Parking fee, property tax key poll issues

Times of Chandigarh

Sukhbir Siwach,TNN

13 Dec 2006, CHANDIGARH: Parking fee and property tax have become key issues in Municipal Corporation polls. BJP and Chandigarh Vikas Manch (CVM) have promised free parking facility, Congress doesn't seem to favour this 'free system.'

Releasing BJP's manifesto on Tuesday, party's Chandigarh unit president Yashpal Mahajan and former MP Satya Pal Jain announced, "If our party comes to power, then we will ensure free parking in the city as people are facing a lot of harassment due to this system." ...

... BJP is trying to corner Congress on property tax issue. "During Lok Sabha elections, Congress claimed that it hadn't allowed the imposition of property tax, but post-poll, the party went ahead with it. We would 'review' the property tax," said Jain. However, BJP leaders could not clarify why the party was not coming out with a 'clear policy' before polls. On the other hand Bahl said, "BJP governed MC had proposed 10% property tax but we only imposed 3%." ...

Electioneering on full swing in city

Chandigarh Newsline

Chandigarh, December 9: SENIOR BJP leader Arun Jaitley today released the election manifesto of Shiromani Akali Dal for the Municipal Corporation elections.

...While addressing the election rally of BJP-SAD alliance candidate Harjinder Kaur, Jaitley said the present Municipal Corporation elections would not only decide the future of Chandigarh, but also that of India. He said voters here are more intelligent and educated. Jaitley today campaigned for the BJP-SAD candidates in different wards.

   Former MP Satya Pal Jain, addressing the gathering at different locations, appealed to the residents to root out the Congress from the MC. He asked the voters of ward number 15, from where Harjinder Kaur is contesting the elections, to support her. ...

Poll campaign on full blast

Chandigarh Tribune

Mr Arun Jaitley and Mr Satya Pal Jain release the election brochure of Ms Harjinder Kaur, SAD candidate from Ward No 15 in Sector 44, Chandigarh, on Saturday. [Image Courtesy: The Tribune]

Chandigarh, December 9: Mr Arun Jaitley, All India General Secretary, BJP, along with Mr Satya Pal Jain, Yash Pal Mahajan, and Gurpratap Singh Riar, campaigned in MCC elections here today. Addressing gathering in various parts of the city, Mr Jaitley said that the congress will be defeated in the coming MCC elections. He stated that public of the city would take account from the government. He stated that the price rise had increased three times in the last 2 ½ years. "this is the reson why the farmers are committing suicide," he alleged. ...

Gangsters in fray

Times of Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: City residents often react with a cynical sneer when they are told of criminal shenanigans of politicians from states like Bihar and UP.

...Party sources say while Congress candidate from Ward no 11, Manjit Singh Chohan has faced criminal charges, a vigilance probe against former mayor Kamlesh is still pending. Partymen Devinder Singh Babla and Pawan Sharma also have criminal cases against them.

"It's most unfortunate," concedes BJP leader Satya Pal Jain, who says political parties 'should sit together to draw a line'. He says at times criminal cases are slapped against politicians as vendetta. ...

Candidates add steam to campaign

Chandigarh Tribune

Chandigarh, December 8:Door-to-door campaigning for the forthcoming elections to the Chandigarh Municipal Corporation has picked up.

...   The SAD and BJP candidate from ward No.15, Mrs Harjinder Kaur, held a rally in Sector 34 and was received by the Market Welfare Association president, Mr Hazara Singh.

... Mr Satya Pal Jain, former MP from Chandigarh, today addressed a rally of the party candidate from ward No. 9, Mr Davesh Moudgil. The candidates of the Bharatiya Jan Shakti from ward No. 13 and ward No. 24, Mr Bharat Singh Rathore and Mr Uma Shankar, had Mr Vishwanath, national general secretary of the party, to campaign for them.

Parties banking on colonies

Colonies have strong presence in 14 wards out of 26

Chandigarh Newsline

Chandigarh, December 8: ALL the parties are trying to woo residents of colonies, as maximum votes are polled from there, to ensure victory in the forthcoming Municipal Corporation elections.

For the purpose, BJP, Congress and CVM, besides other parties, have activated their colony cells.

...Satya Pal Jain, senior BJP leader, said the BJP would have an advantage in the colonies as the Congress has fielded candidates who are being considered outsiders. ...

2 weeks to go, contestants intensify campaigning

Chandigarh Newsline

Chandigarh, December 7: WITH less than two weeks left for the polling, all candidates contesting in the Municipal Corporation election have intensified their election campaign.

   Door-to-door canvassing on the fore-front, after inaugurating the election offices, candidates make it a point to visit the ward with their senior leaders. Among those in demand are B B Bahl, president of Chandigarh Territorial Congress Committee, Satyapal Jain, senior BJP leader and former MP and Yashpal Mahajan, president of Chandigarh Unit Party.

...Veena Kohli, BJP candidate from Ward Number 17, along with party workers and the residents of the area went from door-to-door to launch the campaign in different sectors of her ward. Kohli visited parts of Sectors 21 and 19. Her election office was inaugurated by senior BJP leader and former MP Satya Pal Jain on Wednesday.

Sidhu to campaign for BJP in Punjab

Times of India

CHANDIGARH: Besides a three years rigorous imprisonment, the Punjab and Haryana HC directed former MP Navjot Singh Sidhu and co-convict Rupinder Singh Sandhu to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh each. In the event of failure to pay up, the two would serve six more months in jail. ...

...Inside the court, Sidhu, wearing a turquoise-coloured turban, sat composed. Flanked by senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley and the party's national council member Satya Pal Jain, he looked meditative, not a mood usually associated with him, as a large crowd of his admirers, many of them from his constituency of Amritsar, waited outside. ...

...He then sped off, along with Jaitley and Jain, to call on Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Parkash Singh Badal at his residence. The SAD-BJP alliance, which is the major opposition combine in Punjab right now, has been projecting Sidhu as their star campaigner for the assembly elections to the 117-member assembly, slated for early next year.

BJP's Young Turks get ready for the battle

Chandigarh Newsline

Chandigarh, December 6: To contest the upcoming Municipal Corporation elections, the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) has given most of the tickets to the young brigade. Relying on them, the party wants to prepare its second line leadership and also win the support of the youth in the process.

...Senior BJP leader and former MP Satya Pal Jain said this time the party had given ticket to 16 new people and most of them were young candidates who had emerged from the grassroot level and had worked really hard for the party during the past five years.

He said Davesh Moudgil (30), party candidate from ward number 21, is the youngest among all the candidates contesting the Municipal Corporation polls. He said it was important to give adequate representation to the youth so as to prepare the future leaders, he added.

Rajni Gupta, the candidate from ward number two, runs a coaching centre in Sector 15, while Davesh Moudgil (the candidate from ward number 21) is the president of BJP youth Morcha. The party's candidate from ward number 24, Anil Dubey, has a strong base in the colony, while Arun Aggarwal (the candidate from ward number 22) has been active in the party for the last many years.

Rajesh Kumar Gupta, party candidate from ward number 16, had contested the Municipal Corporation elections in 2001 as an independent candidate. He had again contested the bye-elections in 2004 and had received 2,200 votes. This time, he is confident of winning the elections.

Besides these, there are other young candidates in the party including Bhimsen Aggarwal, Vijay Uppal, Surinder Jagota and Kewal Krishan Addiwal who are trying their luck.

Campaign business on

Chandigarh Tribune

Chandigarh, December 6: With only two weeks left for the municipal corporation elections, campaigning is slowly picking up.

... Meanwhile, Mr Vijay Uppal, the BJP candidate from ward No. 3, took out a "padyatra" in his ward. Mr Satya Pal Jain, former MP, and Mr Yash Pal Mahajan inaugurated the office of the ward No. 4 candidate, Mr Surinder Jagota, in Sector 23 and in Sector 21 for the ward No. 17 candidate, Ms Veena Kohli. ...

"Guru Phir Ho Ja Shuru", Sidhu's supporters backed him up

PunjabNewsline.com

Wednesday, 06 December 2006 CHANDIGARH: "Guru Phir Ho Ja Shuru" was the welcome slogan of supporters of Navjot Singh Sidhu who emerged out of Punjab and Haryana Hiogh Court Wednesday after hearing the sentence awarded to him in a homicide case.

   The large number of supporters of Sidhu were present outside the court complex with banners of "Navjot Sidhu Zindabad" and even raised slogans until police intervened and requested not to raise slogans. Satya Pal Jain BJP MP from Chandigarh had also requested BJKP workers to keep calm in the court complex.

...Many of Sidhu's supporters vent their ire against the state government for taking undue interest in Sidhu case. Jasbir Kaur president of Punjab Mahila wing of BJP said that Congress government had filed an appeal against Sidhu and then requested for early hearing due to political reasons. She said that they would stand behind Sidhu like a rock.

Court accepts Navjot Sidhu's bail bond

Times of India

7 Dec 2006, CHANDIGARH: The bail bonds of BJP leader Navjot Singh Sidhu and his friend, who were sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment, were accepted by the court of Chief Judicial Magistrate on Thursday.

     Chandigarh BJP chief Yashpal Mahajan submitted bonds for Sidhu, while a local advocate Ashok Chouhan submitted them for Rupinder Singh Sandhu. The bail bonds of Rs 10,000 each were accepted by Chief Judicial Magistrate YS Rathore.

     Besides Sidhu, BJP legal cell convenor and former MP Satyapal Jain among others, including supporters of the cricketer-turned-politician, were present in the court. ...

     ... "I am not worried by the court's verdict against me. I will soon move the Supreme Court and law will take its own course," he told reporters.

     "I am a sportsperson. I have seen several ups and down. I am taking these in true spirits," he added.

Sidhu sentenced to three-year RI

Chennai Online News

Chandigarh, Dec 6: Former BJP MP and popular cricket commentator Navjot Singh Sidhu was today sentenced to three years rigorous imprisonment in a case involving him in death due to road rage 18 years ago.

   Giving the quantum of punishment, Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Justice Baldev Singh of Punjab and Haryana High Court suspended the sentence till January 31 to enable Sidhu file a special leave petition in the Supreme Court, which means he will not go to jail.

...Sidhu, dressed in a blue suit and turban, was present in the jampacked court during the arguments which lasted two hours. BJP leaders Arun Jaitley, Avinash Khanna, Satyapal Jain and Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema were present in the court....

Smilingly, Sidhu follows on

Chandigarh Tribune

Chandigarh, December 6: Courtroom Number 38 where, Navjot Singh Sidhu's fate was to be decided today, was jam-packed almost 45 minutes before the start of the day's proceedings.

   At 9.37 am, a smiling and confident Sidhu, accompanied by BJP general secretary Arun Jaitley, state BJP president Avinash Rai Khanna, former MP and senior advocate Satyapal Jain and Akali Dal leader D.S Cheema, entered the courtroom.

... After shaking hands with many of the lawyers, most of whom he did not know, and curious onlookers, he took a seat alongside Mr Jaitley and Mr Jain, one row behind his lawyer.

   At around 2.30 pm, Mr Sidhu and his VIP supporters again entered the court to hear the verdict. Patiently waiting for over one hour before the Judges pronounced their verdict, Mr Sidhu, Mr Jaitley, Mr Jain and Mr Lalit immediately went into a huddle the moment the Judges left the courtroom. ...

Sidhu to appeal

"On a dark night, stars shine brightest"

The Hindu

Chandigarh: The prosecution in the trial of former cricketer and politician Navjot Singh Sidhu and his associate Rupinder Singh Sandhu in a 1988 road rage case had sought exemplary punishment for the duo.

   The defence counsel, citing previous precedents, sought leniency appealing to the court for a fine and probation. The defence argued that the event occurred in the spur of the moment and Mr. Sidhu had no intention to cause a fatal injury.

As soon as Mr. Sidhu, flanked by the former Union Minister, Arun Jaitley and the former MP, Satya Pal Jain, emerged from the court, a crowd of supporters raised slogans in favour of Mr. Sidhu and against the Punjab Government.

...Talking to reporters, Mr. Jaitley, who heads the BJP's legal cell, said that after completing the various formalities with the High Court, Mr. Sidhu would move the Supreme Court as early as possible. He said the review petition would challenge the High Court's procedure of judgment, while its implications would emerge after the Supreme Court applied its mind. "Mr. Sidhu enjoys a high status in the party and would continue to do so," he said....

SAD, BJP elated over 'respite'

Times of India

7 Dec 2006, Ramaninder K Bhatia,TNN, CHANDIGARH: On a day of nerve-racking wait and anxious moments, when two court judgments - one coming from Supreme Court and the other from Punjab and Haryana High Court - finally made their way to Punjab, they were received with mixed feelings by the concerned parties and individuals, especially with assembly elections just round the corner.

     The three-year sentence and Rs 1 lakh fine handed over to Navjot Singh Sidhu in the Gurnam Singh homicide case will not stop him from either campaigning for SAD-BJP nor rallying support for himself in the coming months. Smiles were back on the MP's and his supporters' faces when the court suspended the sentence, giving Sidhu time to file an appeal in SC. Party members of both SAD and BJP were delirious with joy.

     In fact, Punjab BJP had already prepared Sidhu's campaign schedule. "Sidhu would be going to Moga for the SAD-BJP rally to be held on December 8. The following two days will see him addressing rallies in Chandigarh and Amritsar, his constituency, respectively," revealed advocate Satpal Jain, former MP and senior BJP leader, who accompanied Sidhu and BJP national general secretary Arun Jaitley to the court on Wednesday.

     However, the sentence may only bring temporary reprieve to Sidhu on the personal front, if he does not get any relief from the SC in the form of his conviction being stayed there. Anything else would bar him from contesting the polls since the sentence awarded by the court is of more than two years. Meanwhile, BJP's ally SAD (B) is jubilant since the sentence would not stop Sidhu from campaigning. ...

Youths rally behind Sidhu

Chandigarh Tribune

Chandigarh, December 5: Navjot Singh Sidhu, an ace cricketer-turned-politician, was welcomed by approximately 100 youths with lighted candles at the railway station here this evening. Navjot Sidhu was accompanied by Mr Arun Jaitley, the general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

... Mr Satya Pal Jain, a former local MP and Mr Yash Pal Mahajan, president of the local unit, were also present at the railway station.

Navjot was engaged in a discussion with his lawyers late in the evening.

Sidhu in city, case to be heard today

Chandigarh Newsline

Chandigarh, December 5: "I am here to submit myself before the majesty of law," maintained a relaxed and composed Navjot Singh Sidhu, a day before the quantum of sentence is to be argued in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The verdict may be pronounced tomorrow itself.

...Earlier in the evening, local supporters thronged the railway station. Around 300-400 university students and other supporters took out a candlelight march. Former MP Satya Pal Jain said the entire nation was with Sidhu, and would stand by him. "Sidhu has done a lot for the society and we are with him," maintained Jain, who also appreciated the fact that Sidhu resigned immediately after he was convicted by the High Court. ...

सिद्धू को तीन साल कैद की सजा

राष्ट्रीय सहारा

चंडीगढ़ (एजेंसियां)। पूर्व क्रिकेटर और भाजपा नेता नवजोत सिंह सिद्धू को सड़क दुर्घटना के बाद हुई मारपीट में एक व्यक्ति की हत्या के मामले में आज तीन साल की कैद की सजा सुनाई गयी।

     अभियोजन पक्ष ने अदालत से आरोपी को 10 वर्ष के कारावास की सजा दिए जाने का अनुरोध किया है। न्यायाधीश मेहताब सिंह गिल और न्यायाधीश बलदेव सिंह की पीठ के समक्ष सिद्धू की सजा के बारे में दोनों पक्षों की दलील के दौरान अभियोजन पक्ष ने 43 वर्षीय पूर्व सांसद को 10 साल की कारावास की सजा दिए जाने का अनुरोध किया। दूसरी तरफ बचाव पक्ष के वकील ने अपने मुवक्किल पर या तो शुल्क लगाए जाने या प्रोबेशन दिए जाने का अनुरोध किया।

     जिस समय मामले में दलीले चल रही थीं उस समय नीले रंग का सूट और पगड़ी पहने सिद्धू खचाखाच भरी अदालत में दाखिल हुए। दलील दो घंटे चली। भाजपा नेता अरूण जेटली अविनाश खन्ना सत्यपाल जैन और अकाली दल के नेता दलजीत सिंह चीमा भी अदालत में मौजूद थे। ...

     इससे पहले बचाव पक्ष के वकील ने दलील देते हुए कहा था कि उनके मुवक्किल की कार्रवाई पूर्व नियोजित नहीं थी। जो कुछ हुआ वह महज एक संयोग था। उन्होंने कहा कि यह जुर्माना लगाने के लिहाज से बेहतर मामला है। इस मौके पर सिद्धू के वकील ने तीन मामलों का हवाला दिया जिसमें अपराध चाकू हथियार और डंडे से किए गए। उन्होंने कहा कि निचली अदालतों ने इन मामलों में आरोपियों को बड़ी सजा दी थी लेकिन उच्चतम न्यायालय ने तीनों मामलों में क्रमश: छह महीने एक साल और तीन साल की सजा दी। ...

Vote Cong and ensure price rise: Satya Pal

Times of Chandigarh

CHANDIGARH: Holding the Congress responsible for price rise, ex-MP and national convener of the legal cell of BJP, Satya Pal Jain has said that even a single vote going to Congress will further augment the price rise and normal life of common man will become more miserable.

People who voted for Congress party in 2004 has facilitated increase in prices of flour from Rs 8 per kg to Rs 15 per kg and rise in prices of pulses to Rs 60 per kg, he said.

"If the people again vote for Congress, flour prices will be increased from Rs 15 to Rs 25 per kg and that of pulses from Rs 60 to Rs 100 per kg in the next two-and-a-half years, he said. Congress has adopted anti-people and anti-poor policies during the last over two years and it deserves a crushing defeat so that it does not come to power again," he added. ...

Objections against 2 ex-mayors filed

Chandigarh Tribune

Chandigarh, December 2: The BJP today filed objections against ex-Mayors Anu Chatrath and Lalit Joshi of the Congress for allegedly holding office of profits. Objections were also filed against Alka Chatrath, who is the covering candidate for Ms Anu Chatrath, with the respective returning officers.

...Addressing a press conference, Mr Satya Pal Jain alleged that Ms Joshi was the chairman of the Chandigarh Social Welfare Advisory Board, an appointment made by the Central Government, while Ms Anu Chatrath was a Panjab University senator and also on the panel of lawyers of PU. He further alleged that Ms Alka Chatrath too was on the panel of lawyers and should be disqualified. ...

Congress majority notwithstanding, BJP man becomes ZP chief

Chandigarh Tribune

Chandigarh, November 30: Mr Bhajan Singh, a BJP leader of Kishangarh village, has been elected as the Chairman of the Zila Parishad.

...Interestingly, four of the six members of the Zila Parishad are affiliated to the Congress party, which include the president of Chandigarh Congress (Rural), Mr Manmohan Singh of Khuda Lahora village. Others are Dayal Singh of Dhanas village, Rajwant Kaur of Raipur village and Dharminder Daria.

.... Taking part in the celebrations, Mr Satya Pal Jain said this victory was a testimony of the victory that BJP will witness in the upcoming MCC elections.

   "The results have proven that even the villagers are not happy with the Congress. This is also a fall out of the fact that five villages were forcibly handed over to the MCC despite the villagers protest," he stated. It may be mentioned here that the administration had not permitted the Zila Parishad elections to be held for the past 16 months. ...