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Regional buzz | Keeping tabs on power politics in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dera Sachkhand Ballan near Jalandhar caught the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab unawares.
PM’s dera visit catches AAP govt by surprise
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dera Sachkhand Ballan near Jalandhar caught the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab unawares. The announcement of Modi’s visit to the influential Ravidassia dera on Sunday was made by Union minister Ravneet Singh Bittu on January 27, following which the AAP government swung into action to fast-track its plans and projects announced to mark the 649th Guru Ravidass Jayanti. Soon after the announcement, senior AAP leaders, including finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, rushed to Jalandhar to ensure that decisions related to the welfare of the dera and the Dalit community associated with it were taken well before the PM’s visit. These included the overnight purchase of 10 acres of land for a Guru Ravidass Bani Research Centre near Dera Ballan on January 29, and the distribution of post-matric scholarship, which had remained off-track for the past three years, by the chief minister to 2.72 lakh students.
Channi & Co stays away from Cong’s MGNREGA Bachao Rally
When the Congress leadership gathered in Dakha and Raikot on Friday to blow the bugle for the 2027 assembly elections at the ‘MGNREGA Bachao Rally’, the slogan of unity rang loud — even if some of the party’s heavyweight leaders preferred to admire the show from a safe political distance. While Punjab in-charge Bhupesh Baghel and state Congress president and Ludhiana MP Amarinder Singh Raja Warring addressed the gathering, several senior leaders were conspicuous by their absence. Prominent among them were former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, former ministers Pargat Singh, Rana Gurjit Singh and Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Channi’s photographs were displayed on posters and hoardings, prompting party workers to joke that he had perfected the art of virtual attendance.
AAP leaders spar over seat at Bathinda R-Day event
The Republic Day function in Bathinda’s Maur subdivision witnessed a spat between two AAP groups after a seat reserved for Maur municipal council president Karnail Singh was occupied by supporters of local MLA Sukhveer Singh Maiserkhana. Unable to access his designated chair, Karnail rushed to the media and levelled allegations of corruption against Maiserkhana, who was present at the event along with sub-divisional officials. The MLA alleged that the incident was a “calculated move” by the Opposition to tarnish the AAP’s image through frivolous charges. Maiserkhana later served a legal notice to Karnail. However, the AAP leadership has not taken any action against the municipal council chief.
Sirsa-Sukhbir meet creates buzz
After a long gap, Delhi cabinet minister Manjinder Singh Sirsa called on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday night, creating a buzz in political circles, as the visit came just two days before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Dera Sachkhand Ballan near Jalandhar on Sunday. However, the purpose of Sirsa’s visit was personal – he had come to invite Sukhbir to his daughter’s wedding. Once a protégé of Sukhbir, Sirsa saw his political rise in Delhi during the SAD-BJP combine’s government in Punjab from 2007 to 2017. A former president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Sirsa joined the BJP in 2023 and is currently a minister in the Rekha Gupta government. He is among the frontrunners in the camp opposing the idea of a re-alliance between the BJP and the SAD.
Hry IAS officer Mishra awaits relieving orders
Haryana IAS officer Shyamal Mishra who on December 30, 2025, was appointed as administrator, Digital Bharat Nidhi in department of telecommunications in the rank and pay of additional secretary to Government of India is yet to get his relieving orders from Haryana government. This means Mishra, a 1996-batch officer, cannot join the central government till he is relieved by the state government. Reason: Mishra is leading an inquiry into the financials and regulatory compliances of Al-Falah University in Faridabad, an institution suspected to be the base of alleged terror financing with links to the 2025 Red Fort blasts. Mishra came to his parent cadre from the central government in 2024 where he was additional secretary in the ministry of home affairs. Last week, Mishra as additional chief secretary, power also signed a rather controversial notification outlining the terms of reference of a high powered committee set up to find an amicable solution for the pending claims and counter claims made by Adani Power Ltd and Haryana power distribution companies by analysing and ascertaining any hardship faced by Adani Power Limited.
R-Day honour for NGO run by son of Omar’s adviser
After the son of J&K chief minister’s adviser Nasir Aslam Wani was nominated for a state award for social work on Republic Day, many were surprised by the choice. Most people had heard about the NGO run by Sadat Aslam for the first time only after the nomination. In fact, January brought back-to-back good news for Wanis. The lieutenant governor first cleared the file appointing Nasir Aslam as an adviser with cabinet status. Then, the state award was announced for Sadat’s NGO, Red, even as several well-established NGOs got overlooked. Many of these organisations had played a significant role during the earthquake, floods and the Covid-19 pandemic, yet it was only RED that was considered deserving of the state award.
Free boat rides on Tawi a huge draw with locals
Recent free boat rides offered for two days in the artificial lake in the Tawi River drew an overwhelming response from enthusiastic people of the temple city of Jammu. It took 16 long years and an investment of ₹132 crore for the project to finally take shape. Conceived in 2009, successive governments, however, showed little interest in the project. The lake missed several deadlines, leading to cost escalation, and even survived the risk of being shelved. However, after the revocation of Article 370 and the reorganisation of Jammu and Kashmir in August 2019, the project was taken up afresh.
Netizens praise humility of Vikramaditya’s wife
Himachal Pradesh public works department minister Vikramaditya Singh and his wife Amreen Kaur Sekhon won praise on social media after a heartwarming moment on Shimla’s Mall Road during a stroll. When an admirer requested a photograph with Singh, Sekhon quietly stepped in, took the mobile phone, and clicked the picture herself. The unscripted gesture did not go unnoticed. A bystander captured the episode on video, which soon found its way onto social media and went viral, drawing praise for Sekhon’s simplicity and grace. Users applauded the ‘Queen of Bushahr’ for her humility. Singh, who was symbolically anointed the ‘Raja of Bushahr’ after his father Virbhadra Singh’s death in 2021, continues to enjoy deep cultural affection among the people.
High drama over panchayat ghar
The simmering tension between elected representatives and the bureaucracy spilled into the open in Mandi district’s Nachan assembly constituency after BJP MLA Vinod Kumar publicly warned a PWD executive engineer. Addressing a public gathering, the Nachan MLA issued a warning to PWD officials, saying, “Executive Engineer, when we take action, it is going to be bad.” Recalling an incident linked to the inauguration of a panchayat ghar in the Gohar subdivision, Kumar alleged that government officials pressured panchayat representatives and sought to keep both villagers and the local MLA away from the event. He further claimed the executive engineer threatened to lock the panchayat ghar. The MLA said he told the officer over phone to immediately withdraw the action, warning that continued confrontation would not be tolerated in the Gohar subdivision.
(Contributed by Navrajdeep Singh, Tarsem Singh Deogan, Vishal Joshi, Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Hitender Rao, Mir Ehsan, Ravi Krishnan Khajuria and Shailee Dogra)
