AAP candidate HS Walia’s rival Sarabjeet Makkar no stranger to controversies

Deepkamal Kaur

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 9

If the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Jalandhar Cantonment candidate HS Walia has been controversy’s baby, so has been his Akali rival and former MLA Sarbjeet Makkar (57).

With his family owning big businesses, including those in real estate, petrol pumps, brick kilns, automobile dealership and even mining, there has been a history of his interests clashing, leading to fights coming in public domain. Two main Akali leaders, including district president (urban) Gurcharan Singh Channi and SGPC member Paramjit Singh Raipur, have called him a “land grabber”, with the latter later coming on his side and the former still maintaining his stand against him. Makkar claims the allegations to be false and the matter a non-issue.

Makkar also does not go along with Adampur Akali MLA Pawan Tinu. There have been reports that Makkar, who has been an MLA from Adampur in 2007 before the seat got reserved during the last delimitation, has not let Tinu settle even in five years by continuously showing resentment against him. “Now even as Tinu’s house falls in Makkar’s new Jalandhar Cantonment constituency, he still continues to trouble Tinu,” said an Akali insider.

Makkar’s spat with former Local Bodies Minister Manoranjan Kalia over the issue of waiving of the non-construction charges in 2009 is known to all. His tiff with the brother-in-law of Nakodar MLA Gurpartap Singh Wadala, Arvinder Bains, who was then Chief Administrator of Jalandhar Development Authority, also got reported across media. Last but not the least, the conviction of Makkar’s nephew Prince Makkar in the homicide case of hotelier Gikki Sekhon in 2011 will surely bring some trouble for him.

Even as many instances go against Makkar, there are some in his favour too. Golden Girl and former Indian hockey women team captain Rajbir Kaur has come to his support. With his immense capability of convincing people on his side, Raipur came on his side, with the state government announcing his name as the Chairman of the Jalandhar Improvement Trust a few weeks ago.

If Makkar has enemies within party, he has some close aides too. Even as Jalandhar Cantonment MLA Pargat Singh quit the SAD to move to the Congress, his sister-in-law Parminder Pannu, who is a councillor and SAD district women president, is on Makkar’s side. Akali leaders Iqbal Singh Dhindsa, Gurdev Kaur Sangha and District Youth Akali Dal president Sukhminder Rajpal are also his close aides.

While Makkar’s initial programmes have drawn very thin crowds, the numbers are slowly increasing. Big promises made by CM Parkash Singh Badal at sangat darshan programmes held in his constituency, including the change of the solid waste management site, waiving off of octroi in cantonment area and clearance to setting up of mobile towers in the constituency have helped him make some gain. Makkar is also learnt to be drawing much financial and social support from his brothers. Makkar has seven brothers, one of whom was reportedly killed by terrorists.