76-year old mothers hopes shattered,says politicians do what suits them,a resolution perhaps did not serve their interests Its the twice-a-week outing that has forced 76-year-old Upkar Kaur to stay in a room at a Sarai in Rakabganj Gurdwara in Delhi for many years now. Twice every week she is provided a car to visit Tihar Jail to meet her son,Devinderpal Singh Bhullar - a convicted Khalistan terrorist on death row who last month moved the Supreme Court for commuting his death sentence. On Friday,Kaur met Bhullar at the General Hospital in Shahdara,where the 46-year-old former lecturer from Guru Nanak Engineering College (GNE),Ludhiana,was admitted for various ailments,one of which,she says is acute depression. On Saturday,as the last session of the present Punjab Assembly came to an end,the familys hope of a clemency resolution being moved by Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal were also gone. Badal had announced to bring in a resolution supporting clemency for Bhullar in the Assembly in the run up to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) polls. After romping home,in the results announced on September 22,and days ahead of the Assembly session,Badal expressed inablity to bring in a resolution citing lack of support from ally BJP and Opposition Congress. However,even then Kaur had not given up hope. On Saturday,she did. Neta apne fayde di gaal karde ne (politicians do what suits their interests), she says. Earlier all political parties of Punjab were supporting the clemency resolution. For us,it was symbolic gesture of our home state supporting the move to let my son live. Finally,both Badal and Opposition leaders backtracked. A resolution perhaps did not serve their interests, she said. Bhullars wife,Navneet Kaur,has left for Canada as she needs to fend for the family,Kaur said. It has been a while since I have been to our village Dayalpur in Bathinda where I stay for two-three days. After that I come back to the gurdwara as he (Bhullar) looks forward to our meetings, Kaur says. Far away in the US,Bhullars brother Tahinderpal is trying to garner support of Sikh groups overseas for clemency. We are not in a position to speak against any political party. For us,it is important that he gets to live, Tahinderpal said in a telephonic conversation. So far in Punjab,its been politics of U-turns over the issue. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had supported clemency resolution in the Assembly before the SGPC polls,but Akali Dals ally,BJP,had categorically declined to support the move in the House citing its resolute stand against terrorism. Opposition Congress was divided on the issue. While state party president Capt Amarinder Singh gave a statement supporting the resolution,leader of Opposition Rajinder Kaur Bhattal said there should be no mercy for a dreaded terrorist. Later,Amarinder too backtracked stating that the resolution was a political stunt of Badal before state goes to polls early next year. Meanwhile,for Bhullars mother,its time to move on to the next date marked in her calender - October 19. After Bhullars mercy plea was turned down by President Pratibha Patil in May,2011,the Supreme Court asked the Union Government to explain the inordinate delay in disposing his mercy petition through an affidavit in the matter on October 10. The clemency plea will come up for hearing in the Supreme Court on October 19.
