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Thursday,
November 22, 2001, Chandigarh, India  
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Mixed response to unity call Amritsar, November 21 Talking to TNS, Mr Mann said Mr Badal had failed on all fronts during his five-year tenure as the Chief Minister. He added that Mr Badal had failed to get the just demands of Punjab and Punjabis, including transfer of Chandigarh and other Punjabi-speaking areas into the state and fair adjudication of the inter-state river waters issue, conceded. He alleged that the ruling party had been projecting Mr Sukhbir Singh Badal as a ‘future hope’ of the state but he was too young to be accepted as a leader. Bhai Ram Singh, General Secretary, SAD (Amritsar), while welcoming the initiative taken by the Sikh high priests to forge the Panthic unity, said if Mr Badal wanted unity it could be only under the leadership of Baba Sarbjot Singh Bedi. He said Mr Badal himself was guilty for the lack of Panthic unity as he violated the directive of Akal Takht, issued by the then Jathedar, Bhai Ranjit Singh on December 31, 1998, wherein he had asked the warring Akalis to maintain a truce till the celebration of the tercentenary of the birth of the Khalsa panth. On the other hand, Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta, Akali MLA and close confidant of Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, who had been endeavouring for the Panthic unity for a long time, commenting on the call of Akal Takht said it should have been given in continuation of the one given by Bhai Ranjit Singh. He said the call for Panthic unity by Bhai Ranjit Singh was in the shape of a directive while the yesterday’s call was merely an appeal. Welcoming the call Mr Calcutta said Akal Takht should play a
‘proactive role’ for forging the unity. The unity call should have been time-bound, he suggested. Interestingly, Mr Gurcharan Singh Tohra, President, Sarb-Hind Shiromani Akali Dal ( (SHSAD) today held closed-door meetings with his supporters. Unlike the past, he did not convene a press conference for obvious reasons. Panthic sources said the ruling SAD wanted to forge unity with the SHSAD only as any association with SAD (Amritsar) and other radicals could jeopardise its relations with the BJP. Sources pointed out that if SAD was sincere towards the unity, it would have to create a congenial atmosphere at the time of annual election of the SGPC President scheduled for November 27. Though Mr Tohra has already announced that he was not an aspirant for the coveted post, the selection of a consensus candidate could be done with his consent. There was a proposal that Mr Manjit Singh Calcutta should be tipped as the SGPC Secretary but he has reportedly declined the offer for the time being. |
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Badal has something
to be cheerful New Delhi, November 21 Mr Badal, who suffered an upper femur bone fracture (left side) in Amritsar was operated upon for corrective surgery with the help of modern internal fixation techniques. Dr P.S. Maini, Chairman, Department of Orthopaedics, Ganga Ram Hospital, who operated on Mr Badal with his team of doctors told TNS today that the Chief Minister was doing well and does not have any problem. “He is cheerful, is taking normal diet and is able to sit.” Asked when Mr Badal would be discharged, Dr Maini said, “I will inspect his wound tomorrow. If the wound is alright, I will allow him to go back after a week.” Member of Mr Badal’s family said Mr Badal does not have any pain and is expected to return to Chandigarh within five days. |
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Cong unfazed: Amarinder New Delhi, November 21 The PCC chief, who was here to attend the coordination committee meeting of the party, claimed that people were disillusioned with the SAD-BJP government and even if Akali factions achieved unity, it would be of little use. Sarb Hind Shiromani Akali Dal leader Gurcharan Singh Tohra recently met Mr Parkash Singh Badal at the hospital where the latter had been operated upon, raising speculations about a unity between the two Akali groups. The two leaders had a one-to-one meeting after a long time. Admitting that the Congress would gain from the anti-incumbency factor, the PCC chief, however, said the party would approach people with a positive agenda. The party’s poll manifesto, which was okayed in yesterday’s coordination committee meeting and would now be sent to the Manmohan Singh committee for final clearance, contains promises for virtually every section of society. The farmers, who get maximum attention in the poll manifesto, have been promised free power and water. The party was also preparing a vision paper which would mark the path of state’s progress in the next 20 years. Though the PCC chief refused to elaborate on the contents of the poll manifesto, he said most of the farmers in Punjab had small landholdings and as they were already facing a lot of hardships they could not be saddled with additional financial burden. He said almost 500 suicide cases by farmers had been reported this year. The PPCC chief said that special focus would be given to generate employment opportunities in the state. The party is going ahead with its district rallies and AICC treasurer Motilal Vora will attend the rallies being held this month at Ferozpore, Sangrur and Patiala. The party plans to hold rallies in all 117 constituencies from next month. The party has also begun the process of inviting applications for the forthcoming assembly elections.  |
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