Capt Amarinder Singh with new Punjab Cong chief Sunil Jakhar.
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service
New Delhi, May 4
Eyes on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Congress today appointed Sunil Jakhar, former minister and a staunch Capt Amarinder Singh loyalist, as the new president of the Punjab unit. Jakhar, 63, who lost the Assembly election, will replace Capt Amarinder, who took oath as Chief Minister this March 17.Jakhar was Capt Amarinder’s choice for the post. Congress president Sonia Gandhi and party vice-president Rahul Gandhi both endorsed it.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Jakhar said he would act as a bridge between the government and the party and ensure the grassroots connect of the Congress stayed intact.Jakhar’s appointment is strategic as the central leadership wants complete coordination between the government and the organisation to ensure a strong footing in the state where the party has only three Lok Sabha seats (Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar) of 13.“We have challenges ahead. The LS poll of 2019 are just two years away. The organisation has to be strengthened. I will endeavour equally to ensure that election manifesto promises are fulfilled,” Jakhar said.He said he had sought an appointment with Rahul Gandhi for tomorrow. A former minister in the Amarinder Singh cabinet, a three-time MLA from Abohar, and until recently Congress’ Legislature Party Leader in Punjab, Jakhar has been a diehard Amarinder loyalist.On the eve of Punjab elections, he was the one to consistently urge the Congress leadership to replace Partap Bajwa with Capt Amarinder as state chief. When that finally happened a year before the state polls, Jakhar was dropped as the CLP leader and Bajwa as state chief. While Rahul Gandhi sent Bajwa to Rajya Sabha, Jakhar was left in the cold only to be unsuitably placated later by being named party’s chief spokesperson in Punjab. In between, on poll eve, Jakhar was sour with his mentor Amarinder Singh, who today redeemed his friend politically.In Congress circles, Jakhar is known for his straight talk and is someone who has always spoken his mind frankly even in meetings chaired by Rahul Gandhi. His appointment, sources say, indicates that the Congress won’t ignore regional satraps anymore and will value their opinion. Besides, the move is important as the Congress has given Hindu leaders a pride of place in its Punjab scheme. The state has 45 per cent Hindus, who backed the Congress to victory this time.Jakhar, when asked how he saw his appointment, said, “I have received the affection of all communities. It’s up to you to analyse my appointment politically.” As the son of former LS Speaker Balram Jakhar, he realises he has a lot riding on him. His acid test will be organisational strengthening ahead of the 2019 LS poll.
Rule by favours
Amarinder needs to say ‘no’ to nepotism
FROM threatening police officials to attempts to have favourites in key positions, Congress MLAs in Punjab have now directly placed an appeal in the durbar of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to let them have a say in district-level postings. This comes within a month of the Chief Minister making a show of dismantling the “halqa” system that had institutionalised nepotism under SAD rule. The pattern of Congress MLAs’ demands fits in well with the continuing, if not increasing, violent attacks on political rivals by associates of the ruling party. Panchayat politics or the transport sector, nothing seems to be beyond murderous rivalry. Gangster violence and armed robberies, too, seem to have been timed to the inaugural month of the Congress government.None of this, however, should be surprising. Every time an Akali or Congress government has been thrown out in Punjab since 2002, it has been because of charges of corruption and self-serving interests of the individuals in power. So much so, lack of development has hardly been an issue. The political leadership, though, can be blamed for this only to an extent. Distributing favours on the lines of family, mohalla, district, party and constituency — if not caste and religion — is a thing that is done no less than it is expected. Claims on government attention from the public are initiated on these very lines. There is an obnoxious word, “works”, which is actually a euphemism for illegitimate favours an MLA has either arranged for “his people” or not. And that is about all an MLA is expected to do. Of course, if he is also able to ask for a consideration for the services rendered, it becomes a mutually beneficial transaction.Capt Amarinder Singh could not have asked for a stronger position than he is in today in Punjab. He declared before the elections this would be his last contest. If he still cannot draw the line for his party men, he better ensure no one uses for him the prefix “Maharaja”, for that has conjured an image of firm and fair governance in many a voter’s mind.
Sukhbir dissolves party units
Ruchika M. Khanna
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, May 4
Amidst desertion by several party workers and local leaders in district units, and reports of fuelling rebellion within Shiromani Akali Dal, party president Sukhbir Singh Badal today dissolved the organisational structure of the party. The party has dissolved its parliamentary affairs committee (PAC), working committee, various wings, general council and district-level committees, while all office-bearers have been removed. The new committees will be formed within a month, after the seniormost Akali leaders meet workers at the grassroot level and take feedback on who they would want to lead. (Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)Though the party leaders deny any desertions or a brewing rebellion, sources say there were attempts by some SGPC members, along with some Akali leaders from Rajpura and Patiala, to break away from the party. These leaders were reportedly also supported by some other extreme right-wing Sikh bodies. Other than this, the party has witnessed a spate of resignations at the ground level, where many of their men have switched loyalties to the Congress. Many of the former Congress workers and leaders, who had jumped on to the Akali bandwagon during their rule, too, are learnt to be planning to go back to their parent party. SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, however, denied that there was any desertion or a rebellion. “We have simply decided to remove the deadwood from the party and people who opposed our official candidates during the Assembly election. Whosoever harmed the party cannot be entrusted the responsibility of leading the party now.” He said the original Akalis continued to remain loyal to the party, while it is the “riff raff” and “imports” that were breaking away. The idea behind the revamp of the party’s organisation is also to reward the party loyalists, he said.
Sidhu suspends 10 Improvement Trust officials
Probe finds irregularities in Bathinda realty project
Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu greets Australian High Commissioner to India Harinder Sidhu in Chandigarh on Thursday. The minister discussed mutual co-operation in education and sports sector with the envoy. PTI
Tribune News Service
Chandiagrh/Bathinda, May 4
Local Bodies Minister Navjot Singh Sidhu today suspended 10 employees of Bathinda Improvement Trust for alleged irregularities in the construction of the Manmohan Kalia Enclave, comprising 96 flats, located on the Goniana road in the city.The suspended employees who have been handed over the charge-sheet are Junior Engineers Gurbinderpal Singh and Jasbir Singh, Assistant Trust Engineers Mukhtiar Singh and Gur Raj Singh, Trust Engineer Rakesh Garg and Executive Officers Harinder Singh Chahal, Gora Lal, Kulwant Singh Brar, Jawahar Lal and Baljit Kumar.Three more accused on the list are retired employees — Zora Singh, Kanwar Balbir Singh and Hans Raj Sharma.The officials concerned issued the completion certificate and refunded the security of the contractor without a survey of the building.Manmohan Kalia Enclave Flat Allottees’ Association led by former media incharge of the state BJP Sunil Singla had lodged a complaint with the minister, following which a probe was marked.The minister said: “The guilty will not be spared in any of the trust allotments where people have been befooled”.The matter had been hanging fire even after three Vigilance inquiries giving adverse comments on the project execution.It was stated that in 2010, the Bathinda Improvement Trust had invited applications for the allotment of flats in the Manmohan Kalia Enclave and offered 96 multi-storey apartments with all amenities. The possession was to be handed over to the allottees by October 20, 2013.The complainants alleged that the flats were still not in a position to be occupied and the material used was sub-standard.In a related development, the National Consumer Disputes Commission, on April 21, allowed a compensation of Rs 10,000 per month to a set of complainants from the date from which the possession was to be given till the date of actual possession. The aggrieved party in this case included owners of 60 of the 96 flats.Singla, meanwhile, said: “We will appreciate if we are refunded the entire amount as the quarters are not worth living.”
DGP to meet SSPs today
Chandigarh, May 4
A day after Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh reportedly expressed concern over the increasing activities of gangsters in the state, DGP Suresh Arora has called a state-level meeting of the SSPs and other senior officers in Phillaur tomorrow to take stock of the situation.In the last two days, a group of gangsters looted a cash van near Banur and another robbed a bank in Muktsar.Police sources said senior officers of the Bureau of Investigation, Law and Order wing and the Special Task Force against gangsters would attend the meeting. The meeting would review specific incidents as well as the general crime trends. An official spokesperson termed it as a routine monthly review meeting.The sources said the Chief Minister had discussed the recent crime incidents with the DGP. — TNS
2,667 primary, upper primary schools don’t have enough teachers
CHANDIGARH: Punjab education minister Aruna Chaudhary scrapped the deputation orders of government school teachers last week for their proper utilisation.
But this is just the first small step. The Congress government, which promised rationalisation of teacher deployment to impart quality education in state-run schools, needs do much more, given the serious imbalance in deployment of teachers in elementary and secondary schools in the state.
The education department, which has 74,782 teachers at primary and upper primary levels, has a comfortable overall pupil teacher ratio of 16 students per teacher as against the RTE norm of 1:30 for primary classes and 1:40 for upper primary. However, 2,667 primary and upper primary schools still lack adequate number of teachers in the state.
Of 12,997 primary schools (classes 1 to 5), 1,728, which comes to about 13%, have adverse pupilteacher ration (PTR). At upper primary level (classes 5 to 8), 15% schools do not have adequate number of teachers. Adverse PTR means more students per teacher than the norm and has been seen to affect teachinglearning processes.
Also, 28% upper primary schools do not have the subject teachers as per the norms prescribed under the Right to Education (RTE) Act, according an analysis of teacher deployment in the state carried out by the Union ministry of human resource development (MHRD) recently.
Though there has been improvement in teacher deployment in the past three years with the education department bringing down the number of such government schools, the number of 2,667 schools with adverse PTR is seen as “high”. The situation is not any better at secondary level where there is severe shortage of teachers and deployment is not balanced.
Punjab Government School Teachers’ Union general secretary Balkar Valtoha, who welcomed the education minister’s move to scrap the deputation orders of teachers, said there is discrepancy in deployment of school teachers across the state. “There is severe shortage of teachers in schools in rural and border areas. In Khalra village of Tarn Taran district alone, the government school has 4-5 teachers for over 400 students. It is the same story in several schools in the district. At the same time, several schools in urban areas of the state have more teachers than required,” he said.
Additional chief secretary, school education, GR Vajralingam, could not be contacted despite efforts. However, an education department official blamed political interference in teachers’ transfers over the years for this situation. “There is influence peddling at times or attempts to give favourites stations of choice. The department has been trying to rationalise deployment. And that’s how things have improved in the last two-three years,” he said, requesting anonymity.
Canadian PM Trudeau’s presence at event with Khalistani flags upsets India
ORONTO: While vitriolic attacks on Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh at the annual nagar kirtan in Vancouver riled the Indian government, there is consternation over Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s presence at a Toronto event that featured Khalistani flags and posters of Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale.
The Toronto nagar kirtan on Sunday also celebrated the carrying of a motion in the Ontario assembly last month that described the 1984 anti-Sikh riots as “genocide”.
A senior Indian official described Trudeau’s presence at the Khalsa Day event as “surely a matter of concern”.
Trudeau was the first Canadian prime minister to attend the event since Paul Martin in 2005.
Bhindranwale, an extremist leader who was at the forefront of the Khalistan movement in the 1980s, was killed when the Indian Army carried out Operation Blue Star in June 1984 to remove extremists who were holed up in the Golden Temple in Amritsar.
Though defence minister Arun Jaitley had expressed India’s concerns about the Ontario assembly motion to his Canadian counterpart Harjit Sajjan last month, the organisers of the nagar kirtan in Toronto honoured Harinder Malhi, Liberal member of the provincial parliament or MPP (equivalent to an MLA), who moved the motion, during the event.
The organisers, Ontario Sikhs and Gurdwara Council, also felicitated New Democratic Party MPP Jagmeet Singh, who had moved a similar motion in 2016 that was defeated. These developments have boosted the morale of pro-Khalistan groups in Canada. For instance, Sukhminder Singh Hansra, president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (A) Canada, said in response to an emailed query: “I am glad that the organisers who represent a larger segment of the Sikh community have reminded the world of the peaceful struggle for Khalistan.” He added: “In Toronto, all floats are prepared by the organisers, at least two floats were dedicated to the events of 1984, including flags and banners of Khalistan. I along with many others walked with these floats with Khalistani flags.” He described the honouring of the two lawmakers as “the highlight of the nagar kirtan” in Toronto.
The celebration came in the wake of the event in Vancouver on April 22 where Amarinder Singh was attacked in a speech.
While the Indian government has notified Ottawa of its concern, Canada has consistently maintained that such a protest, as long as it remains peaceful, is part of freedom of expression.
The Vancouver event too was welcomed by rejuvenated proKhalistan groups. Sikhs for Justice, a hardline activist group, described India’s complaint as “a nefarious attempt to curb the freedom of expression of Sikh separatists living in Canada”.
Pro-Khalistan elements from Canada issues threats to Punjab CM Amarinder Singh
Not Bothered by Threats to My Life: Amarinder on Threats by Khalistani Groups
Sikh radicals in Canada issue threats to Punjab CM Amarinder Singh