This Week Punjab

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has drawn criticism from the Opposition for taking a nap at village schools or gurdwaras.

CM gets a feel of villages,Oppn mocks him

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has drawn criticism from the Opposition for taking a nap at village schools or gurdwaras after holding public meetings during a tour of rural Punjab. Former CM Capt Amarinder Singh said it was time for Badal to wake up from deep slumber. If you could not get a feel of village life for 70 years of your political life,you cant get it now, he said. Amarinder,the state Congress chief,said Badal had taken a leaf out of Rahul Gandhis book. The ruling party has hit back by saying that a maharaja can have no idea of village life. Meanwhile,all villages in Punjab are keen to play host to the CM for his Sangat Dsarshan,as it would ensure at least one night without load-shedding.

PCC office-bearers list sparks fights within

No sooner was the list of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee office-bearers released than the fireworks began within. Many senior leaders were left out of the list to accommodate the kin of various factions,led by Congress Legislature Party leader Rajinder Kaur Bhattal,MP Partap Bajwa,CWC member Jagmeet Brar and Capt Amarinder Singh himself. The brewing dissent made Amarinder promise another list. But this is only adding fuel to the raging row,with various factions accusing him of not taking them into confidence. Some of the disgruntled also met G S Charak,in charge of the partys Punjab affairs. He has directed partymen not to air their grievances before the media.

cong cries foul as Babus ready for poll plunge8230;

After a successful run in the corridors of power,IAS and IPS officers of Punjab are getting ready to test political waters. DGP P S Gill and principal secretary to the Chief Minister DS Guru are likely to take the political plunge this election season. The Shiromani Akali Dal is planning to give a ticket to the DGP for Moga and to Guru for Bhadaur. The Congress,meanwhile,has asserting both should first resign,with Capt Amarinder Singh saying that in his over four decades in public life he has not seen a DGP or a principal secretary being announced as the ruling partys candidates. He said they could not be government officers and Akali lieutenants at the same time,as it was against service rules.

8230;and as akali dal MLA takes over as PSC head

Another decision that has upset the Congress is the appointment of Akali Dal MLA from Ludhiana West Harish Rai Dhanda,53,as the chairman of the Punjab Public Service Commission. The Congress says it was against the spirit of the constitutional body. Dhanda,who was also chief parliamentary secretary local bodies,has taken the post that fell vacant after the death of S K Sinha. Capt Amarinder Singh has been most vocal against Dhanda who was in-charge of the Assembly committee that probed his alleged role in the Amritsar Improvement Trust scam and recommended his expulsion from the Vidhan Sabha before the Supreme Court overruled this.