When Sidhu got his facts wrong

Chandigarh: Cabinet minister Navjot Singh Sidhu got his facts wrong recently while hitting back at Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who has dared him to contest against her from Bathinda or Amritsar in next year’s Lok Sabha elections. He mocked the Akalis for making Harsimrat’s brother Bikram Singh Majithia a minister after the latter won the Assembly election for the first time. In the same breath, he challenged her to name even one minister in Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh’s current team who was not a “five-time” MLA. However, about half of the Congress ministers don’t meet this lofty parameter. Ironically, Sidhu himself is a first-time legislator, even though he has won the Amritsar Lok Sabha seat thrice on the BJP ticket.

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VVIP road draws youngsters

Muktsar: Badal, the native village of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, is popular among local youngsters, thanks to its VVIP road which has date-palm trees on both sides, besides artwork on the walls. Recently, a dance video shot by a girl on this road went viral on social media. People have also been taking selfies and uploading pictures on Facebook and WhatsApp. What’s next: A Punjabi movie?

Relief for Bathinda, Muktsar cops

Bathinda: The change of guard in the state seems to have proved beneficial for the men in khaki in this part of Malwa. A senior police officer recently admitted that the cops’ fuel expenses had gone down by as high as 75 per cent ever since the Congress came to power. He added that police personnel were a relieved lot now as earlier they were mostly on VIP duty, thanks to the frequent visits of the Badals to Bathinda or their native village, Badal (Muktsar district).

AAP’s hush-hush ‘2G’ scam 

Chandigarh: Leaders of the state AAP unit are chuckling at the party’s ‘2G’ scam. They are using the term to refer to AAP’s controversial nominations to the Rajya Sabha. 

Businessmen Narain Dass Gupta and Sushil Gupta were chosen ahead of senior leaders who had contributed to building the party. “We are not supposed to talk about the ‘2G’ scam openly,” an AAP leader said, referring to the duo’s surname and preferring anonymity.

FC College alumnus dies at 95

Abohar: Raghubir Singh Jyani (95), an alumnus of Lahore-based Forman Christian College, died recently at his native village, Katehra, near here. Jyani, a progressive farmer, had once said that the college’s mission was to make students live up to its motto: “By Love Serve One Another”. The college, founded in 1864 by American Presbyterian missionary Dr Charles Forman, is known for renowned alumni such as Nobel Laureate Arthur Compton, ex-PM IK Gujral and former Lok Sabha Speaker Balram Jakhar.