Blue-eyed men jump bandwagon

Gurdaspur: There were no unexpected twists or turns to the script as former Punjab BJP chief Ashwani Sharma stayed away from a meeting convened by incumbent president Sunil Jakhar. Actually, Sharma had vehemently protested the party’s decision to appoint Jakhar as his successor. His loyalists, however, made an appearance and that too in strength. The new boss was impressed by the way his predecessor’s blue-eyed men quickly jumped onto his bandwagon. A senior leader quite aptly quipped: The King is dead, long live the King.

Arch-rivals now in same party

Chandigarh: Punjab BJP’s eagerness to poach leaders from other political parties seems to have started backfiring. Former SAD MLA from Bathinda Sarup Chand Singla joined the BJP in June 2022. He was an arch-rival of former Finance Minister Manpreet Badal. The destiny was such that six months after Singla, Manpreet also left the Congress and joined the BJP. Last week, Manpreet was summoned by the Vigilance Bureau and it did not surprise many that the complainant in the case was Singla. “Keep on seeing, the ‘trash’ from other parties will prove too hot to handle for the BJP leadership,” a taksali Bhajapai commented.

Talk of the town

Patiala: The self-styled VIPs visiting the flood-hit areas are less interested in providing financial support, but more in “photo ops”. Numerous leaders and members of the NGOs are reaching out to the affected people with a biscuit packet and a water bottle for uploading a photo on social media. However, talk of the town is a politician who was recently released from the jail. “He always said that he would stand for the people of Punjab, but is missing when we need him the most. Probably, his astrologers must have stopped him from helping us,” said residents.

‘Can’t handle floods, make Seechewal CM’

Jalandhar: During his tirade against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for mishandling floods, BJP state president Sunil Jakhar said, “If the state government can’t handle things, then make Rajya Sabha MP Balbir Singh Seechewal the CM.” Jakhar said, “If you cannot make him the CM, then depute him in the Irrigation Department.”

Ex-officers chip in with flood relief

Chandigarh: The PCS Retired Officers’ Association has contributed towards flood relief efforts in the state. An association spokesperson said a decision in that regard was taken at a meeting held under the chairmanship of GS Bahia recently. He said 500 steel thalis and 500 glasses, worth Rs 57,000, were sent to the DC office at Mohali for distribution among the needy. Besides that, 220 cases of water (worth Rs 20,000) and ORS and zinc tablets, (worth Rs 20,000 each) have also been sent for distribution.

Contributed by Ravi Dhaliwal, Vishav Bharti, Aman Sood, Aparna Banerji, Rajmeet Singh