Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Capt Amarinder Singh today sought the intervention of the Chief Election Commissioner of India to look in to the manipulation of the cable network in Punjab and urged him to ensure that there is a level playing field in decimation of information through the cable television network. The party also brought to the notice of the commission the misuse of religion, particularly the Gurudwaras by the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal. It also sought transfer of DCP Ludhiana, SSP and DC Bathinda besides, several other officials who were partisan towards the ruling Akali Dal. A memorandum submitted to the CEC, on behalf of the PCC President, by a delegation led by Karanpal Sekhon, the OSD to the PCC President, said, “we are satisfied with the effective and concrete steps taken by the Commission so far for ensuring the level playing field for all the political parties and curbing the electoral malpractices”.
The other members in the delegation included Nirmal Sharma, Surjit Singh Swaich, KS Punia and Gagandeep Singh Bhall. The PCC, however, apprehended large scale violence, intimidation and other electoral malpractices by the ruling SAD-BJP alliance in their desperation to cling to power citing the example of recent past events and history.The party sought a ban on PTC TV channel which is a mouth piece of the SAD-BJP alliance and urged the commission to issue directions to the Fastway Cable network not to block certain television channels at the behest of the government. It said, the Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal, who is also the president of Shiromani Akali Dal has completely monopolized the cable network in the State in the name of Fastway and his family members have taken over proprietorship and control of PTC TV Channel.
Maintaining that just 200 companies of the central security forces will be inadequate, the party sought deployment of adequate para-military forces as it apprehended violence at the hands of the ruling Akali Dal as it had indulged in during the panchayat and local bodies elections. “To ensure free and fair election it is most essential to deploy adequate number of Central paramilitary forces (Central Police Forces and State Armed Police drawn from other States) in every polling booth in all the constituencies in the entire State”, it said, while adding, “the presence of the said force should be visible in every polling booth and the said force should not be kept deployed only in the outer security ring”.
Seeking disqualification of P.S. Gill who recently retired as Director General of Police Punjab and was reappointed as Adviser to the Chief Minister and held the said key post till the official announcement of his candidature from Moga Constituency on SAD-BJP ticket, the memorandum said, he has taken a number of decisions regarding the postings, transfers and new recruitments in the recent past with an eye on the coming elections and his own candidature on the ruling party ticket. Similarly, it added, Darbara Singh Guru held the key post of Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister and he also took important decisions while holding the said post, paid a number of visits to Bhaduar Constituency, distributed crores of rupees from the State exchequer in the said area during the past six months, made posting and transfers of number of government official with an eye on the elections and his own candidature from Bhadaur and now he has become a candidate on SAD-BJP ruling alliance from the said constituency.
The party sought immediate transfer of several officials for their partisan role. They include AshishChadhary, DCP, Ludhiana, K.K. Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Bathinda, Sukhchain Singh Gill, SSP Bathinda, Surinderpal Singh XEN MADKAR BOARD + SE BDA + XEN,Ludhiana,Harbir Singh Sidhu SE PSPL, Bathinda, Avtar Singh Makkar, Tehsildar Rev. Bathinda, H.S. Sidhu, DEO (S) Bathinda, Gurjeet Singh Romana Police Inspector, Gulbhar Singh DFSO Bathida, Himanshu Kakkar A.F.S.O. Fazilka, posted there for the last five years, Sanjeev Setia S.H.O. Fazilka City, Amrik Singh Sidhu D.D.P.O. ( a close relative of Vardev Singh Mann SAD-BJP Candidate from Guruharshai), Mukhtiar Singh S.H.O. Guruharshai, Pardeep Kumar S.H.O. Behram, Daljeet Singh (Panchayat Secretary Tale wala Block Guruharshai), Harpal Singh Bedi (MHC, Police Statiion Guruharshai) and Balwinder Singh Bhikhi Deputy Superintendent of Police, Zira.