Regional Buzz | AAP’s Doaba focus

During outreach programmes, chief minister Bhagwant Mann heard public grievances in the presence of senior police and civil administration officials to ensure their timely redressal.

With nearly a year left for the Punjab assembly elections, chief minister Bhagwant Mann has intensified his political activity in the Doaba region, holding two ‘Lok Milnis’ within a one month at his Jalandhar-based camp office. During these outreach programmes, he heard public grievances in the presence of senior police and civil administration officials to ensure their timely redressal. In the 2024 Jalandhar West byelection, Mann shifted into a rented accommodation in the city, stating that he would run the government from Jalandhar twice a week for the convenience of residents of Doaba and Majha. Later, he shifted to government accommodation and made his camp office operational. “Such milnis help bridge the gap between the government and the masses, further strengthening responsive and transparent governance,” Mann said. In 2022, while the AAP wave swept Malwa and Majha regions, its impact remained restricted in Doaba region, where the party managed to win only 10 of the 23 seats.

Mann shifted into a rented accommodation in the city, stating that he would run the government from Jalandhar twice a week for the convenience of residents of Doaba and Majha.

Majithia’s political optics

Released from Nabha jail after seven months, Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia travelled from Chandigarh to Harmandir Sahib in Amritsar for thanksgiving. The four-hour journey took an entire day, turning into a show of strength. Along the way, the former minister stopped at several places to meet supporters and engaged in celebratory antics. Majithia was seen releasing white pigeons symbolising freedom and peace, performing bhangra and cutting cakes. At Harmandir Sahib, he participated in ardas.

Singer Aulakh attends BJP convention

Punjabi singer Mankirat Aulakh attended the BJP’s first-ever NRI Sammelan held at Hotel Hyatt Regency in Chandigarh on Saturday. Aulakh, who hails from Haryana and actively supported flood-hit farmers in Punjab last year, attended the event on the invitation of an NRI friend. A photograph from the meet, showing him seated alongside senior BJP leaders in Punjab, went viral on social media. Aulakh is known for his closeness to the BJP, particularly Manjinder Singh Sirsa.

AAP MLA surprise guest at event supported by Bathinda refinery

Two-time AAP legislator from Talwandi Sabo, Baljinder Kaur, surprised many when she attended a school function supported by the HMEL Guru Gobind Singh Refinery, a leading industrial establishment in Bathinda district, on February 9. She distributed laptops and scholarships, sponsored by the refinery management, to meritorious students of the government senior secondary school in her constituency. The MLA has previously been vocal against the oil refinery. In September 2024, she submitted a written complaint to the Vidhan Sabha speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan, alleging irregularities in the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) spending and also gave a representation to the chief minister earlier levelling similar allegations against the unit.

Bathinda SSP’s nameplate displays her blood group

The uniform of newly appointed Bathinda SSP Jyoti Yadav Bains draws the attention of visitors. A trained dentist and a 2019-batch IPS officer, she displays her blood group (O+) on the nameplate. Bains, who is married to education minister Harjot Bains, attributes the practice to a lesson imparted at the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, ensuring that no time is wasted in verifying the blood group for herself or for any other person in the event of a medical emergency.

Polls on mind, SAD gets cracking

The SAD, which coined the term ‘halka in-charge’ during its 10-year rule in Punjab from 2007 to 2017, has gone on a spree to appoint in-charges in assembly segments that were previously represented by its coalition partner. The position of ‘halka in-charge’ remained powerful during the SAD rule, though it also spelt trouble for the party due to undue influence exercised by those holding these posts. SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal recently appointed Mohinder Kaypee, former Congress minister and a relative of the ex-CM Charanjit Singh Channi, as constituency in-charge of Kartarpur assembly segment. In Nawanshahr, Sukhdeep Sukar, district head of the SAD unit, has been given charge of the assembly segment. Both these segments were previously represented by its former coalition partner Bahujan Samaj Party.

Encroachment allegations backfire for BJP MLA

Bharatiya Janata Party legislator from Jammu, Vikram Randhawa, last week made a statement in the assembly regarding alleged encroachment on land belonging to the Jammu Development Authority (JDA). He said that large chunks of land had been encroached upon in Jammu and blamed Kashmiri Muslims. He alleged that 90% of the encroached land had been grabbed by Muslims from Kashmir. Soon after his statement, Randhawa spoke to the media and repeated his allegations. Hours later, an old JDA order appeared on social media alleging that the legislator himself had encroached upon eight kanals of JDA land for his stone crusher and, despite several notices he had not vacated it. Several political leaders accused Randhawa for trying to put pressure on JDA officials by targeting Kashmiri Muslims so that his own alleged encroachment would remain untouched, describing his accusations as “pressure tactics”.

Politics over RDG goes on in Himachal

Political bickering continues in Himachal Pradesh over the discontinuation of the revenue deficit grant (RDG), with the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accusing each other of misleading the public after the all-party meeting from which the BJP walked out midway. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu hit out at the BJP, calling its leaders “dilemma-ridden”. Sukhu said “Although BJP leaders may feel that the RDG withdrawal is not the right step, they lack the courage to take a firm stand.” Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur, on his part, called Sukhu “confused”. Thakur said, “The CM is calling meetings daily, but he himself doesn’t know what to do. Instead of effectively presenting its case before the 16th Finance Commission, the Himachal Pradesh government resorted to criticising the central government. The CM never wants to step away from politics.”

(Contributed by Navrajdeep Singh, Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Ravinder Vasudeva, Vishal Joshi, Mir Ehsan, Shailee Dogra)