SC rejects Jagir Kaur’s petition to contest poll
Jagir Kaur, former SGPC chief
Legal Correspondent
New Delhi, January 17
The Supreme Court today rejected former SGPC chief Jagir Kaur’s plea for suspension of her conviction in the 2000 murder case of her daughter Harpreet Kaur.A Bench comprising Justices AK Goel and UU Lalit refused to entertain the plea even as senior counsel Shyam Divan contended that this was necessary to enable his client to contest the February 4 Punjab Assembly poll as a SAD candidate.
Divan pleaded that she had been sentenced to five years by the trial court only on the charge of criminal conspiracy, not for the substantial offence of murder.The Punjab and Haryana High Court had already stayed the sentence, but a stay on the conviction was necessary for contesting the poll. Divan pleaded that his client had a long public life and had a good chance of getting acquitted by the HC. The nomination would close tomorrow and she should be allowed to contest the poll.“Sorry,” the Bench said while dismissing her appeal against the HC verdict declining to stay her conviction.Harpreet had allegedly married a person against the wishes of her mother. Prior to the murder, she was subjected to abortion.
Polls predict a change
Yogendra Yadav
But would it be what the people of Punjab really wanted?
WILL Punjab get the change that it has long waited and prepared for? This is the big question that we should be asking in the forthcoming Assembly elections. This is no ordinary election. Punjabis within and outside Punjab have looked forward to this election for nearly three years, if not more. They have pinned big hopes on this election, not just hopes of change in government, but also change in the nature of politics itself. As we wait till the February 4 for Punjabis to answer this question, and another excruciating month for the answer to be revealed, the picture is beginning to reveal itself.With Navjot Singh Sidhu finally entering the Congress and all lists of candidates being released, we do not have many imponderables left in the field. This was preceded by the release of two polls, one by CSDS-Lokniti for ABP News and the other by Axis for Aak Tak/India Today TV. Both these are well-known agencies and credible news organisations. But then how does one make sense of the two very different pictures that emerge from these two polls?While both polls agree that it is a three-horse race, there is a sharp difference in how the three are placed: the CSDS puts the ruling Akali Dal-BJP coalition at the top, while Axis puts them at the bottom. While both polls say that the Congress is clearly ahead of the AAP, CSDS says the lead is 10 percentage points, while the Axis poll puts it at six points. Both polls project a hung Assembly. The CSDS poll expected the ruling party to secure a near majority of seats, between 50 to 58, followed by the Congress with 41-49 and the AAP way behind at 12-18. The Axis poll puts the Congress just below majority at 49-55, followed closely by the AAP at 42-46 and the Akali Dal-BJP a poor third with 17-21 seats. (See accompanying table).The difference is irreconcilable, or so it would seem. But actually, the two polls are doing two different things and are therefore compatible with each other. The CSDS did plain reporting while Axis offered an interpretation of data. Specifically, the Axis-India Today poll used the December data to project the likely outcome in February while CSDS-ABP merely reported the voting intention as it stood in the month of December.I guess both surveys got more or less the same data from their fieldwork. When they asked their respondents about who they would vote for, if elections are held tomorrow, the answers were something like this: Akali Dal-BJP: 36-40 per cent, Congress: 33-37 per cent, AAP: 20-24 per cent and the rest about 5 per cent. The CSDS made one routine adjustment and revised ‘others’ to 14 per cent. Everyone else was shrunk proportionately and they presented this data to the public. These figures may contain a lot of over-reporting (by respondents, not by CSDS) for the Akali Dal-BJP, partly due to fear, and partly, the usual bias for the incumbent.The Axis poll appears to have made an additional adjustment for ‘recall’ of the respondents. They adjusted the raw data by how their respondents’ reporting of who they voted for in 2014 matched with the actual outcome. Presumably, they found massive over-reporting for the Akali Dal and thus something like 38 per cent for the Akali-BJP combine was thus reduced to 24 per cent and so on. Now, this is not cheating; this is legitimate data adjustment. But the reader needs to know about it.Besides their differing projections, both polls offer a good deal of valuable information on the public mood in Punjab. The CSDS team should be complimented for their transparency and for putting most of the data in the public domain. (Full disclosure: I was on CSDS faculty for two decades, but have resigned now and have no connection with their survey team). Both of them agree that the people of Punjab are in no mood to give the ruling alliance a third chance — according to CSDS, the division is 5:2 against another chance to the Akali Dal. Both polls put Capt Amarinder Singh as the front-runner in the CM’s race. The CSDS poll also gives a glimpse of why people are unhappy with the ruling coalition: their unhappiness is not so much on account of lack of development as it is about lack of employment, rule of law and prevalence of corruption.At this stage, it is safe to draw the following conclusions: One, there is a massive anti-incumbency wave against the Akali Dal-BJP. They are headed for their electoral Waterloo. Two, the AAP, which appeared as the front-runner against the ruling coalition about six months ago, has slipped from that position. The CSDS poll says that its support is concentrated in the central districts of Malwa, not in eastern and western Malwa, nor in Majha and Doaba. Three, outside these districts, the Congress is poised as the front-runner. According to the Axis poll, in the last few months, the Congress has increased its lead over the AAP. Navjot Sidhu’s entry could give the Congress the final push it needed. Four, while the rebellion of Dr Dharamvir Gandhi against the AAP leadership and the exit of Sucha Singh Chhotepur from the party have seriously dented the image of the party and its poll prospects, they do not seem to be making it a four-cornered contest. We should be careful though as opinion polls tend to under-estimate new parties.The fieldwork for both these polls was done between the second and third weeks of December. So, it seems Punjab will have a political change. The question is: will it have the change that it had looked forward to? Sadly, no matter what the final outcome, the answer to this question is negative. None of the big issues Punjab faces today have been addressed in this campaign. Punjab has seen some reckless, populist promises, but the blueprint on any of these critical areas — unemployment, indebtedness, agrarian crisis, exodus of industries, and drug menace, to name a few. While the problem of drugs has been talked about, there is not even a half-hearted attempt to work out a solution. There is a new entrant in this election, but it has ended up recycling the same set of discredited political actors, and has relayed the standard script so familiar to Punjab. Those who want a real change in Punjab may have to look beyond, and work towards politics beyond this election.Yogendra.yadav@gmail.com
Amarinder rules out alliance, calls JJ Singh ‘average cadet’
Tribune News Service
Patiala, January 17
Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today ruled out any pre/post-poll alliance, saying that his party would win the Assembly elections with two-thirds majority.Amarinder, who filed his nomination papers from the Patiala Urban seat, dismissed his rival – SAD candidate and former Army Chief Gen JJ Singh (retd) – as “an average cadet and a bogus man.”He said, “JJ Singh became the Chief of Army Staff due to his seniority, not calibre.”Ridiculing AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal’s allegation that he was contesting from Lambi — which was part of the Patiala royal estate till 1930 — to help CM Parkash Singh Badal, Amarinder said his decision was motivated by the desire to save the people of Punjab from the Badals.Later, he took out a roadshow. “You take care of Patiala and I will take care of Badal,” he told the crowd from the open-roof vehicle in which he was accompanied by wife and former Union Minister Preneet Kaur.
Capt in Lambi today, to file nomination papersLambi: PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh will start his election campaign here on Wednesday. He will file his nomination in Malout town and hold a roadshow from Malout to Lambi before addressing a rally at Lambi village. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will conclude his six-day election campaign here on Wednesday by visiting all 72 villages once. AAP nominee Jarnail Singh, too, has once covered all villages by addressing public meetings. AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to hold five public meetings in Lambi on January 20. TNSTo be named CM candidate soonChandigarh: The Congress is set to announce Capt Amarinder Singh as the party’s chief ministerial candidate. Party insiders said decks had been cleared for the move with the launch of cricketer-turned-politician Navot Singh Sidhu’s campaign from Amritsar. “The Congress will use the outsider-versus-insider card against Arvind Kejriwal on the CM issue,” said sources in the party. TNS
Roadshow with Sidhu on Jan 19
- Amarinder clarified that he wasn’t present in New Delhi for Navjot Singh Sidhu’s induction into the Congress on Monday as he was busy campaigning in Punjab. He cited his strong Patiala connection with Sidhu, whom he had known since he was a kid. “Sidhu has joined the Congress unconditionally,” the ex-CM said, adding that he and the former cricketer would hold a joint roadshow in Amritsar on January 19.
LS poll: Preneet in contention
- On speculation that Congress leader Lal Singh could be fielded from Patiala in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll as he had missed out under the ‘one family, one ticket’ rule, Amarinder said his wife, sitting MLA Preneet Kaur, would contest the parliamentary elections.
Sukhbir blames AAP for spurt in sacrilege cases
Sukhbir Singh Badal
Ravi Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Gurdaspur, January 17
SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had assured Sikh hardliners that the control of gurdwaras would be handed over to them once the party came to power.Addressing gatherings at Sri Hargobindpur and Kahnuwan in favour of SAD candidates, Sukhbir said AAP’s rise as a party in Punjab had coincided with an increase in the number of incidents of sacrilege. “It happened because Kejriwal made an assurance to the hardliners. This, in turn, vitiated the atmosphere in the state,” he said.Stating that only the SAD could preserve the heritage of the ‘qaum’, he added, “We have transformed the precincts around Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar. In contrast, the Congress ordered an attack on the shrine, while AAP hurt Sikh sentiments by disrespecting the Golden Temple.”
On poll pitch, high-decibel battles set rhythm
Badals, Amarinder have been challenged on their turf | With 69 seats, Malwa to witness most of the thrilling contests
State Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh, submits his papers
Sarbjit Dhaliwal
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, January 17
With the Congress following an AAP’s strategy of pitting heavyweights against strong candidates of rival parties, the Punjab Assembly elections are all set for an edge-of-the-seat contest.The battle between “political gladiators” may become one of the finest points in the careers of some of them, while others may have to hang their boots in the face of defeat.The Malwa region with 69 seats out of 117 will witness most of the thrilling contests. The interesting part is tha Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh have been challenged on their turf.It is perhaps for the first time in the history of re-organised Punjab that a former Chief Minister (Amarinder) will be pitted against the incumbent Chief Minister (Badal). There have been big political battles in the past, but not at the scale of a Chief Minister versus a former Chief Minister to be witnessed in Lambi.There have been a few electoral battles between the family of late Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar and Badal. The Akali leader has lost elections only once. That was in 1967 when Brar defeated Badal by just 57 votes from Gidderbaha.The contest in Lambi has another ingredient to become a thriller. It is in the form of AAP’s nominee Jarnail Singh. He has resigned from the Delhi Assembly to take on Badal on his turf. Jarnail, a former journalist, had shot into limelight when he threw a shoe at then Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram.Amarinder is also locked in another high-decibel battle on his home turf. The Akalis have put up former Army chief JJ Singh against him from Patiala Urban. The Captain versus General contest is already being talked about as the toast of the elections. Amarinder, known for acerbic and dismissive barbs against his opponents, finds himself at the receiving end of some of them from the General.Equally interesting will be a battle in Jalalabad, where SAD president Sukhbir is pitted against AAP’s Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann and Congress’ Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.Mann, who belongs to a small farmer family, has emerged as a popular campaigner because of his satirical and stinging political attacks. His two opponents belong to the families of Chief Ministers. With Mann, AAP started to field its top leaders against rival parties.Another thrilling electoral battle will be in Sangrur’s Lehra constituency, where former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is pitted against Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa. Stakes are high for the two families that are into politics for more than four decades.In Majha, the big battle is in Majitha. AAP, which has been targeting SAD nominee and Sukhbir’s brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia for “patronising” drug trade, has fielded Himmat Singh Shergill against him. As for the Congress, it has fielded Lali Shergill.Another interesting battle will be in Sanaur, where a member of the Tohra family is pitted against a Tohra loyalist’s son. AAP has fielded Tohra’s daughter Kuldeep Kaur against SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra’s one Harinder Pal.The contest in Amritsar East, where cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is in fray, and in Bathinda City, where Manpreet Singh Badal is in contention, will also be keenly watched. But compared to other contests, the two Congress nominees are facing lighter adversaries.
KEY BATTLES
Lambi: Incumbent Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal vs former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh vs former journalist Jarnail Singh
Patiala Urban: Captain Amarinder Singh vs General JJ Singh
Jalalabad: Sukhbir Badal vs Ravneet Singh Bittu vs AAP MP Bhagwant Mann
Majitha: SAD chief Sukhbir Badal’s brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia vs AAP’s Himmat Singh Shergill
884 nominations have been filed in the state so far
SINGING PAENS TO CAPT SARKAR
Chaunda hai Punjab Captain di sarkar (What Punjab wants is Capt’s government), the campaign song of Congress that hums a very filmi paean to state president Capt Amarinder Singh, is slowly getting a life of its own on the social media with over 3 lakh hits on YouTube. The song has Shahid Mallya and Richaa Sharma crooning “Pind pind te shehar shehar bas iko chale lehar lehar khushiyan mudke aun gaayeean, Khetan which bhangre paan gayiaan (There is just one wave in Punjab, which is all set to bring back happiness to the state)”. From farmers and youth to women, the song touches every section of the voters. It also makes an oblique reference to “baharwale”, clearly an indication toward AAP. Capt’s hand and watch come in for special attention as do his cutouts. Mallya had sung the “Chitta Ve” song in ‘Udta Punjab’, while Sharma had won an award for “Sajda” in ‘My Name is Khan’ (2010). The longwinded lyrics’ tune is catchy enough. And as long as you remember “Capt di Sarkar”, it meets its goal.
In battleground Patiala, it’s load, lock and shoot
CaptainGeneral contest turns murkier as the two rivals launch frontal attacks on each other over Operation Bluestar, army careers
PATIALA: The electoral battle between the two former army officers on the Patiala assembly seat turned murkier on Tuesday with Punjab Pradesh Congress President (PPCC) Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday asking Gen JJ Singh (retd), who is Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate, why he did not resign from the army after Operation Bluestar, if he is so concerned with Punjab and Sikhism.
Hitting back, the General said, “Who is Amarinder to judge me? Be it in the army or politics, Amarinder is an absentee and thus he has no right to do any type of assessment of mine.”
While it is the first election of Gen JJ Singh, Amarinder has declared that it would be his last electoral battle. Reacting to the General’s remarks that the Congress was responsible for Operation Bluestar and that SAD defends rights of Sikhs, Amarinder lashed out on the latter and termed him a thankless person.
“General is a thankless person. JJ Singh was an average cadet and a bogus man who became chief of army staff due to his seniority, not because of any caliber. Having been made the army chief and then a governor by the UPA, he is now claiming to have been upset by Operation Bluestar, exposing himself to be the fraud he is,” said Amarinder.
“General must answer why he had not resigned from the army, if he is so critical of Operation Bluestar, which he is citing as the reason to join SAD?” he asked.
In response, Gen Singh said, “Amarinder has spent only two years in the army, that too without facing any bullet or fighting in the field. He never went to a battalion, but remained attached with senior officials.” He added, “I have faced battles of 1971, Kargil and other operations. Amarinder has no right to judge me. Whatever I have achieved came due to my hard work, honesty and extraordinary services… Amarinder has no role to comment on my service.”
Gen Singh said Amarinder was misleading the public by claiming that he had fought in the 1965 battle. “He had never gone on any front. He has neither fired nor faced a single bullet whereas I have fought from the front. Before questioning my credentials, Amarinder should come clean on his track record in the army. He was an absentee army man, absentee CM, MLA and MP as he never met public in his entire life. He has no right to judge me,” he said.
political punch of the day
Gen JJ Singh was a year junior to me and, I know, he was a lacklustre and an average general… He was a bogus man who became the chief of army staff just because of his seniority. AMARINDER SINGH, Cong candidate in Patiala Amarinder has no authority to judge me. I’ve been decorated in every rank. A Capt is Capt and Gen is Gen. How can he compete, compare with me?… He’s a big fraud, never fought on any front. GEN JJ SINGH, SAD candidate in Patiala
Captain, General, Jarnail among 573 file nominations; last day today
CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh and former army chief Gen J J Singh (SAD) were among 573 candidates who filed their nominations on Tuesday, the penultimate day for filing of papers for assembly polls in the state. With this nominations, the total number of candidates for next month’s polls has risen to 884.
Former chief minister Amarinder filed his nomination papers from the Patiala assembly constituency to launch the countdown to his last electoral battle. He was accompanied by wife and Patiala MLA Preneet Kaur and other family members. Amarinder will file his papers from Lambi, the other seat from which he is contesting the assembly polls, on Wednesday. At Lambi, he is taking on CM Parkash Singh Badal.
JJ’S PENCHANT FOR ‘V’ SIGN
General JJ Singh (retd), who is taking on former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh in Patiala, loves to show the ‘V’ (victory) sign. The Akali candidate went to the election office on Tuesday to file his nomination along with his wife Anupama Singh who also submitted her papers as his ‘covering candidate’. On their way out, she took out her camera to click him to capture another moment from the “battle of ballots”. The former army chief promptly posed for the photograph, flashing the ‘V’ sign. The fight, though a difficult one, has made the polls more interesting.
Sidhu hits campaign trail in Amritsar: ‘Here for Punjab’
Navjot Singh Sidhu will make no difference in the elections. He’s over. ARVIND KEJRIWAL , AAP chief on Sidhu joining Congress
AMRITSAR: Returning to home city to begin his new political innings, Congress’ Amritsar East candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu has said he is not here to fight “personal battles” but with a mission to change Punjab.
Earlier, Sidhu was given a rousing welcome by Congress leaders and workers, who lined up along the roads as he took a round in an open vehicle.
“I have no personal enmity with anyone. Punjab has been pushed into a mess and we all need to get together to make this state prosperous again,” Sidhu said.
“I will reveal my agenda on January 20 and aim is to change Punjab and bring out a plan to rid Punjab of ‘chitta’. A state known for the Green Revolution is now known for ‘chitta’. Those responsible for this will be taught a lesson.”
Upping the ante against deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal, the Congress candidate and the star campaigner for the party said, “Some people constructed ‘Sukhvlas’ on the ‘dukh’ (sorrows) of the people of Punjab.” “I will expose everyone and open their ‘pol’. I am here to fight for Punjab and not to settle personal scores. I want to tell that it is time to stay united to change the face of Punjab. I am here to turn Punjab from ‘behaal to khushaal’.”
Sidhu paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. On a question how many seats he predicts for the Congress party, he said people will decide that. The threetime MP from Amritsar said he was thankful to the people of Amritsar for all their love and support. “I can leave anything but not Amritsar,” he said.
Many conspiracies were hatched to throw me out of Amritsar and people are aware who feels insecure from me.
Manpreet’s campaign gets a shot in the arm
3 SAD-BJP leaders, Apna Punjab Party city president join Congress
Sukhmeet Bhasin
Tribune News Service
Bathinda, January 16
Congress candidate from Bathinda (Urban) Manpreet Singh Badal’s campaign today got a shot in the arm when Apna Punjab Party (APP) Bathinda city president Ashok Singla today joined the Congress in the presence of Manpreet’s father Gurdas Badal in a function held in the area near the Canal Colony police station.In another development and major setback to the SAD-BJP alliance, two sitting councillors, along with the SAD circle president, have joined the Congress.The SAD circle president, Ashwani Bunty, had quit the party and had joined the Congress and his wife Sukhwinder Kaur, who is a sitting councillor from Ward No. 45, is also set to join the Congress on January 19.Ashwani Bunty said he had joined the Congress and his wife would join the party on January 19 during a function in his area.He said the reason behind his joining the Congress was that two swords could not be contained in one sheath as the SAD leadership honoured Vijay Kumar, who contested against the SAD in the MCB elections, with a party position.BJP councillor from Ward No. 24 Priyanka Goyal has joined the Congress. While talking to Bathinda Tribune, Priyanka said: “She had joined the Congress as a few months ago she had some family problems. However, SAD candidate Sarup Chand Singla failed to help us during that period, which we did not like. Hence, now we have decided to support Manpreet Badal.”Even another sitting Independent-turned-SAD councillor from Ward No. 42 Pardeep Kumar Gola is expected to leave the party. However, a final decision regarding the same had yet to be taken.While talking to Bathinda Tribune, Pardeep said the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had approached him to join their parties. But he had not taken any decision regarding it yet as he had called a meeting of his supporters on January 18 in his area and a final decision would be taken after consulting them.
Another SAD councillor to leave party
- Even another sitting Independent-turned-SAD councillor from Ward No. 42 Pardeep Kumar Gola is expected toleave the party. However, a final decision regarding the same had yet to be taken. While talking to Bathinda Tribune, Pardeep said the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had approached him to join their parties. But he had not taken any decision regarding it yet as he had called a meeting of his supporters on January 18 in his area anda final decision would be taken after consulting them
Realtor Makkar has properties worth Rs 57 cr
SAD candidate Sarbjeet Makkar, along with his wife and suppoters, filing his nomination papers from the Jalandhar Cant constituency on Tuesday. Photo: Sarabjit Singh
Tribune News Service
Jalandhar, January 17
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate from Jalandhar Cantonment Sarbjeet Makkar today sprung a surprise as he came to file his nomination papers along with the SAD district president Gurcharan Singh Channi.Channi had been cut off from him and had not joined his campaign earlier, terming Makkar as a “land grabber”. But the district president showed exceptional bonhomie today as he came along in his cavalcade and joined him in the office of Returning Officer-cum-RTA RP Singh.SGPC member Paramjit Singh Raipur and AAP Lok Sabha 2014 candidate Jyoti Mann, who joined SAD yesterday in Ludhiana, also accompanied him during the filing of his papers.
From Makkar’s affidavit
Qualification: Under matric
Age: 57 years
Immovable assets: Rs 47.33 croreMovable assets: Rs 1.9 crore
Vehicles: Audi, BMW, Fortuner
Cash in hand: Rs 3.5 lakh
Liabilities: Rs 2.16 crore
List of properties:
61 kanal 16 marla land in Dhogri worth Rs 2.47 crore
119 kanal 15 marla land in Raipur Rasoolpur worth Rs 4.15 crore
71 kanal 18 marla land in Raowali village worth Rs 4.93 crore
3 kanal 10 marla land in Dolo Nanga village, Amritsar, worth Rs 35 lakh
2 kanal 5 marla land in Makhdoompura for Rs 2.25 crore
13 marla land in Makhdoompura worth Rs 65 lakh
36 marla land in Lajpat Nagar worth Rs 1.8 crore
1 kanal 9 marla land in Lajpat Nagar for Rs 1.47 crore
1 kanal 2 marla land in SUS Nagar worth Rs 1.96 crore
14 marla land in PUDA complex worth Rs 2.1 crore
57 marla plot near Khalsa College worth Rs 2.85 crore
1 kanal 2 marla building at SUS Nagar worth Rs 1.54 crore
3 kanal and 3 marla land in New Jawahar Nagar worth Rs 9.45 crore
31 marla land on Cool Road worth Rs 1.55 crore
Spouse:
Immovable assets: Rs 10.34 crore
Movable assets: Rs 40.47 lakh
Vehicles: Car, Scorpio jeep
Cash in hand: Rs 1.25 lakh
Liabilities: Rs 70.97 lakh
List of properties:
9 marla building on Mithapur Road worth Rs 80 lakh16 kanal land in Amritsar woth Rs 1.35 crore
47 marla land in Civil Lines worth Rs 3 crore24 marla land in Lajpat Nagar worth Rs 1.2 crore
18 kanal 19 marla land in Lesriwal worth Rs 35 lakh