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Political Notes |
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Amrinder gets interim bail
A Ludhiana court has stayed the arrest of former Punjab Chief Minister Capt. Amrinder Singh, his son Raninder Singh, his son-in-law Raminder Singh and former Local Bodies Minister Jagjit Singh in the alleged multi-crore City Centre scam till Jan. 22. They have been booked under various sections of the Indian Penal Code for criminal breach of trust, cheating, forgery and criminal conspiracy besides the Prevention of Corruption Act. The Vigilance Bureau has accused Capt. Amrinder Singh and others of illegalities in the multi-crore project on a prime piece of land in the city’s suburbs.
Riot in Jalandhar jail
Prisoners took over the overcrowded central jail in Jaland¬har on Jan. 7 and did not allow anyone to come near them for a couple of hours. They also reportedly tried to blow up the boundary wall of the 19th century jail built during the British rule. The police resorted to fire several rounds in the air and teargas shells to defeat their attempt to flee in which a prison¬er sustained injuries.
The prisoners were reportedly protesting against the alleged highhandedness of the jail authorities. Reports say that resent¬ment was brewing among them since maltreatment of a Sikh prisoner on Dec. 28.
Congress-BJP decry glorification of Indira Gandhi killers
Both the Congress and the BJP have criticised the glorifica¬tion of Indira Gandhi’s assassins by the Shiromani Gurudwara Prabandhak Committee as “martyrs to the cause of the Sikh Nation.” The SGPC had paid homage to Satwant Singh and Kehar Singh, killers of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi after the Bhog of Akhandpath in a gurudwara in the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar on Jan. 6.
Congress spokesperson Jayant Natrajan said, eulogising the assassins of a Prime Minister is disturbing, dangerous and divi¬sive. BJP spokesperson Rajiv Prasad Rudy said the SGPC move was completely unacceptable.
Advisor to Punjab Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal, Daljit Singh Cheema said in Chandigarh, “what the SGPC has said is a religious affair of the body and the state government does not interfere with its functioning.” At the same time, Cheema said that his statement should not be construed as approval of Indira Gandhi’s killers.
Salary hike for President
The Union Cabinet on Jan. 10 cleared a proposal for a sub¬stantial hike in the monthly pay cheques of the President and the Vice President.
While the President’s monthly emoluments will be raised from Rs.50,000 to Rs.1 lakh, the Vice-President will be entitled to get Rs.85,000 a month as against Rs.40,000 at present. After the Cabinet meeting, chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Infor¬mation and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Dasmunsi told re¬porters that the salary of Governors has also been doubled from Rs.36,000 to Rs.75,000 a month.
The hike was necessitated as Members of Parliament have a Rs.68,000 pay packet while the presiding officer of the Rajya Sabha drew less than MPs, Dasmunsi said.
Emoluments of the former Presidents have also been doubled to Rs.6 lakh a year, while more facilities have been sanctioned for the spouses of deceased Presidents and Vice-Presidents.
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