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SAD-BJP got 45.37% votes, Cong 40.9%
Chandigarh, March 1 In doing so, it received over three per cent votes more than SAD. While 40.9 per cent of the total votes polled went into the kitty of the Congress, SAD received 37.09 per cent. But, despite receiving less number of votes, SAD won more seats – 48 – while the Congress won just 44. It is also worthwhile to mention that while the Congress contested from all 116 seats, for which results have been declared, SAD fielded candidates from 93 seats, leaving 23 for its junior alliance partner, BJP. Thus, if taken together, the vote share of the two alliance partners stands at 45.37 per cent, 4.47 per cent more than the Congress. Incidentally, in the last Assembly elections held in 2002, the Congress had received 36.5 per cent votes to clinch 62 seats. The major partner in the then ruling alliance had won 41 seats. The total percentage votes polled in this election was a whopping 76 per cent, up from 66.5 per cent in the 2002 polls. The BJP, for which 8.28 per cent voters voted, managed to claim a never-before 19 seats. In the last elections, its vote share was just 5.7 per cent, ensuring just three seats to it. As for the others, independents, who got 6.82 per cent votes, managed to grab five seats. Despite getting a vote share of 4.13 per cent, the BSP could not get even one seat. Among other parties, the CPI got 0.76 per cent votes, Lok Bhalai Party 0.32 per cent, SAD (Mann) 0.52 per cent and CPM 0.28 per cent. None of these parties could open its account.
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Lawyers’ spat turns ugly
Ropar, March 1 What otherwise can explain intense bickering between the prosecution lawyers, and with the Ropar district attorney virtually trying to force the special public prosecutor (SPP) appointed by the outgoing Congress government into silence. Legal experts say the continued contradictory stands taken by the SPP and the DA could eventually help the accused go
scot-free.
Today, while SPP A.P.S. Deol approached the court just minutes after court hours began and told special judge G.S. Saran that he had nothing more to say and the prosecution was resting its case on the issue of framing of charges, his counterpart, district attorney Pradeep Mehta, requested the court in the afternoon that the prosecution be allowed to further investigate the corruption case. Yesterday, the judge had to intervene to restore order after Mehta and another SPP G.S. Sandhu tried to force Deol not to argue the case and instead seek an adjournment. While Deol wanted to continue arguments to reply on the application moved by the defence in connection with the Income Tax report, Mehta asked Deol to seek an adjournment, saying he had instructions from the higher officials to do so. In fact, in a strange move, Mehta and Sandhu even told the judge not to hear the case further as the court hours were over! Today, Mehta told the court that further investigations were required in view of the purported Income Tax reports giving a clean chit to the Badals in the matter of alleged disproportionate assets. In his application, Mehta pleaded time for further probe in order to place true facts before the court. When the judge told him that earlier in the day, Deol had informed the court that the arguments stood completed, Mehta alleged that Deol was not “cooperating” with him. Mehta also claimed that Deol had not supplied him the relevant material to enable him to file replies to the applications moved by the defence. Incidentally, none of the other eight SPPs appointed by the outgoing government was present for the hearing. However, opposing the plea for further probe, counsel for the Badal family, Hardev Singh Mattewal accused the Punjab Vigilance Bureau of having hidden facts relating to the IT reports from the court. He said in the light of the IT reports, which reportedly give a clean chit to the Badals, they be discharged in the case. After hearing the arguments, the Judge issued notice to counsel for the accused for March 6. He took strong note of the absence of the Badals.
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Badal begins business of state
Amritsar, March 1 Veteran CPI leader Satpal Dang was surprised when a caller from Chandigarh asked him that, “Badal Sahib Gall Karnge” (Please hold Mr Parkash Singh Badal is on the line). After accepting congratulations on winning the Assembly elections, Mr Badal expressed his concern over the removal of slum area, leaving many families roofless. Mr Badal sought suggestion of Mr Dang how to rehabilitate the poor people who had been living there for more than three decades. Mr Dang told Mr Badal that as per the law the administration could not get back the land which was in the possession of any person for such a long period. However, Mr Kirandip Singh Bhullar, Deputy Commissioner, clarified the slums were removed from the land belonging to the Improvement Trust on the directions of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Mr Sunil Bhatia, Deputy Director, Local Bodies, and Chairman, Improvement Trust, said the orders were passed on the basis of a Public Interest Litigation. However, Mr Dang told Mr Badal the trust officials had demolished the 35-year-old huts without any notice and the police also had taken away their valuables. He said the government should also free the teenaged boy arrested for obstructing officials carrying out their work. Hundreds of residents living unauthorisedly at the place for the past 35 years were rendered homeless as the trust had launched Operation Clean and demolished 90 unauthorised huts and other structures. The residents had protested and raised slogans against trust officials and jostled police officials for demolishing huts.
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More bullet-proof cars called in from other states
Ajay Banerjee Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 1 Since some of the VVIPS are in the Z-plus security category, bullet-proof cars are required. Punjab Police today hurriedly requested for additional bullet-proof cars from Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and the Chandigarh Administration. Some of these arrived at the Punjab Police headquarters this evening and more were expected later tonight. Two helicopters, one in Delhi and the other in Chandigarh, have been kept ready. The deputy commissioner and SSP of Mohali, along with senior officials, today carried out a security drill, besides coordinating with the Chandigarh Police. Most of the VVIPs are expected to come by air, they will land at the Chandigarh airport, hence the Chandigarh Police has to post adequate personnel along the route to ensure unhindered movement of the leaders. At the stadium a special stage is being set up for the oath-taking ceremony. Family members of the MLAs will be allocated a separate enclosure. The media will be seated on the terrace block. There will be special stage for the TV cameras while OB vans of almost all major channels will be stationed at the stadium. Late in the evening director-general of police R.S. Gill said escort cars, manpower and everything were being kept ready at the disposal of the IG, Patiala zone, for the ceremony.
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Buses to carry SAD-BJP supporters
Amritsar, March 1 According to sources, the district administration had started working for the government by issuing orders to district transport offices to provide buses for ferrying supporters for the oath- taking ceremony to be held in Mohali. The DTO was himself present to supervise the arrangements.
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Politics is his passion
Chandigarh, March 1 Politics is a passion for him. He cannot live even for a day without meeting people. He starts feeling depressed if no one comes to meet him on a particular day. His acceptability across the state is his strong political forte. Though he has practised Sikh politics all his life, no one has ever considered him as a “communal leader”. He is considered a political moderate leader to the core and not as an aggressive and quick decision maker. He has spent 17 years in jail for participating in various political struggles. Badal has faced many political storms and ups and downs in his political life. The most challenging period in his life was, perhaps, his bitter tussle with outgoing chief minister Amarinder Singh. Except one or two occasions, he has not lost his cool and faced the adversary with a lot of patience and political skill. Amarinder Singh’s emphasis was to discredit Badal to the extent that he gets finished politically. However, he is back in power, removing Amarinder Singh from the saddle. When militancy was at peak, Badal faced the most-difficult period. He was almost decimated politically following the rise of Simranjit Singh Mann in 80s in Punjab politics. His party suffered comprehensive defeat in the Lok Sabha elections 1989. After that defeat, he became almost inactive in political arena. His party boycotted the 1992 Assembly elections which saw the return of the Congress to power. However, a turnaround in his political fortune came in mid-90s when a group of villagers from Badiala village, near Rampura Phul, came to meet him at Badal
village. They invited him to attend a function with regard to Sant Fateh Singh. Along with his son Sukhbir Singh, he went to Badiala village where he was received on the periphery by a group of village elders. After that function, he decided to become active again in politics. And in the Assembly elections 1997, the SAD-BJP alliance led by him defeated the Congress by a huge margin. He formed the government and became the chief
minister for the third time in 1997. However, after the formation of the government, he developed serious differences with the then SGPC chief, Gurcharan Singh Tohra. The split with Tohra led to his party’s defeat in the Assembly elections in 2002. After the defeat in 2002 he faced the most turbulent period when Amarinder Singh became the Chief Minister in 2002. However, he has again bounced back to be the Chief Minister of Punjab for the fourth time.
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The B(r)ains behind Badal
Chandigarh, March 1 In fact, Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Singh’s political battle against Amarinder Singh was fought by Harcharan Bains during the past five years through various channels of the media . Harcharan, who is associated with the SAD since the 1980s, has played a pivotal role in tackling all major political and verbal attacks of Capt Amarinder Singh. Known as a media spin doctor, he was given the responsibility of not only tackling with all political moves of Amarinder Singh against them but also to launch a counter attack by issuing statements against Amarinder and his government. “If Harcharan had not been around, it would have been most difficult for Badals to face Amarinder,” says a close associate of Badals. In fact, Parkash Singh Badal himself admits this fact. “No one has the capacity to express my mind better than Harcharan,” Badal has been telling all his close associates. Before entering the political arena, Harcharan contributed to various national and regional English dailies as a columnist. He is a radio sports commentator. His knowledge about the functioning of print and visual media proved handy to him to counter Amarinder. After passing MA in English from Hoshiarpur, he joined as a lecturer of English in Journalism Department of the PAU, Ludhiana, in 1979 after serving in the same capacity at a college in Batala. In 1997 he became media adviser to Badal, who was the then chief minister. However, after the defeat of the party he returned back to his teaching profession at the PAU but continued to work in close association with Badal. This time, along with Sukhbir Singh, Badal had given him the responsibility to take care of party’s campaign in media. He was also the brain behind the party’s ad-campaign against the Congress in print and the audio-visual media.
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Will No. 13 be lucky?
Chandigarh, March 1 Compared to the eleventh Vidhan Sabha, which held 96 sittings during its 13 sessions, the twelfth had only 83 sittings in 12 sessions. The tenth Vidhan Sabha had 121 sittings in 13 sessions. If one calculated the number of hours the twelfth Vidhan Sabha met, it comes to a little more than 80 hours a year. The eleventh Punjab Vidhan Sabha had done slightly better as it averaged around 90 hours a year compared to 100-plus average of the tenth. The number of sessions would have come down further but for the constitutional requirement that the state legislature must meet once in six months. Ideally there should be three sessions a year - Budget, monsoon and winter - but the twelfth Vidhan Sabha skipped winter sessions in 2002, 2003, 2005 and 2006. At times, Bills on new laws affecting the common man are presented and passed the same day without either inviting comments, suggestions or objections from the general public or even a debate by the elected representatives. The outgoing Vidhan Sabha is credited with passing the annulment of water-sharing agreements in a special one-day session. Besides, it also organised a debate on the causes of terrorism. Some of the debates were telecast live for the first time. Constituted on February 25, 2002, its first session was held on March 21 and continued for four days to pass vote on account, besides transacting other legislative business. And its last session was held on September 19 last year when the Opposition stood suspended. The new ruling alliance is credited with bringing to the 13th Vidhan Sabha both oldest and the youngest members of the House. While Parkash Singh Badal shares the oldest member distinction with Bhagat Chuni Lal of the BJP, the youngest member is Harpreet Singh of Malout, who is just 28. Gurdip Singh Bhaini (73), Sher Singh Gagowal (72) and Nirmal Singh Kahlon (71) are the only other members who are 70 plus. Bikram Singh Majithia, Amarpal Singh Boni and Manjit Singh Mianwind, all from SAD, are of same age, i.e. 31. Among the women members, Upinderjit Kaur (67), SAD, is the oldest and Razia Sultan (39), Congress, is the youngest. The new House will miss Kewal Krishan (Speaker), Darbari Lal, Bir Devinder Singh (Deputy Speakers), besides eight times legislator Balwinder Singh Bhunder (SAD).
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Sonia urged to probe party’s defeat
Amritsar, March 1 He urged the UPA chairperson to probe as to why issues like river water resolution, mega projects, old-age pension, shagun scheme, agriculture diversification, implementation of 66 manifesto promises and free power and water to farmers and Dalits failed to ensure the return of the party back to power. He further appealed the party high command to take steps to find out the reasons behind the rout of the party from Majha, Doaba and part of Malwa belt, besides fixing the responsibility of the debacle. Cheema urged PPCC chief Shamsher Singh Dullo to call a meeting of the newly elected MLAs of the party to elect the new leader of the Congress legislative party.
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Pak urged to allow Hindu jathas
Amritsar, March 1 He said Hindus were keen to donate funds for the material used in the renovation and the Pakistan Government should allow the material to be taken from India so that the development of the shrines across the border could be undertaken immediately. He said Hindu jathas should be allowed on the lines of Sikh jathas that regularly visit various gurdwaras across the border.
— TNS
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Thrashing of undertrial to be probed Ropar, March 1 The undertrial was allegedly tortured mercilessly by the jail staff in connivance with the senior officials of the jail yesterday. The SDM, after recording the statement of Khushwinder Singh and other employees of the jail, told TNS that after investigation, it surfaced that the undertrial had been beaten up in the jail. Khushwinder Singh had even fainted while giving his statement. Giving his version, the undertrial said he had faced the wrath of the jail officials as he had refused to do manual work in the jail. The undertrial was reportedly beaten up in the storeroom in the jail. Although the jail staff denied the allegations, the SDM said that he would file a report to the DC tomorrow. The Ropar court also took a serious note of the undertrial’s plea that despite court directions, he was not taken to the civil hospital for medical examination. Instead, he was again lodged in the jail and beaten up by jail officials. Passing order on the plea of Khushwinder Singh in this regard, Additional district and session judge Gurbinder Singh said when the accused was produced in the court, he appeared to be ill. Accordingly, he was ordered to be taken to the civil hospital and the SHO was ordered to get his medical examination done. But I am told that the accused has not been taken to the hospital in violation of the directions the judge said. The jail in charge was directed to file reply in this regard, the Judge added in his orders. In the evening the accused was taken to the civil hospital. later the SDM recorded his statement. Afterwards the undertrial was transferred to Patiala Jail. The accused was lodged in the jail since August 8 for his alleged
involvement in a murder case.
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PIL seeks relief for Punjab farmers
Chandigarh, March 1 Filed by Mohali-based Chamber of Punjab Farmers through chairman A.S. Dhindsa, the PIL seeks directions for initiating steps for mitigating the financial insecurity being experienced by the farming community, providing suitable pension to the dependant, aged, women and children of such families, extending psychiatric assistance free of cost to the family of suicide victims. The organisation also prayed for directions to the Central Government to include Punjab in the list of suicide-affected states. In this context it has also referred to the recommendations in the report submitted by the Punjab Farmers Commission. The counsel for the petitioner argued that a majority of suicide victims were young or middle-aged illiterate or semi-literate. After hearing the counsel, the Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Vijender Kumar Jain and Justice Rajive Bhalla issued notices to the Punjab chief secretary, the Punjab Farmers Commission, etc, for May 14. Meanwhile, the same Bench issued notice of motion for May 24 to the Punjab chief secretary, DGP, Sham Lal Thukral, senior medical officer, Talwandi Sabo, and his wife Ramesh Rani Thukral. The notice was issued on a PIL seeking a CBI probe against the couple for allegedly committing criminal acts such as transplantation of human organs, female foeticide, etc. The petitioner - World Human Rights Council - through its chairman V.R.S. Chugh stated that Ramesh Rani was running Thukral Surgical Maternity Hospital at Bathinda after taking voluntary retirement and a case under human organs transplantation law was registered on September 8, 2001.
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Court acquits 5 in new militant outfit case
Amritsar, March 1 Rajiv Randhawa, a human rights activist, who along with six others was arrested on July 18, 1998, allegedly formed the militant outfit. The aim of the outfit was to spread terror and communal tension at vital installations and sensitive places all over the country. The Punjab police picked up Randhawa from the Quila Bangian area of Amritsar on July 15, 1998. On the same day, the others were also picked from their residences. According to an FIR, the accused had planned to collect money by kidnapping affluent persons for ransom. The money thus collected would have been used to buy arms and ammunitions for
destabilising the state and the central government.
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Two held for smuggling 10 kg heroin
Amritsar, March 1 Mr Makhan Singh, Senior Superintendent of Police, said that a team led by Sub Inspector (SI) Harwinder Pal Singh and SI Balbir Singh nabbed Harpal Singh alias Happy and Balwinder Singh alias Binda of Thata village in Harike, Tarn Taran district, who had been waiting for a person near a private hospital in the Sultanwind area to whom the contraband was to be delivered. He said Amolak Singh, brother of Harpal Singh, who was also accompanying them, escaped. The SP added Amolak Singh, who was on parole, was lodged in Ludhiana Jail where he was undergoing imprisonment in a similar case. He said raids were on to nab Amolak Singh. He said investigations revealed the consignment was smuggled into India from the Ferozepore sector on the Indo-Pakistan border and delivered to them near Zira for disposal. He said the families of Harpal Singh and Amolak Singh had a criminal background as their mother and wives were also involved in drug trafficking. He said earlier too 52 kg of opium and 75 kg of heroin were recovered by the Kapurthala police from their house in 1998-99 and they were imprisoned for 15 years. He said their elder brother, Heera Singh, was also absconding in this connection. The SSP said the two were also wanted in similar cases registered in Khalra and Ferozepore.
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6 members of thieves’ gang arrested
Abohar, March 1 The police at Jaisalmer had yesterday flashed a message to the district police chiefs in the areas bordering Punjab that a gang had sped away in a Tata Sumo vehicle (RJ-19-1-C-0662) after committing thefts in three jewellery shops there. The gang had broken locks on Tuesday night and decamped with silver jewellery weighing 12 kg, besides gold-plated ornaments. Preliminary investigation also indicated that the culprits roamed in the border city as tourists to identify the targets during the day. Superintendent of police Vinita Thakur had asked the station house officers in Sriganganagar area to seal the border and put up nakas. A police party spotted the Sumo vehicle and chased but its occupants left the vehicle and tried to run away. Six of them were arrested, while two escaped leaving their shirts in the hands of policemen. Those arrested under sections 109 and 32, CrPC, were identified as Pala Singh (38), Karnail Singh (23), Mukhtiar Singh (38), Mohinder Singh (40) and Charan Singh (60), residents of Fazilka and Makhu areas in this district and Mukhtiar Singh son of Lal Singh resident of village Bhogpur in Bijnour district of Uttar Pradesh. They identified the absconding culprits as Gurdeep Singh and his son Harish, residents of Mohammadwala, near Makhu. The police suspected the same group had robbed jewellery shops in Nokha town located on the Sriganganagar-Bikaner highway in December last. They had stolen silver ornaments weighing 30 kg there.
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Man arrested with fake visa
Amritsar, March 1 The accused was going to England and was to board UK flight W-124 when he was arrested during immigration check.
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Experts stress on preserving tribal autonomy Patiala, March 1 Suresh Sharma, Director, Centre for Study of Developing
Society, while delivering the inaugural address stressed upon the need to redefine tribes in the context of reordering of time and space. Pointing out the difficulty in identification of tribes due to their fragmented presence in states like Punjab, he emphasised upon the need to develop new categories to verify the tribal status of some communities. Deliberating upon the idea of looking at tribes from two view
points, one as classical anthropolgical category with elements of cultural memory and space and second as a metaphor of victimised segments with struggled existence, he urged upon the need to workout a balance between these two view points in order to identify the tribal status of certain tribes. Vice-chancellor S.S. Boparai, while presiding over the conference, highlighted the need of greater and more vigorous research on such people and other marginalised section of societies in the field of social sciences. He also talked about the necessity to give the tribal population the autonomy to preserve their life style and mode of living. Head of the department Birinderpal Singh gave account of the project given by the state government to the department to identify and verify the tribal characteristics of some communities and to ascertain the tribal status. He said various issues related to tribal society would be discussed and re-examined at this conference. The first technical session of this two-day conference was chaired by Ravindra K. Jain, UGC, Emeritus Fellow, JNU. In this session, national and global cultural exposure to the tribes, semiology of tribal view, definition and courses of tribes in India and some issues of defining scheduled tribes in modern India were discussed by eminent scholars from various universities of India.
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National Science Day
Patiala, March 1 They also raised slogans like ‘Clean Patiala, green Patiala’, ‘Save earth from pollution’ and ‘Say no to polythene’ with zeal and enthusiasm.
— TNS
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