It’s Badals vs. Patiala royals in Punjab

Four constituencies in the State go to polls in the first phase

V for victory: Shiromani Akali Dal leader and Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal with his son and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and daughter-in-law Harsimrat Kaur Badal, who is contesting from the Bhatinda parliamentary constituency, at a public meeting in the constituency on Tuesday.

K. V. Prasad
SANGRUR: Punjab is getting ready to go to the polls in the first phase on Thursday and the battle opener in the four constituencies of Patiala, Bhatinda, Sangrur and Ferozepur can set the pace for the main political rivals – the Shiromani Akali Dal and the Congress party.
While the Akali leader and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal may claim that the contest is between parties, the buzz among party workers is that this election is a direct duel between the two big political families of the State -- the Badals and the Patiala royals represented by former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh; his wife and Congress MP from Patiala Parneet Kaur who is now seeking a third term in the Lok Sabha; and their son Raninder Singh, a candidate from Bhatinda.
Deputy Chief Minister and Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal, who has taken over command of the campaign, has made the contest a matter of prestige by fielding his wife Harsimrat Kaur Badal in Bhatinda, considered an Akali stronghold. She also hails from another prominent Majitha family with her brother Bikaramjit Singh serving as a powerful Minister in the Badal Government.
On the other hand, Raninder Singh has been nursing the constituency for the past few years and is credited to be the architect behind the Congress winning the maximum seats in the Malwa region when it faced a rout in Majha and Doaba, the other two regions of Punjab, in the 2007 State Assembly polls. The stakes are high for both sides.
Yet one factor, the call by the influential Dera Sacha Sauda sect to vote for the Congress two years ago enabling the party to buck the anti-incumbency trend against the Amarinder Singh Government, is missing. Having faced turbulence and criminal cases against its chief, the Dera has preferred to advise its followers spread across Punjab and Haryana to vote according to local “consensus”.
Elsewhere the Congress has fielded former MP and strongman Jagmeet Singh Brar from Ferozepur while in Sangrur, former State Youth Congress chief Vijay Inder Singla is engaged in a tight contest with sitting MP and former Union Minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa.
Mr. Singla may be a rookie in poll politics but being the son of former State Minister and former MP Sant Ram Singla he has the blessings of the Patiala palace.
Adding to it is the talk that he is among the four youth candidates handpicked by Rahul Gandhi in the State where he initiated the process of internal democracy in the State Youth Congress to elect its leaders.

Have full backing of Congress High Command: Amarinder Singh

Patiala : Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, in-charge of party's poll campaign committee, on said he would submit names of probable Congress candidates for contesting the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Punjab to the Congress High Command soon. He would hand over the list to the Central leadership soon after completing his five-day campaign tour of the state, Singh told reporters here. He alleged attempts were being made to scuttle his tour, but added he had full backing of the Congress High Command. "I am doing my job. I have invited every party leader to join the poll campaign tour. Even if no one accompanies me, I will move around the state alone," the former Punjab Chief Minister said.

Punjab minister confirms Badal's bought airplane

CHANDIGARH: Rumours circulating in political circles for the past few months about SAD president Sukhbir Badal buying an airplane were finally confirmed on Monday when his brother-in-law and Punjab minister Bikram Majithia admitted that an aircraft had indeed been purchased by a company promoted by the Majithia family.
Majithia, the information and public relations minister, claimed the plane was bought by a company, Orbit Aviation Pvt Ld, an "offshoot of Saraya aviation company,'' and owned by Majithia's father and well-known Delhi based aviator Satyajit Majithia. The Orbit Resorts , owned by Sukhbir Badal, has also subscribed share applications in it, thus making it a jointly owned asset by the Badals and Majithias. Majithia's statement, which came in response to former CM Amarinder Singh's allegation that the Badals had bought a plane with their "ill-gotten money'' (Rs 25 crore), ridiculed the Congress leader for making such charges and stated that a loan of Rs 19.25 crore from the Punjab National Bank had been taken for the purchase. He also claimed that his family hadn't one but four planes, three of which were bought in 1970 and one has been recently acquired. "But, all these belong to companies of which my father Satyajit Singh Majithia and brother Gurmehar Singh are the directors. We have been in aviation business for nearly 40 years now and Amarinder knows it because he has several times flown in our planes as a passenger.'' Though no other details about the plane were mentioned, information accessed by TOI revealed that the plane, an 8-seater Cessna 525A, with registration number VT-PSB, was bought in August this year according to the Non-Scheduled Operators Permit issued to it by the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The permit is valid for one year. Interestingly, Orbit Aviation Pvt Ltd, which Majithia said was promoted by his Delhi based father, is registered in Chandigarh. Attempts to contact Majithia for further clarification failed as he wasn't available on his phone. Lashing back at Amarinder, Majithia said, "He (Amarinder) wants the people to believe that a full fledged passenger aircraft is a toy plane that can be bought in a fun market with black money. And he thinks that one can inscribe one's name on an aircraft like one does on a tractor trolley.'' The plane has PSB embossed on it and Amarinder had said it stood for chief minister Parkash Singh Badal.

Badals are instigating "Political terrorism" in Punjab:Amarinder

Alleging that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his son Sukhbir Badal, President of Sad were instigating "Political terrorism" in the state because as many as 48 congress workers were murdered in the state, Former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh today warned them of dire consequences if they did not stop such "political terrorism". Singh was here in the city to attend a function organized by the Hind Samachar Group of newspapers to disburse fund of Rs two crore to Bihar Chief Minister's Relief Fund, told reporters that there would be blood shed in the parliamentary election, if SAD did not mend its way to spread "political terrorism" as it done in civic polls. "The entire plan to terrorise Congress leaders and workers is being executed by Sukhbir and his brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia under the patronage of the Chief Minister, who has virtually given up to the dictates of his ambitious son ever since formation of the SAD-BJP government," Amarinder alleged. Alleging politicization of state force, Former CM alleged that that even SHO of the state force was being appointed on the direct intervention of Sukhbir Badal and there was told disorder in the system as junior police officials were even not obeying the orders of their seniors and merely follow the instructions of their political masters. Reacting on the recent statement of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal in which he said that there would no impact of global economic recession on the industry of Punjab, Former CM said that instead of issuing such irresponsible statement, CM should have taken the steps to improve industrialization of the state, which was a record slow pace. "During our tenure, we had brought 399 mega industrials projects, but after SAD-BJP's coming into power, all projects derailed due to faulty policies of the state government", he added.

Obama - a triumph over racial bigotry

Earlier this week the more cautious were awaiting the official results of Tuesday's US presidential election before exhaling and plunging into the spreading worldwide excitement of the first African American chosen to occupy the White House. But the victorious, history-making Barack Obama remained stoic with his central message.
RICKEY SINGH
Read that core message as, "vindication of my faith in the American people". It is one that he has been eloquently and passionately articulating for some two years in his momentous battle to become the 44th president of the USA.That "vindication" resided in his belief - as outlined in The Audacity of Hope - that for all the crude deformities of genocide against indigenous Americans, African slavery and racial segregation in US history, its predominantly white, Caucasian people were quite capable of choosing him, in this first decade of the 21st century, as their 44th president.
Any understanding of the demographic structure of the American society, composition of the electorate and general voting patterns would confirm that even if all eligible African-American voters (estimated at some 22 per cent) and Hispanic electors (just over nine per cent) had voted for Obama - which did not happen - he could never have defeated a tough battleaxe like Senator John McCain.
His expected decisive victory had to flow significantly from the bosom of white Americans with, most refreshingly, a good percentage of them between the ages of 18 and 29. America has therefore undergone a cultural and political metamorphosis - undoubtedly and ironically partly influenced by eight years of the ideology and governance politics of George W Bush.
The stirring pleas of Obama for "change" and his faith to believe that "change we can", have won. The victory over the sins of racial bigotry and a cock-eyed view of America's "leadership" role in the world under George Bush have been dealt a severe blow.
And so too the kind of wicked cynicism of Bush's hawkish vice-president, Dick Cheney, that led him to endorse McCain in the closing round of the election campaign. He and Bush would have already been able to assess what poor judgement McCain had exercised in choosing the unpredictable Sarah Palin as his vice-president Americans' triumph over deep-seated racial patterns in voting have scored well in America's quest, now under Obama's presidency, to restore a quality of moral leadership in global governance that had been seriously impaired by the outgoing Bush administration.
Therefore, let all Caribbean citizens, not just those of the diaspora in the USA who would have voted for him, join President-elect Obama in scoring one for a resounding triumph over racial bigotry at Tuesday's election.
That bigotry is the disease which has so painfully inhabited, for far too long, the culture and politics of what still stands as a towering democracy of the world. Consequently, lesson one of Obama's victory for all citizens of our multi-ethnic, multicultural Caribbean, a region often viewed as a microcosm of the world, is the strength and value of racial tolerance in nation building.
The American electorate, by their historic decision to elect Barack Obama, son of a black Kenyan father and a white American mother (both deceased), have sent a signal to all humanity where racism remains a distressing factor: enough of racial bigotry. Vote for the best, not for race or religion.
It is a good time for the people of this region, including decision-makers, to cease shouting, expediently, national mottos that remind us of our common heritage as citizens of multi-ethnic, multi-cultural societies of the Caribbean Community, while allowing racial and cultural prejudices to feed emotions and exercise them, accordingly, at national elections, or in the conduct of the nation's business.
Even while Obama and McCain were slugging it out in America's most challenging, exciting and costly presidential election campaign - look out for the investigation into Obama's US$600 million-plus funding - the stress and pain of race politics were becoming more worrying in some Caricom states in the southern and eastern region.
This challenge should be seriously addressed, instead of being conveniently swept under the carpet, or pretending it's not the case. More on this later.For now, we await the quality of American men and women, of all races and creeds, who will be chosen for the first ever administration of the first African-American president of superpower USA.

'Conservative' rivals go head-to-head in city's N.E.

Ethnic politicking takes centre stage at campaign kickoffs
Jason Markusoff, Calgary heraald

Published: Monday, September 22, 2008
The two men who say they're the Conservative candidates in Calgary Northeast each held campaign kickoff rallies Sunday, each standing in front of blue signs, pledging allegiance to Stephen Harper and saying the other guy isn't the real Conservative.
Both campaigns also spoke of ethnic politicking: official Conservative candidate Devinder Shory said he won't run his campaign "based on caste, creed or religion," while the campaign manager of "independent Conservative" Roger Richard claimed Shory won his party's nomination with non-citizen teenage voters and through other sketchy techniques.
"We wanted to get the word out to the Caucasian public that there is an independent conservative candidate," Perry Cavanagh said in an interview। He lost the Tory nomination contest and is now managing Richard's underdog bid।

Moments later, Cavanagh said the independent's campaign has "nothing to do with race." During Richard's rally, Calgary TV host Kumar Sharma urged on supporters in both English and Punjabi. Art Hanger, who's retiring after five terms as MP for Calgary Northeast, said that ethnically tinged "brokerage politics" is a fixture in his and other city ridings. "There are main individuals within the ethnic communities that muster their people up to come and vote, and that doesn't necessarily reflect their individual stands," said Hanger, who initially encouraged Cavanagh to run. Sunday, he endorsed the actual Conservative candidate.
Shory refused to comment on Cavanagh's remark, or on any aspect of the Richard campaign. Flipping back and forth between Punjabi and English in his rally speech, the 50-year-old lawyer avoided mention of any of his rivals and pledged to run an honest, broad-based campaign.
"This will not be a brown campaign. This will not be a white campaign," he said outside his campaign office. "This will not be a campaign based on caste, creed or religion. We'll not run the campaign spreading baseless rumours."
Nearby, along McKnight Trail and 52nd Street S.E., several Richard election signs stood on public property. Their blue is only slightly darker than the shade on Harper and Shory signs. They read "Conservative" in large letters and "independent" in much smaller letters, but without the party's logo. Harper photos cover the walls in Richard's campaign office, moreso than in Shory's.
"As far as I'm concerned, the word conservative belongs to everybody that wants to be a conservative," Richard said. "If one is upset about it -- hey, let the people choose."
Hanger called the independent's signage "deceptive. There's no question about it." He told Shory's campaign event to try to help people sort out the confusion.
"You should spread word around that this is the guy to vote for," Hanger said, standing alongside Shory and fellow Calgary Tory stalwarts Deepak Obhrai and Jim Prentice.
Shory's campaign manager said trying to confuse voters won't work. "People in Calgary are smart enough not to be tricked," Kenton Dueck said.
Liberal candidate Sanam Kang hopes the duelling sign blues will boost his own chances। "I had to do a double take when I saw that," Kang said। "That can't be good for (Shory).

In a province where (official) Tory blue dominates the electoral map, party nomination contests can be as bitterly fought as general elections. There are also independents running as unofficial conservatives in Edmonton-Sherwood Park and Medicine Hat, ridings where the nominations were also controversial.
Cavanagh has filed a complaint with Elections Canada about Calgary Northeast's nomination earlier this year. He complains of ballots missing and membership irregularities, and decries the party's rule that allows landed immigrants to vote in nomination contests alongside Canadian citizens. Shory has insisted that all conservative voters will back him.
Dozens of people at the independent's campaign kickoff were drivers for Associated Cabs, many wearing the company's uniform shirts। Richard, president of Associated, said he invited them through the fleet's dispatch system, but he and several drivers said there were no inducements of any sort।

jmarkusoff@theherald।canwest।com , The Calgary Herald

Punjab : Violence in Panchayat Polls

Chandigarh : Incidents of violence, including clashes between workers of the ruling Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) combine, marred voting in Punjab’s panchayat polls Monday। One opposition Congress worker was killed and dozens of Congress and ruling Akali Dal-BJP workers were injured at various places in the violence।
In the border district of Tarn Taran, a Congress worker, Gurjant Singh, was stabbed near Khadoor Sahib by Akali Dal workers. He died later. Five other Congress workers were also injured in the clash. Four Akali workers were arrested following the violence.
Workers of the ruling alliance Akali Dal-BJP clashed at Daburjee near Amritsar Sunday night leading to injuries to over a dozen workers. Most of them were BJP workers who had to be admitted to hospital.
Supporters of BJP legislator from Amritsar Anil Joshi clashed with those of Akali legislator from Tarn Taran Harmit Singh Sandhu. The Akali supporters set the BJP legislator’s vehicle on fire before the police intervened.
Joshi was also injured in the clash in which firing took place openly.
The Punjab chief minister rushed to the government hospital in Amritsar to know the well-being of the injured BJP workers to diffuse the tense situation. A case was registered by the police but no arrests were made. The incident is likely to further strain relations between the ruling alliance partners। Both sides have been trading charges in the run-up to the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRI) polls. Punjab police officials admitted Monday that clashes took place at various places and small firearms and other crude weapons were used.
The Congress demanded cancellation of the zila parishad and panchayat elections alleging that the ruling Akali-BJP combine resorted to large-scale violence, booth-capturing and intimidation.
In Patiala district, the sub-divisional magistrate of Nabha had to lock the polling station after Akali workers captured it and were casting votes forcibly. The SDM took away the entire polling material. A police spokesman said that Congress workers entered a polling booth in Sultanpur village near Patiala and took away the ballot box. They later threw the ballot box into the village pond. Firing incidents were reported from Ludhiana, Bathinda, Moga, Gurdaspur and some other district also. At most places, the voting was between 55 to 70 percent. A Punjab police spokesman claimed that elections for 20 zila parishads and 141 panchayat samitis were held “peacefully”. Nearly 50,000 Punjab police personnel were deployed for poll duty at 12,288 polling stations and 17,021 polling booths। (IANS)

BJP not averse to seeking support from Dera

Bid to cut into the Congress vote bank in the Malwa belt
BJP leaders have held ‘clandestine meetings’ with heads of various religious sects in Punjab
In the last Assembly elections Dera followers had voted en block in favour of the Congress
Chandigarh: In a possible move to cut into the Congress vote bank in the Malwa belt of Punjab, the BJP on Friday said it is not averse to seeking support from the Dera Sacha Sauda.
"The BJP has so far not contacted any other party or group (for support), but the party will seek support from every one, including Dera Sacha Sauda," Punjab BJP secretary, Balbir Punj told reporters here on Friday.
The statement by the BJP leader assumes significance in the back drop of "clandestine meetings" of party leaders, including L.K. Advani, with heads of various religious sects, including Dera Beas, ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.
After the last Assembly polls, BJP’s major ally Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) strongly opposed the decision of Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda followers to vote en block in favour of the Congress at the hustings which enabled it to get major chunk of seats in the Malwa region.
While the Akali leadership took strongly the decision of Dera followers to vote the Congress candidates, its ally BJP came out with an official statement condemning violence by political parties against the followers of head of Dera Sacha Sauda Baba Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
Punjab Cabinet Minister Manoranjan Kalia, who was accompanying Mr. Punj said: "the BJP supports religious freedom." "Nobody can be stopped from following his religion or sect," he added.
Before the Lok Sabha elections, the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP faces a litmus test as they will be contesting the Panchayat and Municipal Corporation polls.
Mr. Punj also took a dig at the UPA Government for its alleged failure to check rising inflation. "The UPA will have to pay for rising inflation in all the polls that are scheduled ahead," he said.
On the delay by the Parkash Singh Badal Government on appointments of chairpersons of Boards and Corporations, Mr. Punj said that, "I still have differences with the Akalis on this issue".

More trouble for Amarinder

City Centre Scam : Capt, Jagjit named in VB challan
Chandigarh/Ludhiana : The Punjab Vigilance Bureau on Monday filed a challan against 36 persons in the Ludhiana City Centre scam, including former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh and former local bodies minister Jagjit Singh. They have been charged with connivance to cause a loss of Rs 2,644 crore.
According to the bureau, an illegality in the project had been done by changing the design of the project to add more area than permitted to financially benefit "Today Homes" and permitting the sale of properties of the project, in violations of the conditions the project.
The challan, filed in the court of district and sessions judge G.K. Rai, says Amarinder, his family, Jagjit Singh and former trustees of the Ludhiana Improvement Trust (LIT) and its former chairman, Wing Commander P.S. Sibia (retd), pocketed about Rs 12 crore in kickbacks. The former Chief Minister took Rs 5.5 crore in April, 2005. The transaction took place at the Delhi residence of his wife Preneet Kaur and the sum was deposited in his family account run by Chetan Gupta. Jagjit Singh took Rs 1 crore, Sibia pocketed Rs 30 lakh while trustees pocketed Rs 5 or Rs 15 lakh each.
The name of Bharat Inder Singh Chahal does not figure in the challan and nor does it include the name of former president of the PPCC H.S. Hanspal. Capt Rajesh, once termed as the main conduit in the scan by the Vigilance, does not figure in the challan even.
The challan was filed this morning by SSP (Vigilance) Ludhiana, Kanwaljit Singh. Sections 409, 420, 465, 467,468, 471, 201 and 120-B of the IPC have been invoked along with Sections 7,8,9, 13 (i), 13 (i C &D), 13 (ii) and 14 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1988, in the challan.
The development comes just five days ahead of the scheduled start of the winter session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha and also lays to rest all media speculations about a compromise having been stuck between the leaders of the Shiromani Akali Dal and Amarinder Singh during October.
The challan also names Amarinder’s son Raninder Singh, his family friend Chetan Gupta, his relative Raminder Singh, alias Richi, former chairman of the LIT and former additional advocate-general Harpreet Singh Sandhu. Today Homes’ MD Gulshan Gambhir and Infrastructure Private Enterprises (consultants to the project) MD Ashwajit Singh have also been named in it.
Others who’s names figured in the challan are the seven former trustees of the LIT, Gurdayal Kaur Khangura (she is the mother of sitting Congress MLA Jassi Khangura), Navkar Jain, Bhupinder Singh Basant, Surinderpal Singh Bindra, Sanjay Talwar, Malkiat Kaur and Vijay Kumar Parti; two employees of the LIT, Manmohan Singh (SE) and Dyal Chand Garg (EO); nine employees of Today Homes, two employees of the Infrastructure Private Enterprises, five partners of GPC Properties that includes the wife and daughter of Today Homes’ boss Gulshan Gambhir and two partners of Karishma Estates.
According to the 106-page challan, major concessions were allowed to Today Homes. The eligibility criteria was relaxed and diluted to accommodate the company without which the company could not have even qualified as per the original parameters set by the LIT.
Chairman of the LIT P.S. Sibia illegally allowed Today Homes an increase in the built up area of the project and gave permission for including an additional area running into several lakh square feet. The original approved design was prepared by "Arkitectural Grid". Once the change of land use was allowed and the bidding was done, the LIT took upon a new design made by HoK Consultants. This firstly increased the covered area and within the covered area it reduced the area under the library, the museum and a recreation centre for children as part of the project. The challan says taking up a new design, that was not approved, was illegal.
This increase in area alone allowed a benefit of Rs 1,144 crore to the authorities concerned, the challan says, quoting a report of the Chief Town Planner, Punjab. The LIT allowed Today Homes to sell the property of the project even though the original bidding had said that the bidder and the LIT would enter into a joint venture. The bidder was to construct and use the place for 24 years before handing over the project back to the LIT on the pattern of a build-operate-and-transfer basis. By permitting the sale of properties within of the project, a loss of Rs 1,500 crore was caused as the property could not get reverted back to the LIT.
The chairman of the LIT ignored written advice of the department of local bodies to stop the opening of financial bids. The then principal secretary (local bodies) B.R. Bajaj also opposed the project whereas the minister first called for cancellation of the agreement between the LIT and Today Homes and later allowed it.
The district and sessions judge G.K. Rai has fixed December 15 as date of next hearing for scrutiny of the charge sheet.

It is all rubbish: Amarinder

Amarinder Singh says that it is all a cock-and-bull story. He said, "Every move is politically motivated. This is Parkash Singh Badal's retaliation against me. I am confident that the trial will fall flat on its face." The former CM was charged along with 36 others in the case. The charges relate to alleged kickbacks in Ludhiana City Center contract in which Amarinder's son Raninder and son-in-law Ravinder Singh is involved. The then Local Body Minister in Amarinder's Government also chargesheeted. The case pertains to a contract given to a private firm 'Today homes'. Akali Dal alleged a loss of Rs 1,500 crore to the state exchequer by this deal.

Avtar Singh Makkar re-elected SGPC chief

Amritsar : Avtar Singh Makkar was Friday re-elected president of Shiromani Gurudwara Parbhandhak Committee (SGPC), considered to be mini-parliament of Sikhs. Makkar`s name was proposed by former SGPC chief Kirpal Singh Badungar during the annual general polls of the religious body. Makkar, who was elected to the coveted post for the third time, was the unanimous choice of the general house of the religious body.

The elections were held at Teja Singh Samundri Hall on the SGPC premises today afternoon। Over 125 SGPC members out of 181 yesterday met Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal here with regard to the annual election to choose the next SGPC chief। During the meeting all the 125 SGPC members who met Badal authorised Badal to name the next the SGPC chief as per his choice in the "larger interest of SGPC and Sikh community, informed present SGPC chief Avtar Singh Makkar।" Makkar said that he was thankful to Badal, all the SGPC members and the Sikh community who afforded him two years of terms as a SGPC chief. He said that all depends upon the party president to name the next SGPC chief since all the party SGPC members willingly authorised Badal to select the name for next SGPC chief.