Punjab Diary: Foes turn friends

Chandigarh: Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa, who had been critical of CM Capt Amarinder and his Chief Principal Secretary Suresh Kumar over the functioning of the government, was recently seen holding meeting with the top official at the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO). The change of heart comes with changed political equations. After all, the quid pro quo between the CM and the former PCC chief suits both and keeps Capt Amarinder’s baiters at bay. With the new realignment and eagerness to return to state politics, foes have turned friends for the sake of political aspirations.

Million-dollar question

Batala: Whenever the Assembly polls are around, the debate invariably veers around whether Batala is a Hindu or Sikh dominated seat. In the 2012 and 2017 polls, Congress leader Ashwani Sekhri managed the ticket after propounding the logic that it is a Hindu majority seat. He won in 2012, but lost in 2017. This means the Hindu factor worked for him in 2012, while five years later, the same didn’t. This time, RS Member Partap Singh Bajwa, who is eyeing the constituency, claims Batala is a Sikh-dominated seat. Only the results will tell whether his caste calculations were right or wrong.

Gauging the problem

Pathankot: A wave of jubilation had swept the city when a year ago, MP Sunny Deol informed his constituents the Railways is in the process of constructing an elevated track to tide over the problem of the nine narrow gauge railway crossings in the city. However, not much was heard about the project subsequently. Congress MLA Amit Vij has now deputed his best-known spin doctor and brother Ashish Vij to ensure the venture is taken to its logical conclusion. Residents say they want the problem solved at the earliest. They don’t care two hoots whether the BJP solves it or the Congress. In an election year, the project has the potential to sway votes. Nobody, seems to understand this better than the MLA.

Brar in tight spot

Bathinda: Senior leader Jagmeet Singh Brar, who has jumped into the electoral battle as SAD candidate from the Maur Assembly segment in Bathinda district, is in an awkward situation with his old video purportedly targeting the Badals going viral on the social media. Brar remained a senior Congress leader for a long time before joining the Akalis in 2019. During his stint with the Congress, he contested against the Badal family and in 1999 even defeated Sukhbir Singh Badal from Faridkot in the Lok Sabha polls. He was quite vocal against the Badals during his earlier days.

Sputnik is right for Left

Chandigarh: Punjab Leftists’ love for the erstwhile Soviet Union is not all lost. Even if it has meant months of wait, several Left leaning activists and scholars in Punjab are opting for Russia-made Sputnik when it comes to Covid vaccination. A prominent Left scholar travelled all the way from Patiala to the state capital to get a shot of the vaccine, which at present is available only in the government sector. Significantly, Sputnik was also a popular magazine in the Soviet heyday and was widely read in Punjab.

Power tussle

Fatehgarh Sahib: MLA Kuljit Singh Nagra has emerged as the tallest leader in Fatehgarh Sahib ever since assuming charge as Pradesh Congress Committee working president. However, power tussle continues in two other constituencies of the district — Amloh and Bassi Pathana. In Amloh, Cabinet Minister Sadhu Singh Dharmsot’s supporters are trying to pin MLA Kaka Randeep Singh down by holding meetings. In Bassi Pathana, Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Sidhupur’s son in-law has projected himself as the party nominee. He has even purchased a residential house there. To neutralise this, legislator Gurpreet Singh GP invited Dharmsot to inaugurate a park, where the minister announced GP as the candidate.

Contributed by Rajmeet Singh, Ravi Dhaliwal, Sukhmeet Bhasin, Vishav Bharti & Surinder Bhardwaj