Rebels defy Capt call to withdraw

Amarinder had appealed last week to all those contesting against official candidates to withdraw,failing which they will be expelled from the party for a period of six years. While showing the stick,he had also tried to placate rebels by saying they stand to gain nothing by standing against their own party candidates and it will only provide undue advantage to the Akali-BJP alliance. Going by the same logic,Amarinder sees little gain in expelling rebels and will try to pacify them as he starts his campaigning from Amritsar on Tuesday.

Besides the rebel trouble,the party is once again making a delayed start to campaigning. It is banking on its sole “star campaigner” Amarinder to boost poll prospects and cadre morale. But the party chief has been shuttling between New Delhi and Chandigarh after the poll verdict. His campaign programme too was downsized from earlier 10 days – four in Patiala,three each in Jalandhar and Ludhiana and two in Amritsar – to four days,one each in all the four corporations going to polls.

Visibly a divided house,factionalism too is not helping the party’s prospects or morale of workers. Amarinder-baiters waiting for a poor show at the civic polls to ensure his exit from captaincy of the party. But his supporters claim the party would better its performance of 2007 MC polls which were held after it suffered a setback in the 2007 polls. The hope is once again on the silent voter.

‘SAD offering Rs 25 lakh to buy out candidates’

Struggling with rebellion,and with a large number of its candidates withdrawing from the electoral fray,the Congress on Monday alleged that the ruling SAD-BJP alliance was using money power to queer the elcetoral pitch.

“Rs 20-25 lak is being offered to the Congress candidates to withdraw their names. Those who are not succumbing to the lure of money are being told that false criminal cases would be registered against them,” former minister Avtar Henry said in Jalandhar.

Addressing the media,Henry,alongwith party observer for election in Jalandhar,Ashwani Sekhri,publicity committee convener Varinder Sharma and former MLA Jagbir Brar,claimed that the SAD candidate from Ward 39 approached Congress candidate Manjinder Kaur and offered her money to withdraw her name. “Kaur’s family called the police and handed over the person. They also handed over a video recording of the conversation. However,instead of booking the SAD candidate,the police registered an attempt to murder case against Brar and her family,” he said.

In Ward 38, from where former district BJP President Ravi Mahindru is contesting,Congress candidate Saket Shetty was offered Rs 25 lakh,he said,adding that party candidate Gulshan Kumar Sarangal withdrew his papers in favour of SAD candidate Kamaljit Singh Bhatia.

Preneet protests against police

patiala: In the wake of complaints of alleged arm twisting by local policemen of Congress candidates for the upcoming municipal elections here,Union minister Preneet Kaur on Monday led a delegation to lodge a protest with officials.

The delegation,comprising several Congress candidates and MLA of Patiala Rural Brahm Mohindra met district magistrate-cum-district election officer G K Singh and lodged a protest against the alleged pressure tactics being used by police to “intimidate party nominees.”

The civic polls are scheduled to be held in Punjab later this month.

Preneet,who is Congress MP from Patiala,later told reporters that the Patiala police was threatening Congress candidates to withdraw from the contest in favour of candidates fielded by the ruling alliance.

She alleged that family members of the nominees are summoned to the police stations like criminals and told either to quit the Congress or face consequences.

However,when contacted,a senior police official trashed the allegations levelled by the Congress candidates.