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Regional buzz: From Haryana’s Mossad connect to Sukhbir staying away from Khaira
Team HT keeps tabs on power politics in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir:
From the Punjab civil secretariat plunging into darkness to Harsmirat’s chocolate gift, here is a round up of all that made news:
Haryana’s Mossad connect
The high-level delegation, led by chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, which left for Israel on Sunday to study good practices in agriculture comprises three senior IPS officers as well. But they are not getting down at Tel Aviv to learn farming. Additional director general of police (law and order), Mohammad Akil, inspector general, CID, Anil Rao and inspector general (Rohtak Range) Navdeep Virk are scheduled to have an interaction with Israel’s security and intelligence institutions including the renowned national intelligence agency of Israel, Mossad (Institute for Intelligence and Special Operations). The officers will get access to the state-of-the-art intelligence gathering and surveillance apparatus, tactical weapons and training modules. Chief minister Khattar said the police need to have better knowhow and expertise in tackling internal security issues. Certainly Haryana Police, after committing blunders in tackling the Jat quota agitation and Dera Sacha Sauda violence, is desperately looking to innovate and improve.
Sukhbir keeps distance from Khaira
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) chief Sukhbir Singh Badal seems wary of getting into a war of words with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira. Asked to comment on observations made by Khaira, who is also the leader of opposition in Punjab assembly, on shortcomings in Class-12 history book, Sukhbir replied: “Don’t ask me any question related to Khaira. He is not of my standard. We have (former revenue minister) Bikram Singh Majithia to deal with him”. The former deputy chief minister flatly refused to respond to Khaira’s allegations that Akalis were equally responsible for the new history book as the process to rewrite it started during the SAD-BJP government in 2014.
Pitch black at Punjab civil sectt
The Punjab civil secretariat plunged into darkness when a high velocity storm hit Chandigarh on Wednesday. There was no electricity on the second floor which houses the offices of chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh and his core team, including his chief principal secretary, principal secretary and key advisers. At the same time, animal husbandry and labour minister Balbir Singh Sidhu, a new entrant to the state cabinet, was guided through the dark corridor on the 7th floor with the help of mobile phone light.
Cheema’s challenge makes Maluka uneasy
Akali spokesperson and former education minister Daljit Singh Cheema was in his element during the ongoing history book controversy. When three Congress ministers Manpreet Badal, OP Soni and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, who were fielded by the government to reply to the charges of deletion of chapters on Sikh history from the Class 12 book, threatened to reinvestigate the books scam of the SAD-BJP government, Cheema challenged them to act. “I am ready to face any inquiry, jail and give my life for Sikh history,” he said. Another former education minister Sikander Singh Maluka was left red-faced, though. The books controversy had taken place during his tenure and he was shifted to make way for Cheema.
Harsmirat’s chocolate gift
When Union minister for food processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal visited Ludhiana to attend the convocation ceremony at Guru Nanak Dev Engineering College the other day, she brought smiles on the faces of students. The minister, while concluding her address to the college students, announced that she had got boxes of chocolates for them. The minister brought 5,000 boxes and the delighted students were later seen relishing the chocolates.
Khattar’s justifies HUDA’s rechristening
Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar has offered a new justification for changing the name of Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA). “Since HUDA’s de-abbreviated form also meant ‘Harassment Until Death of Allottee’, we changed its name. And with that harassment has also ended,” he said in reference to the government’s decision to give 40 % rebate to plot allottees for paying enhancement of land cost.
Missing Cong bicycles
Haryana Congress president Ashok Tanwar will start the second phase of the cycle yatra from Chautala village, the citadel of Chautalas in Sirsa district, from May 17. But what has become a talking point among the party workers is that some of the 1,000 bicycles bought by the state unit two months ago are missing. While there is talk that some workers took the bicycles home for personal use, party leaders said they would come back at some point to join the yatra again. “In any case, these bicycles are to be given to the needy people or workers only, ultimately,” said Tanwar. Taken for a ride, shall we say?
Vij’s laughter goes viral
Haryana health minister Anil Vij responded with a hysterical laughter when he was asked by reporters if chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar will get a second term as the CM of the state. The video of the incident has gone viral on social media. The video showed the minister, after having a hearty laugh, replied, “zaroor banenge ji” (he will definitely become CM). Vij apparently found the question so funny that he started laughing again. In the past, Vij has been vocal in his criticism of the CM. He has also accused Khattar of interfering in his departments.
HP education minister’s new worry
Himachal Pradesh education minister Suresh Bhardwaj has announced many initiatives to improve education standards in the schools across the state. But he is now upset over the way schoolteachers are running after him to get postings of their choice. At a function held by a teachers’ union to felicitate him, Bhardwaj told them to focus on their work rather than seeking transfers to government schools close to their homes. “I wanted to do so many things to improve education, but they have kept me busy in transfers so far,” he said.
Appeasement: BJP govt going Cong way
When it was in the opposition, the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) made hue and cry over the Virbhadra Singh government’s decision to give extension to employees after retirement, calling it a government of “retired, tired and hired persons”. But there is complete turnabout in its position now. The Jai Ram Thakur government is bending backwards to appease the high-ranking government officials. It has given extension to private secretaries of former chief ministers Prem Kumar Dhumal and Shanta Kumar. Also, the driver of additional chief secretary and principal secretary to chief minister Manisha Nanda has been granted extension. The more things change, the more they stay the same!
Kapoor’s ‘bad manners’!
Himachal food, civil supply and consumer affairs minister Kishan Kapoor often becomes the butt of jokes for his faux pas. However, the outspoken minister faced flak for a different reason this time. Kapoor, while attending an event held by the Dharamshala Municipal Corporation recently, was sitting cross-legged with his shoe facing a woman officer. Though the officer did not say anything, her expression was enough to tell that she was feeling uncomfortable. A photo of the moment went viral on social media and the minister was trolled for his “bad manners”.
(Contributed by Gurpreet Singh Nibber, Aneesha Sareen Kumar, Hitender Rao, Rajesh Moudgil, Hardik Anand, Gaurav Bisht, Naresh K Thakur)
