GIDDERABHA: This sleepy little town known for nothing except being the home bastion of Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal, is poised for a keen electoral tussle on May 27 ‘with both the Congress and the Akali Dal claiming to have the upper hand in the last phase of campaigning.
For Akali Dal president Parkash Singh Badal it is a do or dies battle as ‘his future political career and hopes ‘of becoming the next Chief Minister ‘of the State are at stake in the by-election.
No wonder the entire Punjab Cabinet, led by Chief Minister Beant Singh, ‘on the one hand and the entire Akali Leadership on the other are vying with each other to Woo the voters of this constituency spread over 49 villages.
Hardly has there been any person here who has not met Beant Sing hand Badal, All the top leaders of both parties have taken to house to house campaign in view of the importance of winning the seat. It outcome is like to have far-reaching political repercussions in the State.
Reacting to a galaxy of VIPs making the house to house rounds on foot, Mrs. Kulwant Kaur said, “These people who were locked in their for tresses and were unavailable to the common man are at their doorstep ‘With folded bands in all humility its seems like’a dream,”
Leaders from the Opposition, who are often without security are ignored by the people who mistake them to be ordinary supporters till they are introduced by some local leader, “Who is he?” is the most frequently as ked question. Even politicians from the ruling, party, including the Chief Minister, move around in convoy of five or six vehicles a fact which is difficult for the people to digest. “We fail to Understand how can the ministers, who ordinarily move with over dozen escort vehicles with policemen showing stick to the others on the road to get them out of the ministers’ way, travel in an ordinary car ‘with a handful of bodyguards?”
People like Punjab Finance Minister ‘Kewal Krishan can be seen moving in an ordinary NE 118. But it is another matter that hundreds of Maruti and Gypsies without number plates can ‘be seen at the local rest house. The Akalis allege that these are police Gpysies being used by plain Clothes men supporting the ruling party.
Badal has fielded his nephew, Manpreet Singh Dhillon, while the Congress nominee is Deepak Kumar Garg son of Raghubir Singh, whose disqualification necessitated the by poll.
Badal and other senior Akali leaders when contacted claimed they had the upper hand in the constituency as the Jat Sikh voters, who constituted 55% of the total electorate, and the Schedtiled Castes, who represented another 25%, were with them, the support extended by the Bahujan Samaj Party to the Akali Dal had further brightened the Dal’s chances. State ministers Harcharan Singh Brar and Partap Singh Bajwa claimed the Congress was fast emerging popular and was expecting to win the seat.
Article extracted from this publication >> May 26, 1995
