Chandigarh confidential: Buzz attack

Congress MP Deepender Hooda was quick to claim credit for NSUI candidates’ victory in the Panjab University Campus Students Council polls. The MP claimed that it was his strategy that led to the NSUI’s victory which,he stressed,was also behind the Congress backed organisation’s successes in Delhi University. There was a reality check on Saturday,however,after the ABVP,affiliated to the BJP,bagged three of the four key posts in the Delhi University Students Union (DUSU) elections. The NSUI was left to fend for scraps bagging just a secretary post. To make matters worse,the ABVP victory came a day after Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi was declared the BJP’s Prime Ministerial candidate.

Government hits back

The Haryana government’s decision to order a vigilance probe into an alleged scam at the Haryana Seeds Development Corporation is being seen as an attempt by the government to settle scores with senior IAS officer Ashok Khemka. The state’s bureaucratic circles are abuzz with talk that the Congress government has been looking for one opportunity to tame Khemka after he busted scam after scam that led to the doorstep of Sonia Gandhi’s son-in-law. While the government had not been entertaining anonymous or pseudonymous complaints against its officers,it has,however,made an exception in this case by conducting an inquiry based on a pseudonymous complaint by an officer against whom Khemka had been levelling allegations of corruption for long.

Ludhiana and Jalandhar

Union Textile Minister Dr K S Rao was in Ludhiana recently to listen to the grievances of the industry. While he did give the industrialists a patient hearing and even made a few announcements,the minister seemed to be confused about which Punjab city he was in — Ludhiana or Jalandhar. He began his speech by addressing the ‘Jalandhar’ industrialists but was soon corrected by his Union Cabinet colleague Manish Tewari. Despite the correction,however,Rao continued making the same mistake throughout his speech and even while interacting with the media.

Baby’s day out

It was baby-sitting time for Punjab Revenue Minister Bikram Singh Majithia whose infant son made his first public appearance in Moga. Majithia,who had come to visit a religious shrine in Badni Kalan,was accompanied by his sister Harsimrat Badal with both taking turns to keep an eye on the child. The doting father kept a keen eye on his son’s activities even while addressing the media.

Lessons from Punjab

With Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in the spotlight due to the recent communal riots in Muzaffarnagar,and many accusing him of inept handling of the situation,Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Badal’s succession model has come in for praise. Local leaders,including in the Congress,admit that Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav should have followed the Badal model. The chief minister is yet to relinquish his chair to his son despite Sukhbir having been an MP; served as a union minister of state in the NDA government and having been an MLA twice in a row. Even when there was growing chorus to elevate Sukhbir during the SAD-BJP’s second term,Badal stood firm. Many Punjab leaders now say that Mulayam should have also made Akhilesh serve as a deputy CM instead of directly making him the chief minister.

After sand,the bread

Political and bureaucratic circles in Punjab are abuzz with rumours that the government after taking its share from sand and liquor has now turned its attention to bread. A senior BJP leader said that the government will take Re 1 from every bread packet sold by a famous company in Punjab; the firm owner has now been pressurised to increase the price to accommodate the government’s share,BJP sources said.

Cold vibes

It occurred when three top Punjab officials were present in the Punjab and Haryana High Court to explain the government’s lackadaisical attitude in a case. The first to arrive was DGP Sumedh Singh Saini. As he entered the court room,Saini saluted the division bench that was busy deciding cases. He was soon followed by chief secretary Rakesh Singh,who parked himself with Saini in the last row designated for lawyers. Little did the two realise that their former colleague,Director General of Prisons,Punjab,Shashi Kant was also present in court. Kant made the babus a little uncomfortable with “startling” accusations of “narco-terrorism” and “narco-politics” while arguing for a CBI probe into the “drug mafia” operating in Punjab. While returning to his seat,Kant stopped to shake hands with Saini. The handshake did not appear to be a very warm one,though.

Relief or grief!

The Punjab and Haryana High Court’s order,dismissing the anticipatory bail applications of Haryana MLAs O P Jain and Zile Ram Sharma left not only the two MLAs but also the CBI sleuths confused. For,the High Court gave them a week’s time to surrender before the special CBI court in Panchkula. Both sets of lawyers were baffled as to whether it was a relief for the accused or for the CBI. Much to their chagrin,a copy of the detailed judgment was not made available till late evening. Taking no chances,lawyers of both parties directed their assistants to stay put in the Court till the judgment was made available.

Appeal to Punjabiat

Punjab Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal was an angry man this week with most of his ire reserved for the media after what he believed was an unfair portrayal of Punjab as a poor grovelling cash-starved state when according to him the state was doing wonderfully financially. After an hour-long presentation on the state’s finances he could not help but shift gear from being the visionary CEO of Punjab to a true-blue politician. “With folded hands I request you all,” he said addressing the media,“You are all Punjabis. Let’s work together for Punjab and not keep writing that Punjab is a cash-strapped state. It sends the wrong picture to investors and it affects the state’s future.”

Kabhi haan,kabhi naan

The week,however,ended with the media getting upset with the deputy chief minister’s men. The press was invited for a Sukhbir conference in which he was to announce the induction of some BSP leaders into SAD. The show was organised by senior SAD leader Prem Singh Chandumajra but the deputy chief minister did not feel that the event was “big” enough for him to address a press conference. As a result,an urgent message was sent to every newsperson that the conference was cancelled and when Chandumajra came to know of it,he was livid. After all he was the one who had won over the BSP leaders and a great photo opportunity had slipped from his hands. A tantrum was thrown and some select journalists were called to cover the event. Those left out were an unhappy lot and the deputy chief minister’s media advisor got an earful from a senior journalist. What do they say about too many cooks?