GURDASPUR, Aug 9: Former Punjab minister and senior Congress leader Khushal Bahl, while talking to mediapersons here yesterday, expressed grave concern over the way nomination papers of candidates having leaning towards the Congress were rejected allegedly on illegal and unfair grounds for election to the board of directors of the Gurdaspur Primary Agriculture Development Bank Ltd. to accommodate nominees of the ruling SAD-BJP combine.He said that while polling was being held in only two out of the total six zones, it was strange that the nomination papers were rejected due to the ``inactiveness'' of the candidates. This was done despite the fact that names of the persons, whose nominations have been rejected, had appeared in the approved voting list, Bahl added.At the time the election programme was announced no condition of inactiveness had been stipulated, Bahl said and added that it went against the democratic principles.If a member of the bank raises loan for a tubewell say in 1990 and repays it within the time schedule of seven years in 1997 and does not raise another loan which he may not be needing in 1998, how he can be described as inactive for non-transaction for only a few months in 1998, he questioned.Bahl further alleged that with the rejection of the nomination papers of the pro-Congress candidates, the voters, spread over 700 villages along the border area, had been deprived of their choice of candidates.Prominent among those whose nomination papers have been rejected are Hardeep Singh, president, Block Congress Committee (rural) Gurdaspur and Bhupinder Singh, member, Block Samiti, Gurdaspur.Interestingly, the nomination papers of all candidates for Kahnuwan zone were rejected on different grounds, bank sources disclosed. Elections for the Dhariwal and Gurdaspur (eastern) zones would be held on August 13 as per the election schedule, bank authorities said.Spokesman of the Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) Pritam Singh Kaunta, however, refuted the charges levelled by Bahl. Kaunta said that nomination papers of SAD (B) candidates, including Kuldeep Singh, Baljit Singh, Swinder Singh, ex-chairman of the bank, had been rejected on the ground of inactiveness during scrutiny of nomination papers held yesterday.
