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Regional buzz | One district, two takes
Hindustan Times reporters keeping tabs on power politics in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir
The AAP appears to be speaking in two voices regarding Haryana’s Bhiwani district. Punjab education minister Harjot Singh Bains, drawing flak over the pharmacy officers’ recruitment exam controversy, on Friday portrayed the district as the epicentre of “organised cheating network,” commenting, “Bhiwani isn’t just a city, it has become a factory of cheating.” He said the mastermind behind the “cheating attempt” hailed from Bhiwani. Forty-eight hours later, AAP’s Haryana president Sushil Gupta hailed the district after Bhiwani’s “dhakad daughters,” boxers Preeti Pawar and Jasmine Lamboria, won gold medals at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games. Their “golden punches” have made India and Bhiwani proud, he posted on X.
Warring’s booth mgmt lessons to cadres
Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring is preaching the mantra of booth-level management to party workers. Addressing the ‘Har Booth, Congress Majboot’ campaign in Fatehgarh Sahib, he urged them to strengthen the organisation at the grassroots.
Citing popular singer-turned-politician Sidhu Moose Wala’s defeat in the 2022 assembly elections, he said this underscored the importance of a strong booth-level network over individual popularity. He said despite drawing huge crowds, Moose Wala lost the Mansa seat by around 65,000 votes due to slack booth-level management. “Crowds at rallies don’t win elections, booth management does,” he said.
Giani Harpreet rallies behind Waris Punjab De
Despite their proposed alliance hitting a roadblock, Shiromani Akali Dal (Punar-Surjit) president Giani Harpreet Singh has come out in support of Akali Dal (Waris Punjab De) regarding the FIR registered against its members following their march towards the chief minister’s residence in Chandigarh. The statement came even as the fledgling Akali faction continues to lose senior leaders to Waris Punjab De — first Dakha MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali and, more recently, Iqbal Singh Jhundan, who, along with 15 supporters, announced unconditional support to the organisation. These defections have weakened the party.
Channi’s Raja confusion!
Already at loggerheads with Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring for the past few months, Jalandhar MP Charanjit Singh Channi seems to have developed a habit of confusing his name with that of former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh.
Speaking to journalists following ex-MLA Madan Lal Jalalpur’s suspension from the party, Channi said, “I request Raja Amarinder Singh…oh Raja Warring and the high command to amicably resolve the issue.” A senior party leader said, “This hasn’t happened for the first time. It appears he is mocking Raja Warring ever since they crossed swords over the president’s post.”
Mann’s Japanese greetings
Injecting humour and diplomacy, chief minister Bhagwant Mann started his speech at the foundation stone-laying ceremony of the forging and machining plant being set up by Vardhman and Japan’s Aichi Steel in Ludhiana by greeting the gathering in Japanese with “Konnichiwa”.
Drawing smiles from the audience, Mann recalled his recent visit to Japan and said he had picked up two Japanese words: “Konnichiwa” (Hello) and “Arigato” (Thank you). He concluded the speech with his trademark Hindi couplet: “Log kehte hain zinda rahe to milenge, main kehta hu milte rahe to zinda rahenge.”
Shift to e-cards: Rao Narbir’s green message
At the state-level Van Mohatsav in Karnal on Thursday, state forest minister Rao Narbir Singh made an impressive speech regarding the felling of trees. Urging the audience to shift to e-cards, he said many people show up with wedding cards carrying a “briefcase” of dry fruits and sweets costing up to ₹3,000. “One is expected to give a shagun of ₹500, and it feels embarrassing even to accept the card,” he remarked. Singh said he attends weddings even when invited through WhatsApp and added that one shouldn’t make it an issue if the inviter does not call or visit personally.
PDP-PC tussle gets murky
The National Congress and the PDP have been at loggerheads since the former assumed power in J&K. Now, a fresh political tussle has started between the PDP and the Peoples Conference (PC). The PDP accused PC chairman Sajjad Lone of using agencies to threaten its leaders and induce defections. Iltija Mufti, Waheed ur Rehman Para, and Yasir Reshi even sought Union home minister Amit Shah’s intervention. Lone said the allegations were ‘bizarre” as the granddaughter of a former Union home minister was being “intimated” by the son of a former separatist leader.
HP’s wait for full-time DGP goes on
The delay in the appointment of a full-time director general of police (DGP) in Himachal Pradesh has become the latest talking point in bureaucratic circles. With the state police under an interim DGP, speculation is rife over when the government will make a permanent appointment. The latest row over a police constable’s transfer complaint — which reportedly reached the police headquarters through Lok Bhawan prompting action against him — have only added to the chatter. Some officials, speaking privately, suggest that the acting DGP is under increasing pressure to demonstrate firm administrative control while awaiting the decision.
(Contributed by Navneet Sharma, Vishal Joshi, Hillary Victor, Navrajdeep Singh, Tarsem Singh Deogan, Bhavey Nagpal, Mir Ehsan, Shailee Dogra)
