Two of a kind, these IFS officers

Chandigarh: Indian Foreign Service (IFS) officers Navtej Sarna and Navdeep Suri have more in common than their Punjabi background. Both have literature in their blood. Jalandhar-born Navtej is the son of Mohinder Singh Sarna, a writer well known for his Partition stories, such as ‘Chhavian Di Rut’. Navtej himself is the author of The Exile, based on the life of Maharaja Duleep Singh. Amritsar-born Navdeep is the grandson of famous Punjabi novelist Nanak Singh and has translated some of his novels into English. Navdeep’s family is involved in the publishing business. Navtej and Navdeep were both in the fray for the post of India’s Ambassador to the US, but it was the former who made it.

Austerity is the Cong policy

Chandigarh: While the SAD-BJP government has launched hi-tech publicity vans in all 117 constituencies in the run-up to the Assembly elections, the “cash-strapped” state Congress has flagged off 13 Tempo Travellers —  devoid of state-of-the-art gadgetry. The Akalis’ PR vans have LED screens and pre-recorded messages to attract voters, while the Congress vehicles are dependent on the lung power of its leaders. The party’s defence: The low-cost vehicles are aimed at striking a chord with people at the grassroots level.

Akali MLA sidelined on his turf

Jalandhar: The SAD leadership kept blunting all attacks — including those from ally BJP — against its Phillaur MLA Avinash Chander after he was repeatedly summoned by the Enforcement Directorate in the Bhola drug case. But the party has now virtually wiped him off from his own constituency. No photo of the sitting MLA was seen on hoardings put up in or around the venue of the two-day Sangat Darshan by Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal in Phillaur last week. The junior Badal openly announced new halqa incharge Baldev Khera as the party candidate for the Assembly elections. Regarding Avinash, he quipped, “We are looking for a suitable seat for him.”

Halqa incharge in the thick of things

Muktsar: Even though Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal had said in the Vidhan Sabha last year that the SAD’s constitution has no provision for a halqa incharge, the ground reality is different. The name of SAD’s Muktsar halqa incharge, Kanwarjit Singh ‘Rozy Barkandi’, appeared on the invite of a government programme. The Agriculture Department invited ‘Rozy Barkandi’, a close aide of Deputy CM Sukhbir Badal, as the special guest during the Kisan Mela organised here recently. He, however, did not turn up. Earlier, he had inaugurated a Sewa Kendra in Muktsar, amid criticism.

Too big for their boots?

Chandigarh: As the elections approach, politicians travel incessantly across the state. Having comfortable shoes becomes a necessity. Punjab BJP president Vijay Sampla’s pair is designed from a shop in Jalandhar to ensure that his big feet don’t become restive. Another tall guy, Congress leader Manpreet Badal, prefers the Big & Tall chain in Europe for his ‘size 13’ footwear. It’s another matter that the shoes that hit the headlines recently, albeit for the wrong reasons, were those of Congress MLA Tarlochan Singh Soondh.

No amenities, why vote?

Abohar: Disillusioned residents of the local Ward No. 12 have threatened to boycott the Assembly poll in protest against the apathy of the government as well as the administration. They have put up a banner that reads, “No development, no vote”. Dharampal Nirania and Surinder Singh Mahar said their locality of about 3,000 residents had been ignored by the Municipal Council for the past about two decades. “Politicians arrive like migratory birds before the elections and make tall promises, which are never fulfilled,” they said. The duo rued that there was no point in getting enrolled as voters when even basic amenities were not available.

(Contributed by Sarbjit Dhaliwal, Rajmeet Singh, Sanjeev Singh Bariana, Deepkamal Kaur, Archit Watts and Raj Sadosh)