Keeping tabs on power politics in Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir
The game of claims and counterclaims
The open sparring between chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and Amritsar East MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu has seen them make claims and counterclaims. Sidhu, in a tweet on Saturday, said he has never asked anyone for any post. “Was invited and offered cabinet berths many times but I did not accept,” he claimed. The tweet was his response to Amarinder’s claim to the contrary in an interview to a private channel last month. “He (Sidhu) was trying to become the state president of the party…then he wanted to be the deputy chief minister with home portfolio,” the CM had stated, questioning his “demands”. The dissenting ex-minister, who has been hitting out at Amarinder on social media daily, is said to be counting on former Congress president Rahul Gandhi and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in his spat with the two-time CM who also seems confident that the Congress high command will listen to him on this issue. So far, there has been no evident intervention from the central leadership.
Vaccine rates at pvt hospitals raise brows
At Rs 850 to Rs 1,560, per dose prices of various Covid-19 vaccines at private hospitals in Punjab have raised eyebrows, with Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MLA and leader of opposition Harpal Singh Cheema asking the state government to ensure that they are available free of cost to people in government and private hospitals. While it is free at government hospitals, there are wide differences in the prices that hospitals are charging for the shots across the state. If Fortis Hospital in Ludhiana is charging Rs 850 per dose Covidshield, another private hospital, Matsya Hospital, in Zirakpur has set a price of Rs 1,200 for one dose, according to the CO-WIN portal. Similarly, the rate specified by Fortis Mohali Hospital for a shot of Covaxin is Rs 1,250 whereas Amardeep Hospital in Amritsar is charging Rs 1,560 for one dose of this vaccine, showed the portal. “Vaccine is for public good. The state government should make it free for everyone and pay the private hospitals for vaccine doses administered by them,” the AAP leader said.
Harmeet Sandhu starts legwork in Tarn Taran
Former Akali MLA from Tarn Taran, Harmeet Singh Sandhu, has started campaigning from the Khadoor Sahib segment, indicating that the party may switch his constituency in the state polls due early next year. On Wednesday, a group of Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) workers in Khadoor Sahib joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) in his presence. The seat has been lying vacant for the party since former MP Ranjit Singh Brahmpura parted ways with the Badals and floated his own party. Brahmpura’s son Ravinder Singh Brahmpura was the Akali candidate in the 2017 assembly polls from Khadoor Sahib and had lost to Congress’ Ramanjit Singh Sikki. “I will obey whatever the party decides,” said Sandhu who won three elections from Tarn Taran.
Sherry keeps mum on picture with Ram Rahim
Congress MLA Navjot Singh Sidhu is quick to respond on social media to allegations leveled by chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh and SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal. Raising the Bargari sacrilege issue, he often tries to corner Badals over their erstwhile ties with controversial Sirsa-based Dera Sacha Sauda and violation of Akal Takth’s edict by them. But he has been silent on a photograph in which he is seen standing before Dera chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh with folded hands, that is being made viral over social media by his rivals, especially the SAD leaders. Along with this photograph, some video clips are also being circulated, in which he is purportedly seen praising the dera chief.
Dushyant’s Sputnik dream
Haryana deputy CM Dushyant Chautala sounded over optimistic last week when he said that state government was exploring the possibility of manufacturing Sputnik V vaccine in Haryana. Chautala said he had a word with Dr Reddy’s Laboratories in this regard. While Dr Reddy’s Lab has an agreement with the Russian Direct Investment
Fund (RDIF) to sell 250 million doses of Sputnik, the RDIF has partnership with six other companies to collectively contract manufacture of 850 million doses of Sputnik. Officials dealing with the issue said the deputy CM’S statement was “overly optimistic”. As per a white paper on establishing manufacturing capabilities for human vaccines prepared by United Nations Industrial Development Organization, it takes several years to get a facility ready to start vaccine production and by the time the local facility is up and running the government may have decided to terminate the exclusivity of the purchasing program or change the price it will buy at due to a change of power, budget cuts, etc.
Vij & the pandemic diary
Haryana health Minister Anil Vij has set up a team of medical professionals to document the episodes, developments and milestones which occurred during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Vij said the idea is to document the problems faced during the pandemic, investigations and experiments conducted and how we overcame the problems for posterity. “Every new development like the recent outbreak of black fungus infection is being incorporated in the document. The documentation is being done to help future generations understand the issues and problems we faced during the pandemic in case another pandemic hits the humanity half a century or century later,” Vij said.
73-year-old JJP MLA scores 84% in MA exam
Jannayak Janta Party (JJP) MLA and former Rajya Sabha member Ishwar Singh is elated over his score in MA first year exam. “Age has nothing to do with learning,” said the 73-year-old Guhla legislator after scoring 84%. The two-time MLA is doing MA in political science from the distance learning centre of the Kurukshetra University and the exams was conducted online as per the UGC guidelines in October last year. Singh has completed most of his higher studies after joining politics, doing graduation at the age of 37 and LLB at 42. He is now study for his third MA degree.
Nil vaccination in some J&K dists irks Lt Guv
The slow pace of vaccination in J&K has not only left common people irked but also lieutenant governor Manoj Sinha. During a recent review meeting when he (LG) asked officials about the reasons for zero vaccination in some districts of the Valley despite availability of vaccines, Sinha was informed that some senior officers within medical health department asked them to slow down the pace of vaccination across Kashmir so that the quota would last for more days till the arrival of fresh batches. However, zero per cent vaccination in many districts received a lot of media attention which portrayed the UT administration in a bad way, prompting a warning from the LG warned to senior health officials that they could be removed if they repeat similar mistake.
Bali vs Virbhadra again
The rift within the Himachal Congress was out in the open again the day the party launched Covid-19 relief vehicles from Kangra. Hoardings and posters carrying photos of former PM Rajiv Gandhi, Congress president Sonia Gandhi, MP Rahul Gandhi and former minister GS Bali, who heads the state Covid-19 relief work committee, were put up across the state to publicise the launch. Surprisingly, former chief minister Virbhadra Singh’s photo was excluded which enraged his supporters and some of them allegedly tore the hoardings in Shimla. A video of some youth tearing down the posters has gone viral on social media in which one of them can be heard saying, “Insult to Raja Sahib will not be tolerated”.