A chief of defence staff must be superior in the chain of command to the service chiefs for him to be effective and empowered

The expert committee led by Lieutenant General (retd.) D.B. Shekatkar has recently submitted its report to the defence minister. The panel, composed mostly of retired senior military officers, was appointed in May 2016 and was tasked with looking at “Enhancing Combat Capability and Rebalancing Defence Expenditure”. Among its many recommendations is the appointment of a single-point adviser to the Defence Minister. Since Manohar Parrikar has already spoken of his desire to move in this direction, the recommendations of the Shekatkar panel assume greater importance.

PTIDefence Minister Manohar Parrikar has already expressed his desire to move in the direction of a single­point military adviser

The panel has reportedly recommended the new post should be a four-star appointment – equivalent to those of the service chiefs. This top four-star officer is envisaged as a coordinator, who won’t impinge on the operation or administrative functions of military chiefs. The creation of such a post should be accompanied by the integration of the service headquarters with the Ministry of Defence. However, the panel has apparently recommended against integrating the three services into joint commands. This is seen as an American model tailored for expeditionary role rather than homeland defence and hence unsuitable for the Indian context.

While the committee’s recommendations are well-intentioned and such reforms long overdue, the proposed institutional design is deeply problematic.

The idea itself is hardly new. The Group of Ministers (GoM) following the Kargil Review Committee called for the appointment of a Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) as a singlepoint military adviser to the Defence Minister. This stemmed from the lack of integrated planning and operations between the services during the Kargil War. In fact, this is a problem that has plagued the armed forces in every conflict since 1947. The appointment of a CDS was expected to usher in top-down integration among the services and better coordination between the services and the government.

The Vajpayee government created a new joint headquarters of the Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS). But it baulked at appointing a CDS and instead appointed a Chief of Integrated Defence Staff who would run the HQ IDS until the CDS was appointed. This half-baked solution persists to date. In fairness, HQ IDS has managed to bring a degree of coherence to issues like procurement and joint doctrine. But this is hardly adequate. More importantly, it has allowed the political leadership to perpetuate an illusion of reforms while continuing to resist the appointment of the CDS.

Then again, in the early years after the GoM report, the services themselves were a divided house on this. The air force resisted the creation of a CDS – apparently on grounds that it would pave the way for institutional domination by the army. This came handy to political leaders and bureaucrats in deflecting questions about their own unwillingness to institutionalise the system. Towards the end of the UPA-II government, the three service chiefs jointly wrote to the prime minister expressing support for the creation of a CDS.

Meanwhile, the government had appointed another panel led by Naresh Chandra to examine why the GoM’s recommendations of were not fully implemented and to suggest a new road map for security reforms. This panel suggested that instead of a full-fledged CDS, the government appoint a permanent Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee with a fixed tenure. By giving the chairman a fixed term of, say, twoyears, it was hoped that he would have enough time to work on key issues of integration between the services. Now the Shekatkar panel has come up with another halfway house.

Any institutional solution along these lines is unlikely to deliver the necessary levels of integration. If the CDS does not outrank the service chiefs, then his ability to function as the single-point military adviser to the government will be undoubtedly circumscribed. At best, it will amount to an incremental improvement on the existing HQ IDS. Worse still, it will yet again create the illusion of progress and delay real reforms . The idea that such reforms should be imposed gradually or piecemeal is seriously mistaken. In most countries that have achieved institutional integration, the process has been driven politically from on high.

The CDS must be empowered fully. There should be no doubt about his being superior in the chain of command to the service chiefs. The appointment should be followed by the setting up of integrated theatre commands. The supply and logistics commands could be integrated. It is an indispensable prerequisite for ensuring “jointness” in war fighting. Simultaneously, the service chiefs should prepare to relinquish operational control over the services and become what their titles suggest: chiefs of staff, responsible for raising, equipping and training of the forces. The chain of operational command should run from the Defence Minister through the CDS to the integrated theatre commanders.

Something is not always better than nothing. As the case of HQ IDS shows the half-life of such institutional short-cuts tends to be very long. More worryingly, it helps anaesthetise the system and masks need for real reform. Enhancing the combat capability and effectiveness requires full-blooded measures. It would be sad if the government perpetuates or aggravates the problem by using palliatives. It would sadder still, if the government were forced to consider real reform by another external crisis.

After a particularly harrowing year, now is the time in J&K to be more optimistic. We can move ahead by strategising. Serious ideation, instead of negative reviews, is required and a window is available for that. The world is witnessing a change in the strategic environment. Tackling core issues is the need of the hour

THE year 2016 had so much negativity for Jammu and Kashmir that in the new year every article or essay related to the state is tending to be negative. Recalling the year gone by; the state of polity, level of alienation or the continued Pakistani role, are among the subjects being discussed by analysts but rarely do we find suggestions on the way forward.  2016 will probably be most remembered for the reverse in the tide although we have witnessed equally serious situations in the past and bounced back to full control thereafter. There have been constants in all these situations as well as dynamic and fluctuating aspects too. Strategic planners, who are reviewing and re-examining future strategy, need to be aware of the reverses and the bounce backs of the past. They have to be aware of the constants, the imponderables and the “definitives”. It is not as if India sat back on its haunches and did not respond in equal measure and more when its security was threatened in Jammu and Kashmir. What perhaps it did lack was the killer instinct to resolve the issue or send an appropriate message to adversaries that there was no question of their success in the face of India’s comprehensive resolve.There are different ways of looking at the situation and this can be done by reviewing what happened at some junctures in the 28-year asymmetric conflict in the state. In 1996, militancy was still at a high but the mercenary content from outside South Asia was diluting. A bold decision was then taken to go in for elections, with the full knowledge that neither was the situation conducive for electioneering, nor would the turnout indicate any major success. This was just a year after the Al Firan kidnapping incident which had sent shock waves around the world. Alienation was high, Kashmir’s media and intelligentsia were spewing venom at the Indian government and Army but militarily some success had been achieved with the setting up of the Rashtriya Rifles (RR) headquarters in south Kashmir. Prime Minister Narasimha Rao had succeeded in building a political consensus of  sorts with his February 22, 1994, joint parliamentary resolution indicating India’s full resolve to not only defend its stance on Jammu and Kashmir but also recover all its former territories. The Indian position on Jammu and Kashmir and human rights was projected at the 1994 meeting of the UN Human Rights Commission at Geneva by none other than a delegation which had the presence of Atal Behari Vajpayee and Salman Khurshid. Could there be a better message of political consensus on a national security issue? This brilliant period of national consensus diplomacy needs reiteration in today’s environment. It was India all the way. Later, 1996 proved to be a crucial year in which the democratic process was re-seeded in Jammu and Kashmir after a fairly long time. The effects of it may not have been immediate but the long-term effect was profound.In 1999, the situation was the worst in a decade. North Kashmir had been denuded of troops with the move of 8 Mountain Division to Kargil. Tension on the LoC remained high even after withdrawal of the Pakistani troops in Kargil. There were incidents in Gurez, Gulmarg, Lipa and elsewhere even post-withdrawal. The so-called Fidayeen had just commenced their suicide attacks in mid-1999, which had got all security forces in a defensive mode, at least for some time. Yet, the Parliamentary elections were held, though again with low but a marginally better voter turnout. There was no flinching from the difficult task. I remember running battles with terrorists and sounds of blasts all around our location at Avantipura on polling day. In 2003, the LoC was still alive with heavy artillery exchanges when we decided to commence construction of the LoC Fence. As the then Commander of the Uri Brigade even I had serious doubts about its viability. However, the ingenuity and energy of the troops in taking ownership of respective segments ensured that the terror mathematics was reversed in three years. Along the way, President Pervez Musharraf announced a unilateral ceasefire.  We supported it and played along. There was no change whatsoever in the levels of alienation or activities of the separatists but the effect of changed strategy of focusing closer to the LoC, led to reduction in successful infiltration and dilution in terrorist strength in the hinterland. This had a cascading effect on future operations. The period 2001-7 was the consolidation stage. The Army had the sagacity to fully support Mufti’s “healing-touch” campaign, even as it undertook proactive operations against the terrorists and achieved spectacular results.In 2008-10, the separatists changed strategy and took their struggle to the streets. There was paralysis of administration and chaos in the streets but it could not be sustained. With an outreach programme for the youth, the public at large and greater political activism, we turned 2011-12 around. This gave Jammu and Kashmir probably its most peaceful period in two- and-a-half decades and its best tourism and horticulture figures in some years. Infiltration was reduced to the lowest ever and the ratio of security men to terrorists killed during the year was also by far one of the best. A hope was rekindled in the public. Unfortunately, new militancy, lack of continuity, out-of-context demands by the state government, without considering the security situation and a general apathy by the leadership allowed a drift. This resulted in the mayhem of 2016, post the killing of Burhan Wani. The current situation has been described as an ominous silence awaiting outburst from pent- up passion. 2017 could witness this or, going by our past record, fresh initiatives could come from any quarter. This could once again witness a turnaround, this time hopefully sustainable.There is no need for despondency among those who matter in India’s strategic discourse. Such campaigns by our adversaries are open-ended, without pegged way points to objectives. The world is witnessing a change in the strategic environment. This is the time when those with a grasp of geopolitics have to be in sync with those looking at geo-strategic aspects. Initiatives must include incentives for Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh. A general theme giving sustained peace a chance, along with means by which all core issues can be discussed by the people most affected, could be the need. For that, leaders have to come forward, shed inhibitions and take issues by the horns, as was done in the past. The stakes of peace must be dwelt upon minds and hearts   with a resolve that 2017 will never be a repeat of 2016.The writer, a former General Officer Commanding of the Srinagar-based 15 Corps, is now associated with the Vivekanand International Foundation .

Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 18

Call it an enthusiasm to contest or just a fallout of the entry of a new political party, but it is after a long gap of 32 years that the number of nominations filed by candidates for the 117 Punjab Assembly seats has almost touched the 2,000-mark.Also, the number of nominations filed for the 2017 Assembly elections has increased by 200 compared to 2012, when 1,731 candidates had filed nominations.A total of 1,941 candidates have filed papers this time. Today was the last day to file nominations.(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)It was way back in 1985 that 2,175 candidates had filed nominations despite the fact that militancy was at its peak and the state had gone to hustings after President’s rule. But only 875 were left in fray after withdrawal of candidature and scrutiny of papers then.The number of candidates who will remain in the contest will drop after the scrutiny of nominations on Thursday and withdrawal of candidature by Saturday (January 21). “An increase in the number of nominations was expected due to entry of AAP. The new party has not only fielded candidates in all segments, its entry has also persuaded a lot many small and splinter groups to jump into elections,” said a senior electoral officer.

In ‘brush’, AAP sees ‘danger’ to broom

• Chandigarh: After “torch” and “ladyfinger”, it’s now “toothbrush” in which the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) sees a threat to its “broom”. In a request to the Election Commission and the Chief Electoral Officer of Punjab, the party has sought that the “toothbrush” be removed from the list of election symbols meant for Independent candidates as it was “deceptive” and too similar to its own party symbol. Senior AAP leader Raghav Chadha pleaded, “The symbol is similar to AAP’s broom and may create confusion in the minds of innocent voters.” During the Delhi Assembly elections in January last year, AAP had demanded that the symbol of “torch” be delisted. The EC retained the “torch” but without the beam. TNS

Which way the wind is blowing in the Malwa region

The Tribune correspondent hops on to a bus and traverses the Malwa to feel the pulse of the common man as election is just three weeks away

CM Parkash Singh Badal addresses a gathering at Bodiwal village in Lambi. Tribune photo: Vishav Bharti

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

As the private bus moves at 70 km an hour on a chilly morning on National Highway-95, flex boards carrying political posters are the only reminder that the Punjab Assembly poll is just three weeks away. Inside the bus, hardly anyone discusses politics.As the conductor blows the whistle and the bus is about to leave Samrala, a man sporting an Akali-blue turban boards the bus and takes the seat behind me. He is carrying a sheaf of papers. We soon strike a conversation and the topic changes to election. He says for four generations they have voted only for “babe di takdi”.

Mohan Singh, a small farmer from Sherpur Bet in Samrala, says but this time it will be different. He shuffles his papers saying he is on his way to Ludhiana to see a lawyer. “My relatives, in connivance with local Akali leaders, have taken away my land,” he says, adding that like many others in his village he will support the Aam Aadmi Party. “Ehna (Akalis) ne jo gundagardi keeti hai, ehna nu taan kise dargah te vi maafi ni milni.”At Ludhiana, as the conductor looks for passengers for Barnala, a plump man, who seems in his 30s, takes the seat beside me. He says he is not interested in election. “I won’t vote this time. Earlier, I had hope from jharuwalas, but their candidates are no different,” he says as he puts his earplugs on.Meanwhile, a few vendors move in the aisle shouting their wares as the bus heads towards the sandy dunes of the Malwa.Located right on the Bathinda-Fazilka highway, a gathering—outnumbered by policemen—is waiting for Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal at Bodiwala village in Lambi constituency. “Ki-ki siftan kariye Badal sarkaar diyan,” a dhadi jatha is trying to hold the gathering.Before moving on to another village, Badal says, “I am not interested in becoming CM. Mera path-pooja karan da time hai. Bande nu agge ja ke vi hisab dena hunda hai. I had told my party to relieve me, but they refused. When a cart gets stuck, it needs a strong ox to pull it out. The party said the cart could not move without me.”On National Highway-64, just before the roadways bus leaves Barnala for Sangrur, a posse of policemen boards it. The young conductor does not ask them for tickets, nor do they care to tell him their destination. A young constable from Sunam, who joined police six years back, says they are returning from Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s security duty at Barnala. “We started at 4 am,” he says, adding, “I want the Congress to return to power for then we would be less frequently deployed on the road as the ‘maharaja’ doesn’t travel much.” With a wry smile, he says police personnel generally favour the Congress.From Sangrur, as the ‘AC’ bus of Punjab Roadways starts for Chandigarh, a man unhappy with its dilapidated condition takes a jibe at the driver asking him to close the door or the ‘AC’ would be ineffective, leaving the passengers within earshot in splits.The second-last seat in the bus is occupied by one Parminder Singh, the son of a labourer and a fresh graduate from Faridkot’s Government Brijindra College, who is visiting a relative in Patiala. A bit shy, he says he has so far voted only once–in the 2014 election. He wants the new government to provide jobs and health care.Despite it being in bad shape, the bus runs smoothly on the newly laid-out road, the very road which Sukhbir Badal had once referred to as “bomb-proof”. When pointed out that the new road means development, the youth says the roads have been laid out for the Badals’ buses to ply on.The continuous din of conductors’ whistles and shouts besides sundry other noises at the Patiala bus stand once again remind you of the noisy election scene in the days to come.At the Chandigarh counter, a Punjab Roadways bus full of passengers is flanked by two brand new white Mercedes Benz luxury buses of Taj Travels, a company owned by the Badals. The conductor of the luxury bus is looking for passengers to Chandigarh. With a half-empty bus, it seems he is groping in the dark.

Poll effect: Akalis lose security cover

1,200 gunmen, 28 escort vehicles withdrawn

Jupinderjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 18

On the directions of the Election Commission, the Punjab Police have withdrawn the alleged unauthorised security cover given to Punjab ministers, Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, former SAD MLAs, several “VIP” halqa in-charges, district presidents besides youth Akali leaders. A reality check of over 300 VVIPs, mainly political leaders and their supporters by the Election Commission, found that improper security had been given to many of them.The commission found that the security cover, which had over the years become a status symbol, was beyond the entitlement but the VVIPs had been getting it for several years. The police had not withdrawn it despite the demands by the Opposition.Around 1,200 police guards given to the VVIPs have been withdrawn. Along with it, 28 escort vehicles have been taken back.Among those affected are 24 Chief Parliamentary Secretaries, who had security cover of 18 security guards equivalent to the status of a minister. The EC has authorised them to have four guards only, as per the limit fixed for a member of the Legislative Assembly. Also, a number of youth Akali leaders, some of whom even had up to 20 gunmen, have lost the special cover.Dyal Singh Kolianwali, Muktsar SAD president, had 20 gunmen out of which 10 have been withdrawn now.Former MLAs Sucha Singh Langah, Sewa Singh Sekhwan and some others too have lost their security cover. SOI leaders, too, have to shed their excess cover.However, police sources said no change had been made in the security cover of CM Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Badal. Both leaders fall in the ‘Z-plus’ security and have faced attacks in last few days.The EC has also reviewed the security of AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal, who is the party’s top campaigner in the state. Apart from the security given to him as the CM, he will have a dedicated escort vehicle of the Punjab Police or a paramilitary force.ADGP VK Bhawra, who is Nodal Officer of the Election Commission, said the security was withdrawn after a proper review.

Badals untouched

• Police sources said no change had been made in the security cover of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and his deputy Sukhbir Badal. The two leaders fall in the ‘Z-plus’ security and have faced attacks in last few days.

Cong puts up united face, Bittu files papers

Congress’ Jalalabad candidate and Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu submits papers on Wednesday. Tribune photo

Praful Chander Nagpal

Fazilka, January 18

Ludhiana Congress MP Ravneet Singh Bittu filed nomination papers from the Jalalabad constituency here today. The Congress has pitted the grandson of late Chief Minister Beant Singh against SAD president Sukhbir Badal and AAP MP Bhagwant Mann.The Congress put up a united face at the time of filing of papers as several ticket aspirants were also present.Bittu said the desecration of Guru Granth Sahib was a slur on the Punjab government. He alleged that SAD-BJP combine had plunged Punjab’s youth into the well of drugs and the Congress would eradicate the menace in four weeks if its government came to power.Bittu is worth Rs 4.5 croreAccording to the affidavit filed by Bittu, he owns moveable and immoveable property worth Rs4.5 crore. An agriculturist, Bittu is the owner of 17 acres of agriculture land and residential plots in Mohali and Ludhiana. He also possesses a pistol.

Capt says contesting Lambi to rout Badals

Capt Amarinder Singh files his nomination from the Lambi segment in Malout on Wednesday. Tribune photo: Pawan sharma

Archit Watts

Tribune News Service

Lambi, January 18

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today filed his nomination from Lambi. Termed it as father of all battles, he said: “I will defeat Badal for sure, I am here to beat him.” When asked which seat he would retain if wins both Patiala and Lambi, he said: “I will announce it after the results.”He later held a roadshow from Malout to Lambi. During his halts on the way, he said: “I will teach Badal a lesson for all atrocities unleashed on the people of the state during the last 10 years and set an example for all future CMs.”Amarinder yesterday filed his nomination from Patiala and exhorted the people there to take care of his home town while he took on Badal.At a rally at Lambi village, Amarinder announced that neither Badal nor his kin would be spared for their “wrongdoings” and for bringing the state to such a “pathetic” situation.He also held the Badals responsible for the sacrilege incidents. “We will probe all sacrilege cases and send Badals to jail. Even the ‘Akal Purkh’ will not forgive them for these incidents and his whole family will be wiped out from the state’s political scene,” he claimed.Taking a dig at AAP, Amarinder asked the public that would comedians like Bhagwant Mann and Gurpreet Ghuggi and shoe-thrower Jarnail be able to run the government. “Are they going to run the government by cracking jokes and by throwing shoes at their opponents,” he asked.

Sidhu meets ’04 rival before nomination

Congress’ Amritsar East nominee Navjot Sidhu with veteran leader RL Bhatia, whom he had defeated in 2004 LS poll. Photo: Vishal Kumar

GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, January 18

Former cricketer and BJP MP Navjot Singh Sidhu today filed his nomination papers for the Amritsar East Assembly seat. Prior to the filing of nomination, Sidhu went to see veteran Congress leader and five-time Amritsar MP Raghunandan Lal Bhatia to seek his blessings. Sidhu had opened his political innings by defeating Bhatia in the 2004 Lok Sabha elections by a margin of around 1 lakh votes. Sidhu said, “Bhatia Saheb is like a father figure. I am here to seek his blessings,” he said. While showering his best wishes on Sidhu, Bhatia said, “Sidhu’s entry will strengthen the Congress. He deserves ‘due honour’ in the party. He will play a vital role in the Punjab politics,” he said. On “anticipated” friction between PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh and Sidhu, he said, “All differences between them would be buried at the party level.” Later, Sidhu reached the office of the Returning Officer along with his wife Navjot Kaur Sidhu and other supporters. He also declared his assets while submitting papers. Sidhu has a total income of Rs 9.66 crore as per his 2015-2016 income tax return. His wife’s income was shown as Rs 24.71 lakh during the same period. His immovable and movable assets are valued at Rs 40 crore. He owns immovable properties worth Rs 34.75 crore, including his palatial house in the holy city having a market value of Rs 28.5 crore, besides commercial and residential property in Patiala. 

Manpreet challenge looms, MP pitches in for Singla

SAD candidate and sitting MLA from Bathinda (Urban) Sarup Chand Singla during his door-to-door campaign on Wednesday. A TRIBUNE PHOTOGRAPH

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 18

Old memories of bitter family feuds getting ever more intense during the elections have come alive with Union Minister of Food Processing and Member of Parliament Harsimrat Kaur Badal taking command of fighting election at the Bathinda (Urban) seat against her brother in-law and Congress leader Manpreet Singh Badal.She has held many poll gatherings with SAD candidate Sarup Chand Singla and instructed party workers about the election strategy.Harsimrat Badal held a meeting with Sarup Chand Singla yesterday and instructed the latter to bring back party rebels who have joined the Congress.She said if rebels were not ready to return then, at least, they could be pursued not to seek votes for the Congress candidate.In the last 15 days, many SAD-BJP leaders have left the party and joined the Congress.These leaders include senior SAD leader Pirthipal Singh Jalal, former Municipal Council president Bhupinder Singh Bhullar, SAD district vice-president Chamkaur Mann, SAD circle president Ashwanu Bunty, SAD councillor Sukhwinder Kaur, BJP councillor Priyanka Goyal and former councillor Darshan Garg.A close aide of Singla, Beopar Mandal president Rajinder Raju, Artiya Association president Satish Babbu, contractor Harish Garg and Mohinder Narula have also joined the Congress.Recently, Harsimrat Badal held a meeting with SAD-BJP cocunillors and listened to their grievances.Councillors raised various issues plaguing the party and alliance, including the issue of leaders being ignored.

Former AAP leader to prop up Congress campaign

Women’s wing vice-president of the Congress and former AAP leader Simrat Kaur Dhaliwal addresses the media in Bathinda on Wednesday. Photo: Vijay Kumar

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 18

Former AAP leader Simrat Kaur Dhaliwal today claimed that she would help the Congress to win Assembly elections at all seats.She joined the Congress as women’s wing vice-president on January 13 in the presence of Captain Amarinder Singh.She has levelled allegations against AAP over deviating from its basic principles on ticket distribution and giving tickets to people with criminal record.She said tickets were sold by AAP to many candidates and she herself was asked by some senior-most leaders to pay Rs 50 lakh to get the ticket.She threatened to reveal the names of such people, along with proofs, soon.“The wrong distribution of tickets by the party that could not remain firm on its principles and selling of tickets to people proved corruption within the party. Due to this, I have joined congress for the better future of the state,” said Simrat Kaur.“I was the vice-president of the party’s women’s wing. I spent a large amount on serving the party and forming its structure in Punjab. Sucha Singh Chhotepur was thrown out without any fault following a deep-rooted conspiracy by Arvind Kejriwal. I submitted my resign to AAP Punjab convener Gurpreet Singh Ghuggi on January 12 and joined the Congress on January 13,” she added.

Kharar constituency: Issues that matter

AAP candidate Kanwar Sandhu files his nomination in Kharar. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Congress candidate Jagmohan Singh Kang submits his nomination papers in Kharar. Tribune photo: Vicky Gharu

Congress candidate Deepinder Singh Dhillon files his papers in Dera Bassi. Tribune photo: Nitin Mittal

SAD leaders join Congress at Jagraon

Akali leaders who joined the Congress at Jagraon on Wednesday. A Tribune photogaph

Our Correspondent

Jagraon, January 18

The election campaign of Congress candidate from Jagraon constituency Malkiat Singh Dhaka gained a momentum today when several SAD leaders, including two municipal councillors of the Jagraon MC, and members of five panchayats joined the Congress.The leaders who joined the Congress included municipal councillor from Ward No. 1 Gurpreet Kaur Tatla, councillor from Ward No. 11 Dr Iqbal Singh, and Block Samiti member Davinder Singh. Besides, the panchayats members of Galib Kalan, Galib Khurd, Galib Ran Singh, Kothe Baggu and Kothe Jeeva also joined the Congress.Congress leader Karan Singh Galib played a key role in their joining. Malkiat Singh Dhaka thanked Galib and welcomed those joining the party. Galib also inaugurated the election office of Malkiat Singh Dhaka on the Raikot Road, Jagraon.Billa files papers as independentAvtar Singh Billa, Congress ticket aspirant from Jagraon, on Wednesday filed nomination papers as an independent candidate. Billa was accompanied by his close aides, Vicky Rana and Thekedar Pappu, on the occasion. Billa was aspiring for Congress ticket from Jagraon constituency but after the party decided to field former minister Malkiat Singh Dhaka from Jagraon, Billa decided to contest the poll as an independent. “The Congress has awarded the party ticket to an outsider and people of Jagraon would never accept an outsider as their leader. I decided to contest as independent after consulting my supporters,” said Billa after filing his papers.

Will cook Badal’s goose in his backyard: Capt

IN CM’S BASTION, CAPT TERMS CONTEST GRANDFATHER OF ALL BATTLES; DUBS BADAL AS ‘CONSPIRATOR’ BEHIND SACRILEGE

LAMBI (MUKTSAR): Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday filed his nomination papers from Lambi constituency, challenging chief minister Parkash Singh Badal in his bastion.

SANJEEV KUMAR/HTPunjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh filing his papers in Lambi in Muktsar on Wednesday.

Amarinder, who is also contesting his traditional Patiala seat, filed papers at Malout. Muktsar district Congress president Gurmeet Singh Khudian, who was a strong contender for the Lambi ticket, filed the papers as Capt’s covering candidate. The Congress chief later led his cavalcade of more than 100 vehicles to Lambi for a ‘show of strength’ rally, where he vowed to “cook Parkash Singh Badal’s goose in his own backyard” and “wipe him out” from Punjab’s political scene. He termed the contest as ‘grandfather of all battles’.

He also dubbed Badal as a “conspirator” behind the incidents of desecration of Guru Granth Sahib last year. “Ae saara kujh hi isne aap karaya hai. (He got it all done himself),” he added, promising arrest of the culprits. He also assured people that the Behbal Kalan police firing case would be taken to its logical end and the guilty cops would be prosecuted. Two young protesters had died in the firing during the public protests against sacrilege incidents.

AAP candidate in Lambi Jarnail Singh has been making similar accusations against Badal. The CM has so far skipped the sacrilege issue in his campaign, while blaming the Congress for Operation Bluestar and the 1984 riots. Capt also said he will put Badal’s associate and SGPC members Dyal Singh Kolianwali behind the bars after coming to power. In the past, Kolianwali has been accused of being involved in election violence and corrupt practices.

Capt my leader, will be his soldier: Sidhu

Amritsar: Cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who filed his nomination papers as a Congress candidate from the Amritsar (East) assembly segment on Wednesday, said he would work as a soldier of Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC) chief Captain Amarinder Singh.

GURPREET SINGH/HTAmritsar East Congress candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu filing his nomination papers on Wednesday.

Terming Amarinder Singh as his leader, Sidhu said, “We want that this time Congress forms a Government in Punjab and Captain Saab leads us. I will work as soldier of Capt. Amarinder Singh.”

He said he was not here for personal battles but to revive the state that was in a shambles. He said things have come to such a pass in Punjab that the government of people has become a onefamily regime.

Addressing mediapersons after filing his nomination papers, Sidhu said, “To change things, one has to come into the system. In Punjab, only one family is having 23 ministerial portfolios in the government and this has to be changed.”

He said he will announce his agenda for Punjab on January 20.

India, Portugal sign defence, six other pacts to boost ties
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa during release stamps during “Exchange of Agreements and Press Statements” in New Delhi on Saturday. PTI
New Delhi, January 7

India and Portugal on Saturday inked seven pacts to expand bilateral engagement in a wide range of areas, including defence and security, IT and renewable energy even as they took a veiled dig at China for blocking New Delhi’s move at the UN to list JeM Chief Masood Azhar as a global terrorist.
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In wide-ranging talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Portuguese counterpart Antonio Costa, while agreeing to deepen the ties, also called for tough global action against terror networks and States harbouring them stressing that there should not be any double standards in combating terrorism.
Modi, in a statement to the media, said he and Costa discussed the need for the global community to take strong and urgent action against the rapidly growing and widely spreading threats of violence and terror.
“Recognising the importance of the Central role of UN in combating terrorism, they exhorted the international community to effectively implement the measures enumerated by the 1267 UN Sanctions Committee,” a joint statement issued after the talks said.
On December 30, China had blocked India’s move to list Pakistan-based Azhar as a global terrorist, at the 1267 Sanctions Committee of the UN Security Council. China was the only member on the 15-nation Committee to have opposed India’s move.
The joint statement said both sides called for strengthening cooperation in combating terrorism in a spirit of ‘zero tolerance’, underlining that States should not support any terror entity including ‘non-State actors’ on any grounds.
The two leaders also called for eliminating terrorist safe havens and infrastructure, disrupting terrorist networks and their financing, and sought adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism by the UN.
The Prime Minister said his talks with Costa, who traces his origin to Goa, covered full range of India–Portugal ties across various sectors.
“We agreed that the two countries must focus on action oriented approach to realize the full potential of economic opportunities in our partnership. The agreements signed today are just one indication of our shared resolve to do exactly that,” he said.
Modi also thanked Costa for Portugal’s support to India’s membership of the Missile Technology Control Regime, and for its continued support for India’s membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group.
The MoU on defence envisages cooperation meeting security challenges, including in the maritime domain and defence industries. — PTI

The nuclear-capable strategic ballistic missile on parade during Republic Day. File photo

Bhubaneswar, January 2

India on Monday successfully test fired the nuclear-capable Agni IV ballistic missile from the Abdul Kalam Island off the Odisha coast.

The missile was launched at about 11.50 am, from a mobile launcher off the Balasore coast, defence sources said.

This is sixth test of the missile and second user associate launch.

The two-stage solid-propelled, surface-to-surface ballistic missile is designed to carry a 1-tonne payload to a distance of 4,000 km.

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The test comes within a week of the successful test firing of Agni V intercontinental ballistic missile.

The Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) has designed and developed the missile.

The missile’s length is 20 meters and launches weight 17 tonnes. It is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies, which include indigenously developed ring laser gyro and composite rocket motor.

Agni-IV has undergone one failed and five successful tests over the course of five years, said sources. — IANS

The politico­bureaucratic regime has made a series of blunders in dealing with the armed forces, compounded by a dubious supersession in army chief’s appointment

Ihave always been in favour of merit being the criterion for promotion, especially for the top job. Deep selection to be acceptable, however, must ensure that selected candidates are head and shoulders above those superseded. Basing it on subjective criteria undermines the armed forces’ carefully crafted ethos with its emphasis on honourable conduct and tradition-strengthened professionalism. The principle of seniority in selection was preferred to obviate political interference or senior officers seeking political patronage.

PHOTO: DEFENCE PROLt Gen Praveen Bakshi visiting troops at Tawang, Arunachal Pradesh. The general has wide­ranging experience over all kinds of warfare and in all types of terrain.

This unfortunate controversy is the latest in a series of gaffes which have affected the smooth functioning of civil-military relations. In recent years, we’ve seen the mishandling of OROP, an unwillingness to address anomalies arising out of the 7th Pay Commission, downgrade of military ranks in comparison with their civilian counterparts in the defence ministry, exploiting of cross-LOC raids for political purposes and unwarranted delay in appointments of services chiefs and senior commanders. As a weapon of last resort, the armed forces’ effectiveness and prestige must not be blunted.

SELECTION OF THE ARMY CHIEF

Working in damage-control mode, the ruling dispensation’s spin-doctors have alleged that Lt Gen Praveen Bakshi has ‘done a lot of service in Rajasthan’ implying thereby that he is a desert warfare specialist and not au fait with operations in the mountains, counter-insurgency or LOC operations. This is an unacceptable argument for supplanting him since the military’s system of training and grooming for high command ensures that by the time they rise to the top, senior commanders are fully conversant with all strains of warfare and specialisation.

General JN Chaudhari served with horsed cavalry or armour. Yet, he successfully rose, trained, equipped and put into place the large mountain shield in the Himalayas in the wake of the 1962 war which has not been breached since. General Sundarji despite being an infantryman (having served mostly with machinegun units at that) effectively commanded an armoured division.

General Bakshi served on the general staff of counter-insurgency force delta and later as the chief of staff, Northern Command. Staff appointments give one invaluable experience of dealing with operations, planning, training, logistics and coordination supplying deep insights into the nitty-gritty of command. He later commanded IX Corps which is committed to counter-insurgency/counter-terrorist operations in a large area of Jammu province and northern Punjab. Now, Bakshi is the eastern army commander.

An army chief should be selected for his strategic way of thinking and ability to contribute to the formulation of policy rather than a tactical mindset.

NAVAL CHIEF TO CRACK THE WHIP

Coming as it does on the heels of a long string of major accidents involving it’s warships in the last decade and a half, the INS Betwa mishap has left the Navy red-faced. Naval chief admiral Sunil Lanba is determined to arrest the slide. A measure proposed by him is strict accountability. The axe is going to fall on deteriorating seamanship, integrity and watchfulness after the Betwa inquiry report is out.

WHILE A MAJORITY OF JOBS IN THE ARMED FORCES ARE OPEN EQUALLY TO MEN AND WOMEN, THERE ARE SOME TO WHICH WOMEN ARE JUST NOT PHYSICALLY SUITED. THE IDEA OF WOMEN IN COMBAT IS FRAUGHT WITH FRIGHTFUL CONSEQUENCES ON NATIONAL SECURITY

Women have been in the military in various jobs, such as medical corps (doctors and nursing officers) for long. Some time ago, they were inducted into supporting arms, such as EME, ordinance, engineers, signals, artillery and legal branch etc.

More recently, both the supreme commander of the armed forces and the defence minister want women in all streams of combat elements, supposedly in the special operations units as well. The defence minister has moved a step further and wants an all-women combat unit. While it may be interesting to know the reaction to this move by the Pakistan Army, here the focus needs be on the implications of their induction into combat arms: Infantry and tank units.

DON’T COMPROMISE ON NATIONAL SECURITY

Women in submarines and as fighter pilots may fit in some manner, but women fighter pilot bailing out over enemy territory has its own implications. Perhaps the supreme commander and the defence minister may prefer gloss over this pertinent issue, but surely the air chief should look into this aspect of their role as fighter pilots.

While the Union government has exercised a number of options to wreck the military, inducting women into fighting arms may prove the proverbial last straw. Both during India’s past and more recently during the conflict in Iraq and Afghanistan, women did take part in combat exercises, but when we call upon women to take part in the full spectrum of combat arms fighting, it’s a different ball game. Women in combat arms and taking part in operations are fraught with frightful consequences on the national security.

ABILITY VS GENDER

Advocates of the idea of inducting women into combat arms are working on a false premise of gender equality. Such notions and illusions miss on the nature of actions combat arms are called upon to undertake and the imperatives of winning a war. Political leadership in India, unlike some other democracies, has no experience of wearing a military uniform or even marginally acquainting itself with the nature of combat and what all it involves. Military’s sole mission, when compelled to wage a war, is to win the same and vanquish the enemies on land, sea and air. It cannot be used as a social engineering project by naïve and uninformed politicians.

Even if one is to gloss over problems, such as being on long patrols where women may have to share a blanket with a man, or during combat, when injuries sustained by women on private parts require immediate first aid, the ultimate fighting prowess of women needs to be taken into account. A woman to be part of a tank crew where space is limited and constant body contact with others unavoidable has its own implications.

STANDARDS OF PHYSICAL FITNESS

Combat for an infantry soldier is the extreme form of violence carried out without pity, remorse and contrition. How many of our policymakers know what it takes to get up and advance through a hail of bullets and exploding shells with comrades being blown to bits and ending up with hand to hand fighting with the enemy. Then, there is the question of physical strength of women, especially of the upper body part, which will impact hand-tohand fighting and some other soldierly undertakings.

It is no body’s case to deny women their right to equal opportunities. Denial of entry into fighting arms of the army can be compensated in a range of other areas of employment. There could be and is an all-women border police unit, but their range of duties and functions are poles apart from that of a soldier in a full-blooded battle. At the first signs of a war, the border police will be pulled back into rear areas. In India, women have done exceeding well in civil services, police, medical services and other fields and it’s here they can be provided additional opportunities.

It’s for the military leadership to advice the government and not allow themselves to be carried along in such outlandish proposals. Nation’s military leaders have a moral duty to inform the political executive that such policies are not in the best interest of the military and national security. It’s not to be left to the women to take a call whether to join combat arms or not, as being advocated by the army chief. Chiefs of defence services must have the courage to stand up and the wisdom to advise the government where its policies can have adverse impact on their service and consequently on national security issue.

• LT GEN HARWANT SINGH (RETD) Lt Gen Harwant Singh (retd) letterschd@hindustantimes.com (The writer, a former vice­chief of the army staff, is a Chandigarh­based commentator on defence and security issues. Views expressed are personal)

There has been heavy snow in Kashmir for the past few days. Tribune photo: Amin War

Azhar Qadri
Tribune News Service
Srinagar, January 25

An army officer and four civilians have been killed as avalanches swept two locations in north and central Kashmir on Wednesday.
A police official in central Kashmir’s Ganderbal district said an avalanche hit a camp of Territorial Army at Sonamarg resort. The police official said an army officer had died.
“There are also reports that some bodies are still buried, but that could not be immediately confirmed as the area is out of bounds,” the police official said.

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In another incident, four civilians were killed when an avalanche hit a house in a remote village in north Kashmir’s Bandipora district as the region faces one of the most widespread snow spell of recent years.
An official in Bandipora district said the four civilians were buried inside their house at Badogam village when it was hit by the avalanche. The official said the bodies of the four people, all belonging to the same family, were recovered early in the morning.
The dead included 50-year-old Habilullah, his wife, a daughter and a son.The snow is intermittently falling across the Kashmir Valley for the second consecutive day on Wednesday.

SC rejects Jagir Kaur’s petition to contest poll

Jagir Kaur, former SGPC chief

Legal Correspondent

New Delhi, January 17

The Supreme Court today rejected former SGPC chief Jagir Kaur’s plea for suspension of her conviction in the 2000 murder case of her daughter Harpreet Kaur.A Bench comprising Justices AK Goel and UU Lalit refused to entertain the plea even as senior counsel Shyam Divan contended that this was necessary to enable his client to contest the February 4 Punjab Assembly poll as a SAD candidate.

Divan pleaded that she had been sentenced to five years by the trial court only on the charge of criminal conspiracy, not for the substantial offence of murder.The Punjab and Haryana High Court had already stayed the sentence, but a stay on the conviction was necessary for contesting the poll. Divan pleaded that his client had a long public life and had a good chance of getting acquitted by the HC. The nomination would close tomorrow and she should be allowed to contest the poll.“Sorry,” the Bench said while dismissing her appeal against the HC verdict declining to stay her conviction.Harpreet had allegedly married a person against the wishes of her mother. Prior to the murder, she was subjected to abortion.

Polls predict a change

Yogendra Yadav
But would it be what the people of Punjab really wanted?

 

WILL Punjab get the change that it has long waited and prepared for? This is the big question that we should be asking in the forthcoming Assembly elections. This is no ordinary election. Punjabis within and outside Punjab have looked forward to this election for nearly three years, if not more. They have pinned big hopes on this election, not just hopes of change in government, but also change in the nature of politics itself. As we wait till the February 4 for Punjabis to answer this question, and another excruciating month for the answer to be revealed, the picture is beginning to reveal itself.With Navjot Singh Sidhu finally entering the Congress and all lists of candidates being released, we do not have many imponderables left in the field. This was preceded by the release of two polls, one by CSDS-Lokniti for ABP News and the other by Axis for Aak Tak/India Today TV. Both these are well-known agencies and credible news organisations. But then how does one make sense of the two very different pictures that emerge from these two polls?While both polls agree that it is a three-horse race, there is a sharp difference in how the three are placed: the CSDS puts the ruling Akali Dal-BJP coalition at the top, while Axis puts them at the bottom. While both polls say that the Congress is clearly ahead of the AAP, CSDS says the lead is 10 percentage points, while the Axis poll puts it at six points. Both polls project a hung Assembly. The CSDS poll expected the ruling party to secure a near majority of seats, between 50 to 58, followed by the Congress with 41-49 and the AAP way behind at 12-18. The Axis poll puts the Congress just below majority at 49-55, followed closely by the AAP at 42-46 and the Akali Dal-BJP a poor third with 17-21 seats. (See accompanying table).The difference is irreconcilable, or so it would seem. But actually, the two polls are doing two different things and are therefore compatible with each other. The CSDS did plain reporting while Axis offered an interpretation of data. Specifically, the Axis-India Today poll used the December data to project the likely outcome in February while CSDS-ABP merely reported the voting intention as it stood in the month of December.I guess both surveys got more or less the same data from their fieldwork. When they asked their respondents about who they would vote for, if elections are held tomorrow, the answers were something like this: Akali Dal-BJP: 36-40 per cent, Congress: 33-37 per cent, AAP: 20-24 per cent and the rest about 5 per cent. The CSDS made one routine adjustment and revised ‘others’ to 14 per cent. Everyone else was shrunk proportionately and they presented this data to the public. These figures may contain a lot of over-reporting (by respondents, not by CSDS) for the Akali Dal-BJP, partly due to fear, and partly, the usual bias for the incumbent.The Axis poll appears to have made an additional adjustment for ‘recall’ of the respondents. They adjusted the raw data by how their respondents’ reporting of who they voted for in 2014 matched with the actual outcome. Presumably, they found massive over-reporting for the Akali Dal and thus something like 38 per cent for the Akali-BJP combine was thus reduced to 24 per cent and so on. Now, this is not cheating; this is legitimate data adjustment. But the reader needs to know about it.Besides their differing projections, both polls offer a good deal of valuable information on the public mood in Punjab. The CSDS team should be complimented for their transparency and for putting most of the data in the public domain. (Full disclosure: I was on CSDS faculty for two decades, but have resigned now and have no connection with their survey team). Both of them agree that the people of Punjab are in no mood to give the ruling alliance a third chance — according to CSDS, the division is 5:2 against another chance to the Akali Dal. Both polls put Capt Amarinder Singh as the front-runner in the CM’s race. The CSDS poll also gives a glimpse of why people are unhappy with the ruling coalition: their unhappiness is not so much on account of lack of development as it is about lack of employment, rule of law and prevalence of corruption.At this stage, it is safe to draw the following conclusions: One, there is a massive anti-incumbency wave against the Akali Dal-BJP. They are headed for their electoral Waterloo. Two, the AAP, which appeared as the front-runner against the ruling coalition about six months ago, has slipped from that position. The CSDS poll says that its support is concentrated in the central districts of Malwa, not in eastern and western Malwa, nor in Majha and Doaba. Three, outside these districts, the Congress is poised as the front-runner. According to the Axis poll, in the last few months, the Congress has increased its lead over the AAP. Navjot Sidhu’s entry could give the Congress the final push it needed. Four, while the rebellion of Dr Dharamvir Gandhi against the AAP leadership and the exit of Sucha Singh Chhotepur from the party have seriously dented the image of the party and its poll prospects, they do not seem to be making it a four-cornered contest. We should be careful though as opinion polls tend to under-estimate new parties.The fieldwork for both these polls was done between the second and third weeks of December. So, it seems Punjab will have a political change. The question is: will it have the change that it had looked forward to? Sadly, no matter what the final outcome, the answer to this question is negative. None of the big issues Punjab faces today have been addressed in this campaign. Punjab  has seen some reckless, populist promises, but the blueprint on any of these critical areas — unemployment, indebtedness, agrarian crisis, exodus of industries, and drug menace, to name a few. While the problem of drugs has been talked about, there is not even a half-hearted attempt to work out a solution. There is a new entrant in this election, but it has ended up recycling the same set of discredited political actors, and has relayed the standard script so familiar to Punjab. Those who want a real change in Punjab may have to look beyond, and work towards politics beyond this election.Yogendra.yadav@gmail.com

Amarinder rules out alliance, calls JJ Singh ‘average cadet’

Tribune News Service

Patiala, January 17

Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh today ruled out any pre/post-poll alliance, saying that his party would win the Assembly elections with two-thirds majority.Amarinder, who filed his nomination papers from the Patiala Urban seat, dismissed his rival – SAD candidate and former Army Chief Gen JJ Singh (retd) – as “an average cadet and a bogus man.”He said, “JJ Singh became the Chief of Army Staff due to his seniority, not calibre.”Ridiculing AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal’s allegation that he was contesting from Lambi — which was part of the Patiala royal estate till 1930 — to help CM Parkash Singh Badal, Amarinder said his decision was motivated by the desire to save the people of Punjab from the Badals.Later, he took out a roadshow. “You take care of Patiala and I will take care of Badal,” he told the crowd from the open-roof vehicle in which he was accompanied by wife and former Union Minister Preneet Kaur.

Capt in Lambi today, to file nomination papersLambi: PPCC chief Capt Amarinder Singh will start his election campaign here on Wednesday. He will file his nomination in Malout town and hold a roadshow from Malout to Lambi before addressing a rally at Lambi village. Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal will conclude his six-day election campaign here on Wednesday by visiting all 72 villages once. AAP nominee Jarnail Singh, too, has once covered all villages by addressing public meetings. AAP convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is scheduled to hold five public meetings in Lambi on January 20. TNSTo be named CM candidate soonChandigarh: The Congress is set to announce Capt Amarinder Singh as the party’s chief ministerial candidate. Party insiders said decks had been cleared for the move with the launch of cricketer-turned-politician Navot Singh Sidhu’s campaign from Amritsar. “The Congress will use the outsider-versus-insider card against Arvind Kejriwal on the CM issue,” said sources in the party. TNS

Roadshow with Sidhu on Jan 19

• Amarinder clarified that he wasn’t present in New Delhi for Navjot Singh Sidhu’s induction into the Congress on Monday as he was busy campaigning in Punjab. He cited his strong Patiala connection with Sidhu, whom he had known since he was a kid. “Sidhu has joined the Congress unconditionally,” the ex-CM said, adding that he and the former cricketer would hold a joint roadshow in Amritsar on January 19.

LS poll: Preneet in contention

• On speculation that Congress leader Lal Singh could be fielded from Patiala in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll as he had missed out under the ‘one family, one ticket’ rule, Amarinder said his wife, sitting MLA Preneet Kaur, would contest the parliamentary elections.

Sukhbir blames AAP for spurt in sacrilege cases

Sukhbir Singh Badal

Ravi Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Gurdaspur, January 17

SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today claimed that the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had assured Sikh hardliners that the control of gurdwaras would be handed over to them once the party came to power.Addressing gatherings at Sri Hargobindpur and Kahnuwan in favour of SAD candidates, Sukhbir said AAP’s rise as a party in Punjab had coincided with an increase in the number of incidents of sacrilege. “It happened because Kejriwal made an assurance to the hardliners. This, in turn, vitiated the atmosphere in the state,” he said.Stating that only the SAD could preserve the heritage of the ‘qaum’, he added, “We have transformed the precincts around Harmandar Sahib in Amritsar. In contrast, the Congress ordered an attack on the shrine, while AAP hurt Sikh sentiments by disrespecting the Golden Temple.”

On poll pitch, high-decibel battles set rhythm

Badals, Amarinder have been challenged on their turf | With 69 seats, Malwa to witness most of the thrilling contests

State Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh, submits his papers

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 17

With the Congress following an AAP’s strategy of pitting heavyweights against strong candidates of rival parties, the Punjab Assembly elections are all set for an edge-of-the-seat contest.The battle between “political gladiators” may become one of the finest points in the careers of some of them, while others may have to hang their boots in the face of defeat.The Malwa region with 69 seats out of 117 will witness most of the thrilling contests. The interesting part is tha Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal and state Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh have been challenged on their turf.It is perhaps for the first time in the history of re-organised Punjab that a former Chief Minister (Amarinder) will be pitted against the incumbent Chief Minister (Badal). There have been big political battles in the past, but not at the scale of a Chief Minister versus a former Chief Minister to be witnessed in Lambi.There have been a few electoral battles between the family of late Chief Minister Harcharan Singh Brar and Badal. The Akali leader has lost elections only once. That was in 1967 when Brar defeated Badal by just 57 votes from Gidderbaha.The contest in Lambi has another ingredient to become a thriller. It is in the form of AAP’s nominee Jarnail Singh. He has resigned from the Delhi Assembly to take on Badal on his turf. Jarnail, a former journalist, had shot into limelight when he threw a shoe at then Union Finance Minister P Chidambaram.Amarinder is also locked in another high-decibel battle on his home turf. The Akalis have put up former Army chief JJ Singh against him from Patiala Urban. The Captain versus General contest is already being talked about as the toast of the elections. Amarinder, known for acerbic and dismissive barbs against his opponents, finds himself at the receiving end of some of them from the General.Equally interesting will be a battle in Jalalabad, where SAD president Sukhbir is pitted against AAP’s Sangrur MP Bhagwant Mann and Congress’ Ludhiana MP Ravneet Singh Bittu.Mann, who belongs to a small farmer family, has emerged as a popular campaigner because of his satirical and stinging political attacks. His two opponents belong to the families of Chief Ministers. With Mann, AAP started to field its top leaders against rival parties.Another thrilling electoral battle will be in Sangrur’s Lehra constituency, where former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal is pitted against Finance Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa. Stakes are high for the two families that are into politics for more than four decades.In Majha, the big battle is in Majitha. AAP, which has been targeting SAD nominee and Sukhbir’s brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia for “patronising” drug trade, has fielded Himmat Singh Shergill against him. As for the Congress, it has fielded Lali Shergill.Another interesting battle will be in Sanaur, where a member of the Tohra family is pitted against a Tohra loyalist’s son. AAP has fielded Tohra’s daughter Kuldeep Kaur against SAD MP Prem Singh Chandumajra’s one Harinder Pal.The contest in Amritsar East, where cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu is in fray, and in Bathinda City, where Manpreet Singh Badal is in contention, will also be keenly watched. But compared to other contests, the two Congress nominees are facing lighter adversaries.

KEY BATTLES

Lambi: Incumbent Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal vs former Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh vs former journalist Jarnail Singh

Patiala Urban: Captain Amarinder Singh vs General JJ Singh

Jalalabad: Sukhbir Badal vs Ravneet Singh Bittu vs AAP  MP Bhagwant Mann

Majitha: SAD chief Sukhbir Badal’s brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia vs AAP’s Himmat Singh Shergill

884 nominations have been filed in the state so far 

SINGING PAENS TO CAPT SARKAR

Chaunda hai Punjab Captain di sarkar (What Punjab wants is Capt’s government), the campaign song of Congress that hums a very filmi paean to state president Capt Amarinder Singh, is slowly getting a life of its own on the social media with over 3 lakh hits on YouTube. The song has Shahid Mallya and Richaa Sharma crooning “Pind pind te shehar shehar bas iko chale lehar lehar khushiyan mudke aun gaayeean, Khetan which bhangre paan gayiaan (There is just one wave in Punjab, which is all set to bring back happiness to the state)”. From farmers and youth to women, the song touches every section of the voters. It also makes an oblique reference to “baharwale”, clearly an indication toward AAP. Capt’s hand and watch come in for special attention as do his cutouts. Mallya had sung the “Chitta Ve” song in ‘Udta Punjab’, while Sharma had won an award for “Sajda” in ‘My Name is Khan’ (2010). The longwinded lyrics’ tune is catchy enough. And as long as you remember “Capt di Sarkar”, it meets its goal.

In battleground Patiala, it’s load, lock and shoot

Captain­General contest turns murkier as the two rivals launch frontal attacks on each other over Operation Bluestar, army careers

PATIALA: The electoral battle between the two former army officers on the Patiala assembly seat turned murkier on Tuesday with Punjab Pradesh Congress President (PPCC) Captain Amarinder Singh on Tuesday asking Gen JJ Singh (retd), who is Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate, why he did not resign from the army after Operation Bluestar, if he is so concerned with Punjab and Sikhism.

Hitting back, the General said, “Who is Amarinder to judge me? Be it in the army or politics, Amarinder is an absentee and thus he has no right to do any type of assessment of mine.”

While it is the first election of Gen JJ Singh, Amarinder has declared that it would be his last electoral battle. Reacting to the General’s remarks that the Congress was responsible for Operation Bluestar and that SAD defends rights of Sikhs, Amarinder lashed out on the latter and termed him a thankless person.

“General is a thankless person. JJ Singh was an average cadet and a bogus man who became chief of army staff due to his seniority, not because of any caliber. Having been made the army chief and then a governor by the UPA, he is now claiming to have been upset by Operation Bluestar, exposing himself to be the fraud he is,” said Amarinder.

“General must answer why he had not resigned from the army, if he is so critical of Operation Bluestar, which he is citing as the reason to join SAD?” he asked.

In response, Gen Singh said, “Amarinder has spent only two years in the army, that too without facing any bullet or fighting in the field. He never went to a battalion, but remained attached with senior officials.” He added, “I have faced battles of 1971, Kargil and other operations. Amarinder has no right to judge me. Whatever I have achieved came due to my hard work, honesty and extraordinary services… Amarinder has no role to comment on my service.”

Gen Singh said Amarinder was misleading the public by claiming that he had fought in the 1965 battle. “He had never gone on any front. He has neither fired nor faced a single bullet whereas I have fought from the front. Before questioning my credentials, Amarinder should come clean on his track record in the army. He was an absentee army man, absentee CM, MLA and MP as he never met public in his entire life. He has no right to judge me,” he said.

political punch of the day

Gen JJ Singh was a year junior to me and, I know, he was a lacklustre and an average general… He was a bogus man who became the chief of army staff just because of his seniority. AMARINDER SINGH, Cong candidate in Patiala Amarinder has no authority to judge me. I’ve been decorated in every rank. A Capt is Capt and Gen is Gen. How can he compete, compare with me?… He’s a big fraud, never fought on any front. GEN JJ SINGH, SAD candidate in Patiala

Captain, General, Jarnail among 573 file nominations; last day today

CHANDIGARH: Punjab Congress chief Capt Amarinder Singh and former army chief Gen J J Singh (SAD) were among 573 candidates who filed their nominations on Tuesday, the penultimate day for filing of papers for assembly polls in the state. With this nominations, the total number of candidates for next month’s polls has risen to 884.

BHARAT BHUSHAN /HTPunjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Captain Amarinder Singh along with his wife Preneet Kaur addressing supporters at a road show in Patiala on Tuesday.

Former chief minister Amarinder filed his nomination papers from the Patiala assembly constituency to launch the countdown to his last electoral battle. He was accompanied by wife and Patiala MLA Preneet Kaur and other family members. Amarinder will file his papers from Lambi, the other seat from which he is contesting the assembly polls, on Wednesday. At Lambi, he is taking on CM Parkash Singh Badal.

JJ’S PENCHANT FOR ‘V’ SIGN

General JJ Singh (retd), who is taking on former Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh in Patiala, loves to show the ‘V’ (victory) sign. The Akali candidate went to the election office on Tuesday to file his nomination along with his wife Anupama Singh who also submitted her papers as his ‘covering candidate’. On their way out, she took out her camera to click him to capture another moment from the “battle of ballots”. The former army chief promptly posed for the photograph, flashing the ‘V’ sign. The fight, though a difficult one, has made the polls more interesting.

BHARAT BHUSHAN/HTGeneral JJ Singh (retd) posing to his wife Anupama Singh in Patiala on Tuesday.

Sidhu hits campaign trail in Amritsar: ‘Here for Punjab’

Navjot Singh Sidhu will make no difference in the elections. He’s over. ARVIND KEJRIWAL , AAP chief on Sidhu joining Congress

AMRITSAR: Returning to home city to begin his new political innings, Congress’ Amritsar East candidate Navjot Singh Sidhu has said he is not here to fight “personal battles” but with a mission to change Punjab.

GURPREET SINGH//HTNavjot Singh Sidhu with other Congress leaders during a road show in Amritsar on Tuesday.

Earlier, Sidhu was given a rousing welcome by Congress leaders and workers, who lined up along the roads as he took a round in an open vehicle.

“I have no personal enmity with anyone. Punjab has been pushed into a mess and we all need to get together to make this state prosperous again,” Sidhu said.

“I will reveal my agenda on January 20 and aim is to change Punjab and bring out a plan to rid Punjab of ‘chitta’. A state known for the Green Revolution is now known for ‘chitta’. Those responsible for this will be taught a lesson.”

Upping the ante against deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal, the Congress candidate and the star campaigner for the party said, “Some people constructed ‘Sukhvlas’ on the ‘dukh’ (sorrows) of the people of Punjab.” “I will expose everyone and open their ‘pol’. I am here to fight for Punjab and not to settle personal scores. I want to tell that it is time to stay united to change the face of Punjab. I am here to turn Punjab from ‘behaal to khushaal’.”

Sidhu paid obeisance at the Golden Temple. On a question how many seats he predicts for the Congress party, he said people will decide that. The threetime MP from Amritsar said he was thankful to the people of Amritsar for all their love and support. “I can leave anything but not Amritsar,” he said.

Many conspiracies were hatched to throw me out of Amritsar and people are aware who feels insecure from me.

Manpreet’s campaign gets a shot in the arm

3 SAD-BJP leaders, Apna Punjab Party city president join Congress

Sukhmeet Bhasin

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, January 16

Congress candidate from Bathinda (Urban) Manpreet Singh Badal’s campaign today got a shot in the arm when Apna Punjab Party (APP) Bathinda city president Ashok Singla today joined the Congress in the presence of Manpreet’s father Gurdas Badal in a function held in the area near the Canal Colony police station.In another development and major setback to the SAD-BJP alliance, two sitting councillors, along with the SAD circle president, have joined the Congress.The SAD circle president, Ashwani Bunty, had quit the party and had joined the Congress and his wife Sukhwinder Kaur, who is a sitting councillor from Ward No. 45, is also set to join the Congress on January 19.Ashwani Bunty said he had joined the Congress and his wife would join the party on January 19 during a function in his area.He said the reason behind his joining the Congress was that two swords could not be contained in one sheath as the SAD leadership honoured Vijay Kumar, who contested against the SAD in the MCB elections, with a party position.BJP councillor from Ward No. 24 Priyanka Goyal has joined the Congress. While talking to Bathinda Tribune, Priyanka said: “She had joined the Congress as a few months ago she had some family problems. However, SAD candidate Sarup Chand Singla failed to help us during that period, which we did not like. Hence, now we have decided to support Manpreet Badal.”Even another sitting Independent-turned-SAD councillor from Ward No. 42 Pardeep Kumar Gola is expected to leave the party. However, a final decision regarding the same had yet to be taken.While talking to Bathinda Tribune, Pardeep said the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had approached him to join their parties. But he had not taken any decision regarding it yet as he had called a meeting of his supporters on January 18 in his area and a final decision would be taken after consulting them.

Another SAD councillor to leave party

• Even another sitting Independent-turned-SAD councillor from Ward No. 42 Pardeep Kumar Gola is expected toleave the party. However, a final decision regarding the same had yet to be taken. While talking to Bathinda Tribune, Pardeep said the Congress and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) had approached him to join their parties. But he had not taken any decision regarding it yet as he had called a meeting of his supporters on January 18 in his area anda final decision would be taken after consulting them

Realtor Makkar has properties worth Rs 57 cr

SAD candidate Sarbjeet Makkar, along with his wife and suppoters, filing his nomination papers from the Jalandhar Cant constituency on Tuesday. Photo: Sarabjit Singh

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, January 17

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate from Jalandhar Cantonment Sarbjeet Makkar today sprung a surprise as he came to file his nomination papers along with the SAD district president Gurcharan Singh Channi.Channi had been cut off from him and had not joined his campaign earlier, terming Makkar as a “land grabber”. But the district president showed exceptional bonhomie today as he came along in his cavalcade and joined him in the office of Returning Officer-cum-RTA RP Singh.SGPC member Paramjit Singh Raipur and AAP Lok Sabha 2014 candidate Jyoti Mann, who joined SAD yesterday in Ludhiana, also accompanied him during the filing of his papers.

From Makkar’s affidavit

Qualification: Under matric

Age: 57 years

Immovable assets: Rs 47.33 croreMovable assets: Rs 1.9 crore

Vehicles: Audi, BMW, Fortuner

Cash in hand: Rs 3.5 lakh

Liabilities: Rs 2.16 crore

List of properties:

61 kanal 16 marla land in Dhogri worth Rs 2.47 crore

119 kanal 15 marla land in Raipur Rasoolpur worth Rs 4.15 crore

71 kanal 18 marla land in Raowali village worth Rs 4.93 crore

3 kanal 10 marla land in Dolo Nanga village, Amritsar, worth Rs 35 lakh

2 kanal 5 marla land in Makhdoompura for Rs 2.25 crore

13 marla land in Makhdoompura worth Rs 65 lakh

36 marla land in Lajpat Nagar worth Rs 1.8 crore

1 kanal 9 marla land in Lajpat Nagar for Rs 1.47 crore

1 kanal 2 marla land in SUS Nagar worth Rs 1.96 crore

14 marla land in PUDA complex worth Rs 2.1 crore

57 marla plot near Khalsa College worth Rs 2.85 crore

1 kanal 2 marla building at SUS Nagar worth Rs 1.54 crore

3 kanal and 3 marla land in New Jawahar Nagar worth Rs 9.45 crore

31 marla land on Cool Road worth Rs 1.55 crore

Spouse:

Immovable assets: Rs 10.34 crore

Movable assets: Rs 40.47 lakh

Vehicles: Car, Scorpio jeep

Cash in hand: Rs 1.25 lakh

Liabilities: Rs 70.97 lakh

List of properties:

9 marla building on Mithapur Road worth Rs 80 lakh16 kanal land in Amritsar woth Rs 1.35 crore

47 marla land in Civil Lines worth Rs 3 crore24 marla land in Lajpat Nagar worth Rs 1.2 crore

18 kanal 19 marla land in Lesriwal worth Rs 35 lakh