Regional Journal: For netizens, Purohit still Governor
More than two weeks after Banwarilal Purohit demitted office, he continues to be shown as the Punjab Governor on the official website of the state government. The government, which has hired special teams to telecast state functions live, needs to keep old records updated. People watch everything!
Akali Dal in Pakistan!
SAD chief Sukhbir Badal may be facing a political storm within his party, but it has not affected his sense of humour. In a recent video that went viral, Sukhbir was heard saying, “Meinu ta kehnde hai Pakistan wale, Lahore wale, tuhanu othey nahi jitaunde koi, tusi Akali Dal khada kar lo Lahore vich, asi jita dyaange... (People from Lahore in Pakistan ask me to contest elections from there as Indian Punjab no longer votes for the Akali Dal).” He made this reference in a lighter vein when during a public meeting, an Akali leader talked about how kabaddi players of the area missed the Kabaddi World Cup, which Sukhbir used to organise during the term of the SAD-BJP government. Teams from Pakistan also participated in it.
Haryana leaders at Punjab function
The ‘At Home’ function organised by new Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria on Independence Day saw limited political and administrative participation from Punjab. Though Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Vidhan Sabha Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Education Minister Harjot Bains and two MPs were present, not many MLAs and bureaucrats from the state attended the event. But Haryana Governor Bandaru Dattatreya and Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini more than made up for the absence of Punjab politicians by joining the celebrations in the sprawling lawns of Punjab Raj Bhawan.
Mann’s repartee spreads smiles
Even the Chief Minister of Punjab cannot dare to forget who his wife is! While welcoming SAD MLA Dr Sukhwinder Kumar Sukhi into the AAP fold at a recent function, Mann pointed out that doctors had a preference for AAP. He listed out the names of the MLAs and an MP who are doctors by profession — Dr Baljit Kaur, Dr Balbir Singh, Dr Raj Kumar Chabbewal, Dr Ravjot Singh, Dr Charanjit Singh Channi… till someone pointed out that he forgot to mention his wife Dr Gurpreet Kaur Mann, who is also a doctor. “Changa tussi yaad kara ta, ghare ja ke roti vi nahin milni si (thanks for reminding me, or I would not have got food at home today),” he said, leaving everyone in splits.
Drug code back
At Deeda Sansian village in Gurdaspur, which has gained infamy for being a drug haven, a peculiar war cry, used as a secret code in the pre-mobile phone era to alert drug addicts or peddlers, has staged a comeback. Earlier, peddlers used to station a couple of youths in an autorickshaw with a loudspeaker on the outskirts of the village. Whenever they spotted a police vehicle, they would play the song “Watan Ki Aabroo Khatre Mein Hai”. With the advent of mobile phones, the autorickshaw was pushed out of service. People started informing each other through telephone calls about impending raids. Now that the cops have started tracing calls, the autorickshaw is making a comeback. A local resident said the same song resonates in the village again.
Contributed by Sanjeev Singh Bariana, Archit Watts, Ruchika M Khanna and Ravi Dhaliwal
