High voltage tug-of-war

The electricity tariff hike has given a jolt to the ruling alliance. To keep its urban vote bank intact,the BJP wanted the Akali Dal to roll back...

The electricity tariff hike has given a jolt to the ruling alliance. To keep its urban vote bank intact,the BJP wanted the Akali Dal to roll back the hike in commercial,domestic and industrial sectors. Seeing the BJP firm on its demand,Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal rushed to New Delhi and tried to bring the alliance partner around. However,his charm failed to sway the saffron partys president Nitin Gadkari,who stood by his parivar. The SAD finally gave in,and partially rolled back the power hike and agreed to reimburse the excess amount already paid by the consumer since September 2009. While the BJP punched the air,Finance Minister Manpreet Badal got a shock. The FM is now finding it hard to row the budget boat of the financially-tattered state,while Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal is on the crest of a wave,flaunting fat VAT figures.

MLA faces party ire

Congress mla from Guruharsahai Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhis trip to Jaipur,which turned controversial after his Pakistani friend Najmi Rizvi was found travelling without required permission,has left the party high command fuming. While the Rajasthan Police are investigating the role of Sodhi in the illegal visit of Rizvi,the party high command has also ordered an inquiry. The Pakistan national arrived in India through the Wagah border and had valid visa only for Agra,Chandigarh and Delhi. Jaipur Tajs GM Samrat Dutta had said that Sodhi misled the hotel management by saying that all the persons accompanying him were his family members. The hotel staff accidentally found that she was a Pakistani and informed police.

Trouble Down Under

The murders of Jagraons Nitin Garg and Nabhas Ranjodh Singh in Australia has led to concerns in the state,from where a large number of youngsters go abroad. Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal led a delegation to meet Australian High Commissioner Peter Varghese and submitted a memorandum,asking him to take concrete steps to safeguard the life and property of Punjabis in Australia. At Nitins cremation,Tim Huggins,First Secretary,Australian High Commission,assured that the government will nab his killers. When this issue was simmering,reports of a fire at an Australian gurdwara fuelled the emotions. While the Oz police suspected it was caused by a bonfire,CM Parkash Singh Badal condemned it as a racial attack.

Ragis stand irks clergy

Though upset over former Akal Takht Jathedar Darshan Singh Ragis unyielding attitude on their summons,the Sikh clergy gave him another chance to appear for his case by January 29. Declared tankhayia guilty of religious misconduct,he is accused of issuing blasphemous statements about Guru Gobind Singh in the US. When the clergy had asked him to appear before the Takht to accept his punishment and offer an explanation,Ragi,a renowned Sikh scholar,left his file outside,saying that he would give clarification in front of the community. Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh,while hinting at excommunicating Ragi if he continued to be defiant,said,Disrespect to the Takht is unpardonable.