Punjab Diary: Tricolour bonhomie

Amritsar: The bureaucrat-turned Bharatiya Janata Party leader Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju “deliberately or accidentally” put the Tricolour on the gate of a house of Aam Aadmi Party MLA Jeevan Jyot Kaur recently. Dr Raju had unsuccessfully contested the Assembly poll from the Amritsar East segment against the AAP MLA. Later, he uploaded the pictures on social media. The AAP MLA replied, “Jagmohan Singh Raju ji, thank you very much for coming to my house and honouring me by placing the Tricolour on my gate, but it would have been better if you had come to my house giving me advance notice as I would have got a chance to host you…” Interestingly, Dr Raju also responded, “Jeevan Jyot ji, I didn’t know this was your house. I saw a house without a flag. But we have to meet up. We can work together for the betterment of the segment.”

Warding off ‘demons’

Patiala: Earlier, people used demon pots to ward off evil spirits, but now people are using banners of religious figures and elected representatives to get rid of law enforcing ‘demons’ (read the police and the MC) by showing their political clout. A number of illegal booths and kiosks have come up in Patiala with no authority taking action against them. Many hoardings installed by youngsters claiming to be a part of “Team Bhagwant Mann” dot the city. Though they have no association with the Chief Minister, they are promoting their own trade. “Only the government has changed, not the political habits,” said residents.

Anti-drone zone

Pathankot: There were many joyous faces around on the eve of Independence Day. However, in the midst of the festivities, at least three people had stress on their faces. They were Deepak Hilori, Satinder Singh and Harkamal Preet Singh Khakh, the police chiefs of Gurdaspur, Batala and Pathankot, respectively. They were losing sleep wondering if a drone attack by Pakistan would spoil the party. The DCs of Gurdaspur and Pathankot issued a letter declaring all the three police districts as anti-drone zones, which meant anything flying in the air would be shot down. A senior officer said unless and until the Punjab Police develops an effective anti-drone gun, such letters will continue to have no significance at all.

Reigniting ties

Gurdaspur: The Kartarpur corridor may not be attracting many pilgrims. Against the intended target of 5,000, just 100-150 people cross over to Pakistan daily. However, not all is lost for this passage to Pakistan because it has been facilitating the reunions of families separated during the Partition. On a conservative estimate, the corridor has enabled nearly a hundred families to reignite ties. The latest in line was nonagenarian Sarwan Singh, who met his nephew Mohan Singh Abdul Khalak, after 75 years. “In this materialistic world, the only institution that has not eroded till now is a family,” said Sarwan.

Pressure tactics

Ludhiana: The “average” students who failed to get admission in colleges are now heading towards politicians to get themselves enrolled. The college managements, especially the private ones are having a difficult time. “How can we overlook the merit and give admission out of turn? But we are under tremendous pressure of the MLAs to accommodate students,” said a senior faculty member of a private college.

‘Unparliamentary’ words

Kapurthala: A feud within the Aam Aadmi Party in Kapurthala has now reached Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann. Vikas Momi (AAP social media incharge) has opened a front against AAP constituency incharge Manju Rana for allegedly using unparliamentary words against him. Members of the Valmiki community also took up the issue of foul language used by Rana, who lost the Assembly poll to Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh. She has reportedly courted numerous controversies over her public outbursts. The current argument involves a phone conversation between Rana and Momi, which has gone viral.