Punjab leaders take a break as poll heat ebbs
UNWIND From detoxing to taking foreign tours, politicians across party lines sit back and relax after a hectic campaign schedule
A month-long suspense over election results can be killing. But Punjab’s netas seem to know how to unwind. While some have taken to foreign shores and detox treatments, at least one is using the break to eat home-grown strawberries and write a book.
Voting to elect a new government in the state was held on February 4 and results will be declared only on March 11.
Stand-up comedian Bhagwant Mann, who addressed nearly 1,000 rallies as a star campaigner for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in the run-up to the polls, is “detoxifying” in Bengaluru with party chief Arvind Kejriwal.
Kejriwal had tweeted missives to the Election Commission about “lapses” in guarding of EVMs in Punjab before heading for a strict detoxification regime at a naturopathy centre in Bengaluru.
“Kejriwal and Durgesh Pathak went to the centre last week. Mann joined them after three days,” an AAP source said.
After high-octane campaigning in his seat Batala, Punjab AAP convener Gurpreet Singh Waraich aka Ghuggi is busy shooting for a Punjabi movie, being produced by Kapil Sharma. “I am trying to complete pending projects. Currently, I am shooting for a Punjabi remake of a Marathi film with Kapil Sharma,” Ghuggi said.
Back in Mumbai, Kapil has also been humouring Navjot Singh Sidhu, Congress’ new poster-boy, who has returned to his comedy show after the whirlwind campaigning in Punjab, saying he would soon be sitting on a “bigger seat” (read government post).
The father-son Badal duo are using the break to attending to health and family.
Chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, who was admitted to the PGI, Chandigarh, twice in the last one year, is expected to return from the United States on February 17 after a “thorough medical examination”.
His son and deputy CM, Sukhbir Badal, and daughter-in-law, Union minister Harsimrat Badal, are also in the US with their family and will return on February 20, a week before the Delhi Gurdwara Management Committee (DGMC) elections are scheduled to take place on February 26.
One of the Badal ministers, Janmeja Singh Sekhon, has publicly announced that “they need rest” after running the government for two terms.
“We have been in the government and are tired. I am taking family and team to Bangkok, Hong Kong and Dubai for a vacation,” Sekhon is heard saying in a YouTube clip .
As for the Congress CM face, Captain Amarinder Singh, it is time to nurse a bruised ankle.
Advised rest, the state party chief is spending time relishing home-grown strawberries in his Sector 10 residence in Chandigarh while preparing for two book releases.
The first, an authorised biography on him — The People’s Maharaja — is slated for February 21 release. Also set for release before the election verdict is Amarinder’s account of the Battle of Saragarhi, on how 36 Sikh Regiment fought Afridi tribals in Pakistan’s North West Frontier Province in 1897.
Wiser from the 2012 polls, when the former Patiala royal and his team had “appointed” loyalists as cabinet ministers, the Captain is not jumping the gun this time.
Initially it was very difficult but as time passed, things started to settle down. Now the work has begun and elections are on. We are expecting positive results.
Who else can you trust such difficult times? Only your wife can stand by you in such a crisis. Such phases come in everyone’s life when some hard decisions have to be taken. Things come to a halt. I am very sure public and party workers will stand by us in the election. We have achieved so much. We have given inclusive and balanced growth and we will step it up after coming to power.
Due to technology it was difficult to keep them away from media reports. But today’s children understand situations. They love their grandfather as well as their father. I don’t think they were adversely impacted—they don’t watch news. .
No, there is support from all sides. But, UP is a huge state and there is very little time left. As directed by the party, I am campaigning for woman candidates and I am overwhelmed by the response. I feel loved.
They (her children) love their grandfather as well as their father. I don’t think they were adversely impacted (by family feud)
I don’t know why PM spoke about 1984. If he wanted to provoke me into snapping alliance with the Congress then he should have spoken about the Ferozabad election in which the Congress defeated Dimple. This is I have met Rahul several times; we were
People have suffered because of demonetisation and now the government I am quite away from the US politics.