The Hindu : Badal defies order, enters Amritsar city

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 12, 2002

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Badal defies order, enters Amritsar city

By Sarabjit Pandher

Prakash Singh Badal, former Chief Minister of Punjab and president of the Shiromani Akali Dal Badal, going inside the SGPC office with supporters, in Amritsar on Monday. — PTI

AMRITSAR NOV. 11. As the countdown began today for the Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) elections, the Shiromani Akali Dal president, Parkash Singh Badal, stormed Amritsar city with over 100 of his men defying prohibitory orders promulgated by the State Government, which for a change appeared to have gone on the defensive.

To prevent any untoward incident on Tuesday, the polling day, the holy city of Amritsar has been converted into a huge cantonment. All roads leading to the city and inside were heavily barricaded as security personnel searched vehicles for weapons or "mischievous'' elements. Though people complained of being put to inconvenience, there was no visible tension at the social level.

Mr. Badal, who reached Amritsar by road, defied all orders under section 144 Cr.P.C. Except outside the Golden Temple complex, the NSG commandos accompanied Mr. Badal, though the Chief Minister, Amarinder Singh, at a recent press conference had announced that the Akali supremo would not be allowed any guards except those from the Punjab police, within the limits of the Amritsar revenue district.

The SGPC members loyal to Mr. Badal reached the Raja Sansi airport in the afternoon in a chartered aircraft.

Those who accompanied the group included Mr. Badal's son, Sukhbir Singh, and nephew, Manpreet Singh. The Union Ministers, Sahib Singh Verma and S.S. Dhindsa, and the MPs, P.C. Thomas and Arti Arya, also arrived as part of an NDA team to observe the elections, which are slated for Tuesday.

The slogan-shouting Badal supporters were bundled into three waiting buses. Leading the convey, Mr. Badal reached the gate of the Golden Temple complex adjacent to the rest houses for the pilgrims, but could not proceed further as there was a heavy deployment of police and the entrance was barricaded. Though police had set up a number of checkpoints en route, the convoy was not stopped anywhere. Mr. Sukhbir Singh's "youth brigade'' threw a protective human chain to escort the members to the Guru Hargobind Niwas, which was occupied by the Badal loyalists despite the administration having effected a vacation of all inns in the Golden Temple complex.

After reaching the newly constructed inn, Hargobind Niwas, Mr. Badal was closeted with his supporters, who as is the age old practice, authorised him to take the decision regarding nominating the next presidential candidate, other office-bearers and members of the executive committee.

Sonia `pulls up' CM

In Chandigarh, the Chief Minister sought to stress that his party had no stakes in the results of the SGPC elections. He defended the decisions of his Government as an attempt to avoid any breach of law and order.

It is being viewed that the State Government has softened its stance after being "pulled up'' by the Congress chief, Sonia Gandhi.

In a related development, the Punjab and Haryana High Court stayed the arrest of the former SGPC chief, Bibi Jagir Kaur, who was being proceeded against for power theft.

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