Akalis retain power, end up ‘power drunk’
Tuesday, 01/01/2013
http://www.indianexpress.com/news/akalis-retain-power-end-up--power-drunk-/1052821/1
The year, which began on a positive note for the ruling SAD-BJP combine, which overcame anti-incumbency to retain power for the second consecutive term, however, turned embarrassing for the Parkash Singh Badal government as three of its ministers were convicted by courts in different cases and had to quit in a span of six months.
The first to go was Bibi Jagir Kaur, who had to resign after she was sentenced to five year imprisonment by a CBI court for forcible abortion of her daughter who died nearly 12 years back. She was followed by Tota Singh, who was held guilty in a case by a Mohali court in May for misusing official vehicle during 1997-2002 when he was education minister in the Akali regime.
Facing charges of embezzlement of grants, senior Akali leader Gulzar Singh Ranike had to resign from the Cabinet in September.
Despite such setbacks, the SAD-BJP combine seemed to continue enjoying people’s faith as in a by-poll to Dasuya assembly seat in July, caused due to death of BJP MLA Amarjit Singh Sahi, his widow Sukhjit Kaur drubbed Congress rival Arun Dogra by a huge margin. The alliance also swept municipal corporation polls in the state’s four largest cities — Amritsar, Jalandhar, Ludhiana and Patiala.
The Akali Dal was also put on the defensive with several of its leaders brushes with law.
A police officer was shot dead in public allegedly by an Akali leader in Amritsar after he stopped him and his accomplices from passing lewd remarks against his daughter. Days after the incident, another Akali village head allegedly abducted a youth from a village in Amritsar and thrashed him to death.
There was wide public outrage at Faridkot in October after a 15-year-old minor was abducted by a man believed to be close to Akalis, at gunpoint from her house. The girl was later traced with the boy in Goa .
In the middle of the year, Ludhiana Municipal Commissioner Malvinder Singh Jaggi was suspended after he was found guilty of gross misuse of power in demolishing the shop of a vegetable vendor who did not “attend” to his wife properly. Towards the beginning of the year, in a sensational double murder case, Moga DSP Balraj Singh Gill was hacked to death along with a woman at Ludhiana.
Also, the winter session of the Assembly saw as Public Relations Minister Bikramjit Singh Majithia using abusive language against a Congress MLA Rana Gurjit Singh. Speaker Charanjit Singh Atwal suspended Rana from the rest of the session, leading to Congress boycotting the session.
The government also faced flak for allowing radical groups a free run even as protests were held across state in support of former Chief Minister Beant Singh’s assassin Balwant Singh Rajoana with a total bandh in favour of clemency to him. To top it, the Sikh high priests bestowed the title of Zinda Shaheed (living martyr) on Rajoana.
On the other hand, the SGPC remained tight lipped on the attack on Lt Gen Lt KS Brar (retd), the man who led Operation Bluestar, in London. Also a decision to construct the a memorial Operation Bluestar sparked a huge debate with Congress and others, including BJP, opposing.
The year also saw some reforms in the police with Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal scaling down security cover for VIPs and removing 2,000 personnel from security duty.
It was a mixed bag for Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) and Punjab State Transmission Corporation Limited (PSTCL). The deadline for commissioning of the first 660 MW unit of the upcoming Talwandi Sabo Thermal Plant (1,980 MW) was extended from November 30 to April 13, 2013. But the T&D losses came down marginally from 18 per cent to 17.4 per cent.
Summing up 2012
Satirist and film producer Jaspal Bhatti died in a freak road mishap in Jalandhar in October
A building collapse in Jalandhar in April left around 15 labourers dead.
A state commissioned survey found 500 farmers commit suicide in Punjab in a year.
When the Union council of ministers was expanded in October, Ashwani Kumar (law and justice), Pawan Kumar Bansal (Railways) and Manish Tewari (I&B) found place.
