The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 76

www.luxurylights.ca
905-856-9999
Lamps LED Pendants Bathroom Lights
Wall Sconces Semi-Flush Mounts
Chandeliers & Accessories
4220 Steeles Ave. West, A8 Woodbridge L4L 3S8
www.canadianparvasi.com
Issue No : 81
Email: editor@canadianparvasi.com Contact Number : 905-673-0600 January 18, 2018 | Toronto | Pages 12
Ram Dera chief, 3 others awarded life
imprisonment in Chhatrapati murder case
Panchkula : The CBI
Special Court, Panchkula, on
Thursday awarded life imprisonment
to Dera Sacha Sauda
chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim in
the journalist Ram Chander
Chhatrapati murder case.
Along with Ram Rahim,
Dera manager Krishan Lal and
carpenters at Dera -- Nirmal
Singh and Kuldeep Singh --
were also awarded life imprisonment.
Special Judge Jagdeep
Singh also imposed a fine of Rs
50,000 each on all the four accused.
Ram Rahim and other three
accused - Kuldeep Singh, Nirmal
Singh and Krishan Lal
- were present in the court
through video conferencing
from Rohtak jail and Ambala
jail, respectively.
It was Kuldeep Singh who
had shot at Chhatrapati outside
his house in Sirsa on the
evening of October 24, 2002.
Chhatrapati later succumbed
to his injuries on November 21,
2002, at Apollo Hospital, New
Delhi.
Kuldeep Singh had come
along with Nirmal Singh on a
scooter.
Nirmal Singh had managed
to flee on scooter but the police
nabbed Kuldeep Singh on the
spot. They revealed the name
of Dera manager Krishan Lal
who had provided his revolver
to them.
The Punjab and Haryana
High Court had handed over
the case to CBI on a petition
by Anshul Chhatrapati, son of
Ram Chander Chhatrapati, on
November 10, 2003.
According to CBI, Ram
Chander Chhatrapati was
killed as Dera chief Gurmeet
Ram Rahim was upset over
news items in 'Poora Sach'
newspaper, which he was running.
In May,2002, Chhatrapati
published a news item about
the anonymous complaint of
a Sadhvi regarding sexual exploitation
of Sadhvis in Dera
Sacha Sauda in the newspaper.
From there onwards, he started
receiving threats.
Former driver of Ram Rahim,
Khatta Singh, had told
the court that it was Dera chief
who had ordered Chhatrapati's
This is the triumph of
truth, says son of the
murdered journalist
This is the triumph of truth, I feel
relieved today. The prosecution had
demanded capital punishment but
we're satisfied with the punishment,
said Journalist Ramchandra
Chhatarpati's son Anshul on court
pronouncing the quantum of sentence
to Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
killing in front of him.
He told that on October
23, 2002, 'Poora Sach' had published
a news item regarding
the case of sexual exploitation
of women followers. After reading
the article, Ram Rahim got
angry and told accused Krishan
Lal, Kuldeep Singh and Nirmal
Singh to eliminate Chattrapati
by any means.
Continued on page 09
Front-row seat for Tytler at
Cong event: Sirsa says party
'intimidating' witnesses
Amritsar: A controversy
erupted today over
former MP Jagdish Tytler’s
occupying a front row seat
at a Delhi Congress event
with the Shiromani Akali
Dal (SAD) accusing the
grand old party of trying to
scare witnesses of the 1984
Sikh carnage, even as the
Congress pointed out that
Tytler had not been convicted
in the matter.
Moments after 74-yearold
Tytler took his seat,
SAD spokesperson and
Rajouri Garden MLA
Manjinder Singh Sirsa
slammed the Congress for
attempting to “intimidate”
Sikh riot case witnesses by
openly “patronising” him.
“Tytler was seated in
the front row at an event
where Sheila Dikshit took
over as Delhi Congress
president only to threaten
witnesses of the 1984 Sikh
carnage and prevent them
from deposing against the
accused.
Continued on page 08
Katarpur Corridor: BJP scuttling
Sikhs’ dreams, says Capt
Chandigarh: Punjab Chief
Minister Captain Amarinder
Singh on Thursday accused
Union Minister Vijay Sampla
of putting “unnecessary” roadblocks
in the Kartarpur Sahib
pilgrimage.
“Instead of finding ways of
facilitating the Sikh pilgrims,
the central government, especially
responsible elected representatives
such as Sampla, were
constantly putting hurdles in the
way of the realisation of their
dream to visit the historic gurdwara,
which they had seen being
fulfilled with the decision to open
the Kartarpur Sahib Corridor,”
Captain Amarinder Singh said.
Continued on page 09
Pakistan speed up
Kartarpur Corridor work :
35% work already done
Lahore : There are reports that Pakistan
has already completed 35% of work
for Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib corridor.
The corridor would connect Gurdawara
Kartarpur Sahib in West Punjab (Pakistan)
and Gurdawara Darbar Sahib,
Dera Baba Nanak in East Punjab (India).
Continued on page 09
For advertimesment in
Contact : 905-673-0600

The International News Weekly Canada
02
January 18, 2018 | Toronto
Police Arrest Man in Relation to
a Road Rage Investigation
Region of Peel: Investigators
from 11 Division
Criminal Investigation
Bureau have arrested a 23
year-old man in relation to
two road rage incidents in
the City of Mississauga.
On Tuesday, January 1,
2019 at approximately 1:40
a.m. the victim, a 50 yearold
man from Mississauga
was involved in a road rage
incident on Old Derry Road
in Mississauga. The other
driver stopped in front of
the victim’s vehicle, exited
his vehicle, hit the victim’s
mirror and then returned to
his vehicle and drove away.
No damage was caused and
no injuries were suffered to
the victim.
On Tuesday, January
1, 2019 at approximately
1:45 a.m. another victim, a
37 year-old man from Toronto
was involved in a
separate road rage incident
on Old Derry Road with the
same vehicle. Both vehicles
pulled over and an argument
ensued. The other
driver involved brandished
and pointed a black firearm
at the victim and struck
him in the head with it. The
victim suffered minor injuries.
On Saturday, January
12, 2019 the accused, Houmam
Zeitouny, a 23 yearold
man from Mississauga
was arrested and charged
with:
• One count Assault with
a Weapon
• Two counts Dangerous
Operation of a Motor
Vehicle
• One count Use Imitation
Firearm in Commission
of an Offence
• One count Possession
of Weapon for Dangerous
Purpose
• Two counts Carry Concealed
Weapon
• Two counts Possession
for the Purpose of Trafficking
• One count Possession
For The Purpose Of Distributing
$136 Billion And Amazon In The
Middle Of Jeff Bezos' Divorce
Ontario to cut college and university
tuition fees by 10 per cent
The Canadian Press
TORONTO : Ontario is set
to announce that it is cutting
tuition fees for college
and university students by
10 per cent.
The government says
that means the average
university arts and science
undergraduate student
would save about $660 and
the average college student
would save $340.
The current tuition
fee framework, which has
capped increases for most
programs at three per cent,
expires at the end of this
academic year, and the
Progressive Conservative
The announcement by Amazon
founder Jeff Bezos, the world's
wealthiest man, and his wife that
they will divorce has captivated the
imagination -- how will they split his
giant fortune, estimated at $136 billion?
And what will happen to the Internet
retail giant -- will his soon-tobe
ex get a significant stake, and how
would that affect his control of the
company?
The former MacKenzie Tuttle
knew the 54-year-old Bezos before
fame and wealth came calling.
The couple met in 1992 when he
was a hedge fund manager on Wall
Street, before he became an entrepreneur
who changed the way hundreds
of millions of people live. They married
less than a year later.
She was by his side for the entire
Amazon adventure, from the company's
humble beginnings in his Seattle
garage in 1994 to its mammoth success
today. They have four children
-- three sons and an adopted daughter
-- aged up to their late teens.
As of Wednesday, when the couple
formally announced they would
divorce after a long separation, the
48-year-old MacKenzie, a novelist, is
likely to become the richest woman
in the world.
According to celebrity news outlet
TMZ, the Bezoses did not have a
prenuptial agreement -- which could
mean an even split of assets.
They were married in Florida in
September 1993, according to documents
seen by AFP. But their last
place of residence would be the deciding
factor in any divorce proceedings.
The couple has numerous residences:
in Seattle, where Amazon is
based, but also in Washington DC,
Texas and Beverly Hills, California.
The National Enquirer tabloid
reported Thursday that Bezos was in
a relationship with the wife of powerful
Hollywood talent agent Patrick
Whitesell, former news anchor and
entertainment reporter Lauren Sanchez.
The relationship, launched eight
months ago, was the final nail in
the coffin of the troubled Bezos marriage,
the tabloid said.
government will formally
announce a new one on
Thursday.
Under the new framework,
tuition would decrease
by 10 per cent for
the 2019-2020 year, then be
frozen for the following
year.
Virsa
Fine Indian Restaurant
Niagara Falls
GuMmx jf rhy ho?
Indian
Food
Core operating grants
to post-secondary institutions
are contingent on
their compliance with the
framework.
International student
tuition fees aren't regulated
and are not included in
the cut.
The Falls
a family Lodge
D.Kang 289 296 5001
info@sherepunjabnf.com II www.sherepunjabnf.com
5677 Victoria Ave, Niagara Falls, ON, L2G 3L5
Police Arrest Woman in Stolen
Vehicle Investigation
Region of Peel : Investigators from 22 Division
Criminal Investigation Bureau have charged a 27
year-old woman in relation to a stolen vehicle investigation
in the City of Mississauga.
On Friday, January 11, 2019 at approximately 1:00
p.m. police were investigating a stolen Jeep Wrangler
in a parking lot in the area of Tomken Road and Eglinton
Avenue in the City of Mississauga. The vehicle
was being operated by Michelle Garcia-Arguello, a 27
year old woman from Toronto. In an attempt to evade
police Michelle Garcia-Arguello drove through the
parking lot where she collided with two police vehicles,
one of the investigating officers and a white cube
truck before being taken into custody. Significant
damage was caused to the vehicles involved however
only minor injuries were suffered.
Michelle Garcia-Arguello was arrested and
charged with:
• One count Possession of Stolen Property
• Two counts Dangerous Operation
• One count Dangerous Operation Cause Bodily Harm
• One count Flight from Police
• Three counts Fail to Remain
• One count Escape Lawful Custody
• One count Breach of Probation
Manpreet Minhas
Barrister & Solicitor
REAL ESTATE
Rupinder Minhas
Barrister & Solicitor
Sale/Purchase of Residential & Commercial Properties
Mortgage Enforcements & Lease
Refinance & Private Mortgages
BUSINESS LAW
Incorporation & Shareholder agreements
Sales & Purchase of Assets & Shares
Notarization & Affidavits
First
Consultation
FREE
WILLS & ESTATE
www.minhaslawyers.ca
Wills
Certificate of Estate Trustee with/without will
Power of attorney for Property & Personal care
CRIMINAL LAW
Drink & Drive offences
Bail Hearings
Domestic Assaults
Every Client Matters
Tel: 905-671-9244
Fax: 905-671-9245
IMMIGRATION
Skilled Worker Category
Spousal & Family Sponsorships
Students permit Visas & Renewals
138-2960 Drew Road Mississauga, ON. L4T 0A5 (Airport/Drew Rd, Near Malton Gurughar)

The International News Weekly Canada
January 18, 2018 | Toronto
03
Who’s who in the federal cabinet shuffle:
new faces, and old faces in new places
OTTAWA: David Lametti loves
the law, he said just after being
sworn in as Canada’s new justice
minister.
“I know it’s a cliche to say
that, but I do,” the 56-year-old
said outside Rideau Hall. “I have
done my best to teach and to
think about the ways in which
law has an impact on our daily
lives. I’ll continue to do that.”
Lametti is the child of Italian
immigrants. As a boy, he went
to construction sites with his
father, a carpenter who founded
his own construction company.
His mother was a caterer in the
Niagara region after his father’s
early death.
His education took him from
the University of Toronto to
McGill University, to Yale Law
School and Oxford University,
where he co-captained the Oxford
Blues men’s hockey team with
Mark Carney, who’d become governor
of the Bank of Canada.
Ex-teammate Trevor Farrow
called Lametti smart, funny and
highly organized, a guy who took
charge of the team and organized
trips and games. Farrow, now
associate dean of Osgoode Hall
Law School at York University
in Toronto, said Lametti always
had something nice to say about
teammates and never took himself
too seriously even when he
was focused on the game.
During a 2012 lunchtime seminar
at the University of Cambridge
— the video of which is
posted online — Lametti spoke
about how he was a bit of a philosophy
junkie and sat in on lectures
at Oxford, which led to him
focus on the intersection of legal
and ethical ideas.
Lametti became a law professor
and a founding member of
the Centre for Intellectual Property
Policy at McGill. Pierre-
Emmanuel Moyse, the centre’s
current director, said Lametti’s
interest is in how the law influences
public policy and where
both need improvement.
“He’s a good scholar, a good
academic, but he needs a position
where he can make a difference
… and translate what he
knows into something concrete,”
Moyse said, adding it was partly
why Lametti go into politics.
Lametti won the riding of
LaSalle-Emard-Verdun — once
held by former prime minister
Paul Martin — in 2015 and served
as a parliamentary secretary for
the last three years.
The father of three was also
involved in his community, including
as an assistant coach for
an under-16 competitive soccer
team.
Here’s a quick look at the rest
of the ministers involved in Monday’s
cabinet shuffle.
Bernadette Jordan
• First woman elected to represent
the Nova Scotia riding of
South Shore-St. Margarets
• Spent eight years prior to politics
as part of a team raising
millions of dollars for health
care in the region around
Bridgewater, N.S.
• A former president of the Atlantic
Community Newspaper
Association
Seamus O’Regan
• Former television personality
who spent a decade as
co-host of CTV’s Canada AM
show
• From St. John’s, Newfoundland,
and raised in Goose
Bay, Labrador
• Former executive assistant
to justice minister and later
senior policy adviser to premier
in the Newfoundland
and Labrador government
• Appointed minister of veterans
affairs in 2017
Jody Wilson-Raybould
• First Indigenous woman to
hold the post of justice minister
and attorney general
• Worked as a provincial prosecutor
in Vancouver after being
called to the bar in 2000
• Former regional chief of the
B.C. Assembly of First Nations.
• Descendant of the Musgamagw
Tsawataineuk and
Laich-Kwil-Tach peoples
Jane Philpott
• Spent three decades as a physician
— in Niger and then as
a family doctor in Stouffville,
Ont.
• Former chief of family medicine
at Markham Stouffville
Hospital and taught medicine
at the University of Toronto.
• Previously served as health
minister and Indigenous services
minister
Fraudulent
iPhone Sales
Afghani Singer Looks Just Like
Canadian PM Justin Trudeau
Region of Peel: Peel Regional Police would
like to make the public aware of a current scam that
is occurring in
Mississauga and
Brampton. Several
incidents have been
reported to investigators
where an
individual is selling
what appears to be
an authentic iPhone
X on several online
classified websites.
The transactions
typically include a
fraudulent bill of
sale for the iPhone X.
Potential purchasers examine the phone and due
to similar characteristics to iPhone X, they believe
the item to be authentic. It is only after the transaction
is complete and the purchaser attempts to use the
phone that they discover it to be fake. Investigators
are aware of individuals that have not reported these
types of transactions due to embarrassment. Peel Regional
Police would like to encourage the community
to report incidents such as these so that investigators
can locate the person(s) responsible.
When purchasing items through online classified
websites, consider the following:
1. Always ask yourself if this is too good to be true?
2. Do not make online purchases from unverified
and unknown sources.
3. Use buy and and sell exchange zones provided
by Peel Regional Police located at, 11, 12 and 22 Division.
Canadian Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau has
an unlikely doppelganger
more than 6,000 miles
away.
A contestant on the Afghan
singing talent competition
"Afghan Star" has
gone viral for his uncanny
resemblance to Trudeau,
47, despite his not even
knowing of the world leader.
"People have forgotten
my name and now they just
call me 'Justin Trudeau,'"
Abdul Salam Maftoon, 29,
told AFP. "I didn't know
anything about Justin
Trudeau until I saw the
photos on social media."
The comparisons first
surfaced on Afghanistan's
equivalent of "American
Idol" after a judge pointed
out the similarities.
"He looks like my
prime minister," Afghan
and Canadian musician
Qais Ulfat, one of the four
judges, said while comparing
Maftoon's voice to
another famous Canadian.
"This guy could be the next
Justin Bieber."
Despite becoming
an overnight celebrity,
Maftoon is focused on winning
the title with the romantic
folk songs that he
sings in Dari and Pashto,
Afghanistan's official languages.
The wedding singer
from Badakhshan is in
the top eight.
"The resemblance has
boosted my chances of winning
the competition by 50
percent," the father of four
told AFP. "When I go back
to my hometown, people
will definitely call me."
The final will take
place on March 21, on the
Persian new year's eve, according
to AFP and BBC.
"Afghan Star," which premiered
in 2005 following
the fall of the Taliban, is
one of Afghanistan's mostwatched
shows.
Maftoon has never
been to Canada, but didn't
rule out connecting with
his long-lost twin.
"I want to meet him if
he wants to, because he is
a global personality and I
am a poor man from a remote
part of Afghanistan,"
he told AFP. "We will see
what happens."
USA TODAY reached
out to the office of the
Prime Minister of Canada
to see if he has any words
of encouragement for his
lookalike.
(With thanks from
www.thespec.com)

The International News Weekly WORLD
January 18, 2018 | Toronto 04
UK opposition seeks end of May’s ‘zombie
govt’ as PM faces no-trust motion
Washington : Kim
Yong-chol, North Korea’s
lead negotiator in nuclear
talks with the US, is expected
to arrive in Washington
on Thursday, according to
informed sources.
After his arrival, Yongchol
is likely to meet Secretary
of State Mike Pompeo
and US special representative
to North Korea Steve
Biegun on Friday, CNN
quoted informed sources as
saying on Wednesday.
It remains unclear if he
will visit the White House.
The dates for meetings
between North Korea’s top
negotiator and US officials
in Washington have only
been confirmed to CNN by
London: The UK on Wednesday
stood at its most dangerous
crossroads in decades after parliament
emphatically rejected
PM Theresa May’s Brexit deal
and left her facing an uncomfortable
vote to oust her government
Pressing for May’s ouster, opposition
leader Jeremy Corbyn
said she was leading a “zombie
government” and that her “Frankenstein
deal is dead”. Corbyn
tabled a no-confidence motion
against May immediately after
her withdrawal deal was voted
down by a 230 majority on Tuesday
night. “ This government
cannot govern and cannot command
the support of parliament
on the most important issue facing
our country. Every single
previous prime minister in this
situation would have resigned
and called an election. The blame
for this mess lies at the feet of the
PM and her government,” Corbyn
said as the House of Commons
debated his motion on
Wednesday.
But May remained defiant
against the challenge to her
the US side.
A source familiar with
US-North Korea denuclearisation
talks told CNN that
the meetings would happen
“by this weekend”. No firm
details have been publicly
announced yet.
leadership. “I believe a general
election is the worst thing we
could do. It would deepen division
when we need unity, bring
chaos when we need certainty
North Korean negotiator headed to
Washington; will meet Secy of State
“A lot of positive things
are happening. He (Trump)
and Chairman Kim (Jongun)
have established a good
relationship, and conversations
between the United
States and North Korea
continue,” a White House
spokesperson told CNN. “We
are working to make progress
on our goal of achieving
the final, fully verified denuclearisation
of North Korea,
and the President looks forward
to meeting Chairman
Kim again at their second
summit at a place and time
yet to be determined.”
The location and the
date of the second summit
are expected to be discussed
during the meeting in Washington.
Yong-chol last came
to the US in June 2018. He
visited New York and met
Pompeo before travelling to
Washington, where he delivered
a letter from Kim Jongun
to Trump in the Oval Office.
and bring delay when we need to
move forward,” she told MPs. “It
is not in the national interest.”
May was widely expected
to see off the opposition’s bid
to bring down her government,
having secured the backing
of her own party’s rebels and
the small Northern Irish party
which props up her minority
administration. However, many
within and outside May’s party
have criticised her for not getting
cross-party support for the
withdrawal deal from the EU in
the first place. They include Gina
Miller, who took the government
to court, forcing the government
to hold the meaningful vote. She
told Sky News: “It should be
cross-party, remainers, leavers
and other parties negotiating
this deal.”
PIO Labour MP Seema Malhotra
said during the debate: “In
2017 she went to the country and
asked for a mandate, she lost her
majority. Last night she saw the
biggest defeat for a government
vote in the history of this House.
She has refused to open dialogue
with the front bench. This looks
like more of a strategy to divide
and conquer rather than to bring
this House and country together
and work out how we move forward.”
Punjab-origin Tanmanjeet
Singh Dhesi MP called on May to
resign, telling the House: “Homelessness
has spiralled out of control
and the usage of food banks
has risen exponentially.” However
there was a ray of hope that
a Brexit crisis could be averted
as on Wednesday EU’s chief negotiator,
Michel Barnier, said
that if May shifted on her red
lines, the EU was open to renegotiation.
It is widely expected that
Article 50 will get extended and
a nodeal Brexit will not happen.
Israeli student killed in 'horrendous attack' in Australia
Melbourne : An Israeli
woman who was killed in
the Australian city of Melbourne
had been on the telephone
to her sister when she
was followed from public
transport and attacked close
to the university where she
was studying, police said on
Thursday.
The body of Aiia Maasarwe,
21, was found by passers-by
early on Wednesday
near La Trobe University's
Bundoora campus in the
northeast of Melbourne,
Australia's second-largest
city. Police described her as
an Israeli national.
"This is an horrendous
crime that has been inflicted
on an innocent member of
our community," Detective
Inspector Andrew Stamper
told a news briefing on
Thursday.
"Our presumption is
that this was a random attack
and opportunistic,"
he said. It was the second
time in seven months that
a young woman had been
killed on her way home at
night in Melbourne, which
has an active night life and
is popular with overseas
university students.
Police said Maasarwe
had taken a tram home after
an evening out seeing a
comedy show. She had been
speaking with her sister on
the phone at the time of the
attack and her sister alerted
authorities, Stamper said.
"She heard the sound of
the fall, the phone falling to
the ground and heard some
voices and that was it," he
said.
Family members arrived
from Israel on Thursday.
Maasarwe had been in
Melbourne on a six-month
study abroad programme as
part of a degree at Shanghai
Android 'Q' may bring
system-wide 'Dark Mode'
San Francisco : A leaked preview of Google-owned
operating system (OS) Android's next major update tentatively
named "Q" has confirmed several new features
and tweaks including "Dark Mode" as a system theme,
according to media reports.
The "Dark Mode" in Android Q OS would turn
quick settings, launcher, volume panel and other elements
part of the user interface (UI) to turn into pitch
black colour. "XDA acquired the latest internal build of
Android 'Q' and flashed it on a Pixel 3 XL with screenshots
of this build, featuring the February 2019 security
patch," 9To5Google reported late on Wednesday.
The leak also suggested a "Developer" option to
"override force-dark" where apps that do not feature
built-in themes switch from white backgrounds to dark
gray. The new update leak also displays a redesigned
app info screen "Material Theme" elements like a new
row of buttons for uninstalling, force stop and opening
the app. Other changes involve the Ambient Display
moving the battery indicator to the top-right corner,
while new "Time to take action" and "Time to read"
settings possibly let users customise heads-up notifications,
the report added.
University.
Police said forensic testing
was being conducted on
two pieces of clothing found
nearby that they believe was
likely to have been left by
the person responsible for
her death.
In June, 22-year-old Eurydice
Dixon was followed
as she walked home from
performing at a Melbourne
comedy club before she
was sexually assaulted and
killed in a central park.
Dixon's death provoked
an outpouring of grief, with
more than 5,000 people attending
a vigil at the park,
and a wider push by police
to acknowledge that women
should be free to come home
alone late at night and be
safe.
More broadly, Australia
has been reviewing its policies
around violence against
women. Sixty-nine women
died violently in Australia
in 2018, up from 54 in 2017,
according to community
group Destroy the Joint.

The International News Weekly January 18, 2018 | Toronto
05
24 7
Emergency
Services
also available around the world
905-461-2300
Email: tickets@parvasitravels.com
2980 Drew Rd., Unit 221, Mississauga, ON L4T 0A7
www.parvasitravels.com

The International News Weekly Edit
06
January 18, 2018 | Toronto
The
w w w . canadianparv asi. c o m
Publisher & CEO
Associate Editor
Editor (India)
Online
Graphic Designer
Official Photographer
Contact
Editorial
Sales
Rajinder Saini
Meenakshi Saini
Gursheesh
Kshitiz Dalal
Naveen
Bashir Nasir
editor@canadianparvasi.com
sales@canadianparvasi.com
Dumbing Down
Quotas across the board will
be disastrous for higher education
While India’s agrarian crisis is well recognised
by now, less mentioned is that India also
has a full-blown education crisis on its hands – of
which the latest ASER report by NGO Pratham is
an indicator. Among class VIII children 56% are
unable to divide a 3 digit number by a 1 digit one;
a quarter of them lack even basic reading skills.
Standards have declined even over the past decade.
In 2008, 37% of class V children could do
basic math and 84.8% of class VIII students could
read class II level texts; now those numbers have
declined to 28% and 72.8% respectively.
Moreover, recent government actions appear
calculated to make India’s education crisis
worse. Scrapping the no-detention policy means
that children will be penalised for the education
system’s failures. It is also likely to increase the
dropout rate. Alongside, HRD minister Prakash
Javadekar announced reservations will be extended
to all private higher educational institutions,
including unaided ones. This means
that merit as well as the fundamental right to
equality will be superseded by caste. It also destroys
space for policy autonomy of private institutions,
including unaided ones, and is legally
contentious. The Allahabad high court ruled in
2011 that quotas do not apply to private unaided
institutions.
The government is likely to introduce a bill
to override legal objections. But SC should not
allow legislation to trample on the fundamental
right to equality, part of the Constitution’s basic
structure. The Centre seems to be extending a
familiar povertarian logic into education, which
will only deepen its crisis: make up for public
sector deficiencies by beating up on the private
sector. If schools functioned well and imparted
decent education to all, there would be no need
for reservations in higher education.
While India seems to have adopted the Maoist
dictum of “politics in command” when it
comes to education, it’s instructive to look at
how far China has come since it discarded Maoist
precepts (at which time India and China were
roughly level in scientific, educational and economic
terms). Now, Times Higher Education
rankings feature seven Chinese universities in
the top 200, and zero Indian. The emerging economy
rankings feature 25 Indian but 72 Chinese
institutions, including four in the top five. China
has overtaken the US in number of scientific
papers. Meritocracy and vaulting ambition, in
place of pretend egalitarianism and fake science,
make China five times richer than India today.
And thereby hangs a tale. TNN
2019: A Scary Story
The election outcome that’s terrifying for India,
BJP and Congress
Saubhik Chakrabarti
We are not going to
mince words saying this: A
terrifying prospect awaits
India if general election results
go a certain way. That
way is best understood by
doing a little, basic math.
Suppose BJP plus Congress
seats add up to well
short of 300 in the 543-seat
Lok Sabha. That means 250-
plus Lok Sabha seats will
be in the kitties of a motley
crew of regional parties.
Two questions are relevant
immediately. How will such
a situation come to pass?
And why is this terrifying?
Let’s, first, take a look at
some Lok Sabha numbers
from the recent past. The
following are Congress plus
BJP numbers in successive
Lok Sabhas since 1989 elections.
In eight Lok Sabha elections
from 1989 there have
been five stable, that is fiveyear,
governments – in 1991,
1999, 2004, 2009 and 2014. All
these governments have
been unquestionably led by
either Congress (1991, 2004,
2009) or BJP (1999, 2014). In
all these five stable governments,
the BJP plus Congress
Lok Sabha seat count
has been over or close to 300.
More important, in all these
five stable governments, the
national party in power was,
unquestionably and by a big
margin, in a command position
and had enough allies.
When Congress or
BJP gave outside support
because they didn’t have
enough seats to take the
pole position or when they
were especially vulnerable
to blackmail by allies, India
had unstable governments.
That’s what happened between
1989 and 1991 and
again, between 1996 and
1999.
So, this basic math suggests
that the BJP plus Congress
Lok Sabha seat count
crossing 300 is possibly a
necessary but not a sufficient
condition for a stable
government of any variety.
The sufficient condition is
that either BJP or Congress
has enough seats to be the
natural leader and, if required,
enough reasonably
well-behaved allies.
Keeping this context in
mind, let’s answer the first
question: How can a BJP
plus Congress seat count fall
well short of 300 in the coming
national election?
In 2014, BJP won 100 out
of the 106 seats that saw pretty
much direct BJP versus
Congress fights. And it won
71 seats in 80-seat UP. If BJP
loses a substantial minority
of the direct BJP versus
Congress contest seats, if the
SP-BSP alliance gets around
60 seats in UP, and BJP’s performance
elsewhere is middling,
today’s ruling party
can slump to below 200 and
in the worst case scenario,
well below 200.
But Congress may not
be the biggest gainer if BJP
takes such a hit. Even if the
party gets more seats in
the direct Congress versus
BJP fights, it can become
a two-seat party in UP (the
Nehru-Gandhi family bastions)
and it may not really
do very well anywhere else.
Congress can then end up
not crossing 100 seats.
Let’s assign, for ease of
analysis, two nice round figures
to the two national parties.
BJP: 160 and Congress:
90. So, BJP plus Congress
will be 250 seats. The motley
crew of regional parties, including
some pre-poll BJP
and Congress allies, will
then have 293 seats in the
543-seat Lok Sabha.
BJP likely won’t have
enough allies to have a shot
at power. Plus, since today’s
BJP is yesterday’s Congress,
that is, the party against
whom most other parties are
fighting, post-poll realpolitik
will be aimed at forming a
non-BJP government. And
since Congress won’t have
enough seats to be in a command
position, regional parties
eyeing power will tell
the grand old party that it
needs them more than they
need it.
Thus will be born a
Third Front government
that will see one national
party as a bit player and
another, as a much-demoralised
opposition.
Of course, this may not
happen. It’s foolish to either
underestimate Narendra
Modi-Amit Shah’s BJP or
even the newly energised
Rahul Gandhi’s Congress.
But anyone with a passing
understanding of Indian
politics can’t say for certain
that this will absolutely, utterly
not happen. In punditspeak,
there’s a non-trivial
probability attached to this
outcome.
So, the second question.
Why is this terrifying for
India? Simple: A government
such as this will be
inherently unstable, permanently
squabbling, it will be
comprised mostly of parties
that can be brutally transactional,
every constituent
party will try to push its
regional, caste/ voter base
special interests, therefore
the chances of national policy
coherence will be minimal;
also, since parties in
power will know their government
may not last five
years, they will have major
incentives for, shall we say,
using the system to enhance
their capital base.
Markets will likely tank,
India as foreign investment
destination will lose much
of its lustre, India Inc will
wish it hadn’t complained
so much about earlier BJP
and Congress governments,
the economy, poised for
a substantial uptick, may
take hits, and, of course, it
will be middle and low income
Indians who will bear
the brunt.
This is not the government
India, currently the
world’s fastest-growing major
economy, should have.
But if both BJP and Congress
falter badly, that’s the
government India may get.
And that, as we said, is terrifying.
Source Credit: This article
was first published in The Times
of India.
(The writer is Senior Journalist
in times of India)
Parvasi weekly & people associated with it are not responsible for any claims made by the advertisement & do not endorse any product or service advertised in Canadian Parvasi. Please consult your lawyer before buying/hiring/contracting through the
advertisement Publised in this newspaper. The Canadian Parvasi is in the business of selling space and the clains made by the advertisement are not tested/confirmed by an independent source.

The International News Weekly world
January 18, 2018 | Toronto
07
Thailand signals more tolerant
refugee policy after Saudi case
Bangkok: Thailand’s
immigration chief has
vowed not to force refugees
to return home “involuntarily”,
after a Saudi woman’s
desperate plea for
resettlement drew global
attention to a country that
does not recognise asylum
seekers.
The country is not a
signatory to a UN convention
on refugees and has
long come under fire for
holding them in detention
centres or deporting them
back to repressive regimes
where they face prison or
worse.
Many cases do not
make headlines but that
changed earlier this
month when 18-year-old
Saudi runaway Rahaf Mohammed
al-Qunun arrived
in Bangkok and staved off
deportation by barricading
herself in a hotel at the
airport, live-tweeting the
standoff to an international
audience.
She was handed over
to the UN refugee agency
within days and resettled
to Canada within a week,
where she was welcomed
by Foreign Minister Chrystia
Freeland after landing
in Toronto on Saturday.
Qunun said she suffered
abuse in the ultraconservative
kingdom and
refused to see family members
who came to Thailand
after her flight.
The lightning-fast processing
of her case was unprecedented
for Thailand
and was overseen almost
from start to finish by immigration
chief Surachate
Hakparn, a blunt-talking
media-savvy official nicknamed
“Big Joke” who was
recently appointed to the
role and vowed reforms.
Responding to questions
about Thailand’s
treatment of refugees,
Surachate told an audience
at the foreign correspondents’
club on Wednesday
he would take a new approach
and that under his
supervision “there will be
no one involuntarily sent
back to the country if they
don’t want to go back”.
He added that as chief
of the department, “we will
now follow international
norms”.
But the claims were met
with scepticism given the
November arrest in Thailand
of refugee footballer
Hakeem Alaraibi, who had
been granted permanent
residency in Australia but
was stopped at the airport
in Bangkok while trying to
go on vacation.
Alaraibi, a former player
for Bahrain’s national
team, is wanted on charges
relating to the damage of a
police station during the
Arab Spring in the Gulf
State, but rights groups
say he was playing a match
at the time and the allegations
are false.
Surachate said the case
was different as there was
an outstanding arrest warrant
for Alaraibi in Bahrain,
but said that he could
argue his case in court.
Australia has called for
Alaraibi to be returned to
the country, where he lives
in Melbourne and plays for
a semi-professional football
team.
He also said that the
processing of Qunun’s experience
would not serve
as a model for future cases
in Thailand and denied
that authorities caved to
pressure as the story went
viral and the young woman
picked up tens of thousands
of Twitter followers.
“Each case will be considered
case by case.”
Sikhs in Texas feed US govt
employees hit by shutdown
Houston : In a unique
gesture, the Sikh community
in San Antonio, Texas,
offered free meals to fellow
American government
employees affected by the
ongoing shutdown that has
left thousands without pay
in the US. The partial government
shutdown, which
entered the fourth week, has
left more than 8,00,000 federal
government workers out
of work across key departments.
Trump wants to build a
US-Mexico border wall and
is seeking USD 5.7 billion
in funding for the physical
barrier which, according to
him, is a must to prevent the
flow of illegal immigrants
into the US. The Democrats
assert that such a move is a
“waste” of taxpayers money.
All federal employees, who
have been forced to work
without pay, or have been
furloughed during the partial
government shutdown
were offered freshly prepared,
hot vegetarian meals
for three days beginning
January 11.
Sikh community workers
prepared the gurdwara
menu which comprised lentils,
vegetables, rice and tortillas.
“Workers and families
affected by the shutdown are
invited to the Sikh Centre all
weekend for free meals starting
today,” the centre posted
on its Facebook.
The idea that originated
from the community’s willingness
to offer help during
this hour of difficulty for
many American families
soon drew volunteers who
offered to cook to feed.
“The Sikh community
is there to support the federal
employees who did not
receive their pay cheques.
Also, the Sikh community
appreciates their services
and believes in showing
gratitude to those men and
women for their wonderful
service to the nation,” Balwinder
Dhillon, president of
the Sikh Centre of San Antonio,
told the media.
“The least we could
do is support them with a
hot meal for the next three
days,” he said.
The Sikh Centre is the
oldest gurdwara in the city
and was established in 2001.
It also offers food, clothing
and shelter to needy new immigrants.
Afghan President thanks Pakistan PM for peace efforts
Kabul : Afghan President
Ashraf Ghani on
Thursday telephoned
Prime Minister Imran
Khan to discuss the ongoing
international efforts
for peace and reconciliation
in Afghanistan.
During the call, Ghani
"expressed his gratitude
for Pakistan's sincere facilitation
of these efforts"
that were initiated by the
US special envoy for peace
in Afghanistan, Zalmay
Khalilzad, the Dawn newspaper
quoted an official
statement as saying.
Khan assured Ghani
that Pakistan was making
"sincere efforts for a negotiated
settlement" of the
Afghan conflict through
an inclusive peace process
"as part of shared responsibility".
Ghani also invited
Khan to visit Afghanistan
and the Pakistan Prime
Minister reciprocated the
gesture.
"Both leaders also
agreed to remain engaged
and create an environment
for resolving all outstanding
issues," the statement
said.
Smelling high-calorie
food for 2 minutes
can help you eat less
New York: Does a whiff of pizzas, burgers or sandwiches
entice you, but you refrain from eating them
due to the high-calories it contains? Take heart, smelling
these for longer than two minutes will make you
feel satiated, suggest researchers, including one of an
Indian-origin.
The study showed that ambient food scent can directly
satisfy the belly because the brain does not necessarily
differentiate the source of sensory pleasure.
"Ambient scent can be a powerful tool to resist cravings
for indulgent foods. In fact, subtle sensory stimuli
like scents can be more effective in influencing children's
and adults' food choices than restrictive policies,"
said lead author Dipayan Biswas, Professor at the University
of South Florida in the US.
The researchers discovered a direct connection between
the length of exposure time and whether or not
one will indulge.
They also conducted
a series of tests using a
nebuliser that separately
gave off the scent of
healthy and unhealthy
food items (cookies versus
strawberries, pizza
versus apples).
The findings, published in the Journal of Marketing
Research, showed that participants exposed to the
smell of cookies for less than 30 seconds were more
likely to want a cookie.
However, those exposed for longer than two minutes
did not find that cookie desirable and picked strawberries
instead.
The results were the same in case of the scent of
pizza and apples.
Since non-indulgent foods do not give off much of
an ambient scent, they are typically not connected with
reward, therefore they have little influence on what we
order, the study noted.
High caloric foods are high in fats and sugars and
extraordinary intake of these types of foods increase
your risk factors for obesity Type-2 diabetes, heart disease
as well as cancers.

The International News Weekly India
January 18, 2018 | Toronto 08
It’s a Sangam of humanity as 2
crore take a dip at Kumbh
Allahabad: It was still
pitch dark, with biting cold
wind blowing from the
Ganga, when sadhus at 13
prominent Akharas — put
up under temporary tents
at the Kumbh Mela ground
— started smearing ash on
their bare bodies before
they took the first plunge
in the Triveni Sangam, the
trijunction of three holy
rivers — Ganga, Yamuna,
and the now extinct Saraswati
— on the first day of
the Kumbh Mela o Tuesday.
Brightly lit tents had
devotees from across the
country and the world
thronging the grounds
ahead of the first ‘shahi
snan’ (royal bath), which
began at 5.15 am on Makar
Sankranti on Tuesday.
Over two crore people took
the holy dip on the auspicious
occasion of Makar
Sankranti.
Kinnar Akhara, the
monastic order of the
transgender community,
created history on Tuesday
when they took part
in the shahi snan at the
Kumbh Mela as a separate
entity.
“Historic moment is
our biggest victory, more
precious than the Supreme
Court verdict favouring the
LGBTQ community. Juna
Akhara came forward to
give space and dignity to the
Kinnar community— it is a
Front-row seat for Tytler at Cong event:
Sirsa says party 'intimidating' witnesses
Continued from page 01
The Congress is frustrated after Sajjan Kumar’s
conviction in a 1984 case and is resorting
to petty tactics to scare away riot survivors
and witnesses. It is afraid that Tytler and
Kamal Nath may be jailed for their role in the
riots,” Sirsa claimed. He quoted the Delhi High
Court as saying Sajjan Kumar had escaped justice
for years owing to political patronage.
The Congress accused the Akalis of “politicising
a tragedy”. Delhi Congress working
president Rajesh Lilothia said, “The Congress
has always said it will respect the court verdict
in every 1984 Sikh riot case. We respect
the decision on Sajjan Kumar. But Tytler has
not been convicted by any court. Contrast this
with the history of BJP president Amit Shah.
The Congress gave India its first Sikh PM.
Our support for the Sikh community is for everyone
to see. The Akalis should stop exploiting
the grief of the Sikhs to further their political
agenda.”
The controversy comes on the eve of a
January 31 Delhi court hearing in the Gurdwara
Pul Bangash case in which Tytler is a
suspect. Three Sikhs were burnt alive after
a mob attacked the gurdwara in November
1984. After Sajjan Kumar’s conviction, this is
the second case of anti Sikh-riots involving a
former Congress MP. The case was one of the
three that Nanavati Commission had ordered
to be reopened, the other two being the killing
of five members of Jagdish Kaur’s family in
Delhi Cant (in which Sajjan Kumar has been
convicted for life) and Sultanpuri killings in
which Sajjan Kumar is facing trial.
great moment for the community,”
said Mahamandaleshwar
Lakshmi Narain
Tripathi, the head of Kinnar
Akhara.
Outside the Kumbh
Mela area, the city was a
sea of pilgrims walking in
groups on foot, with vehicular
traffic barred from the
Mela grounds.
As the processions commenced
from 5.15 am, each
of the 13 akharas were divided
into categories of
sanyasi, bairagi, and udaseen
and allotted an hour to
cross the pontoon bridge to
reach their bathing areas
and given 40 minutes to
take the holy dip. They were
then given another hour to
return to their temporary
ashrams across the Ganga.
A devotee takes a dip
at the trijunction of
holy rivers in Allahabad
Three Union ministers, Smriti Irani, Uma Bharti
and Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti took a dip at the Sangam on
Makar Sankrantion Tuesday. On a day which marked
the first shahi snan, the ministers
took a dip like ordinary pilgrims
without any security baggage. President
Ram Nath Kovind and PM
Narendra Modi are also likely to
visit Kumbh. Kovind and Modi are
likely to visit Allahabad on January
17 and 24, respectively. The
visits of Irani and Bharti remained
low key as UP chief minister Yogi
Adityanath had earlier this month
banned VIP protocol in the mela
area on the day of shahi snans and
on the previous and corresponding days. Irani shared
a picture of her Sangam dip on Twitter. The post was
retweeted over 4,000 times and received 28,000 likes till
7pm on Tuesday. “Union textiles minister Smriti Irani
arrived in Allahabad on Monday and stayed at a camp
on the Mela Ground,” ADM (Kumbh Mela) Chandra
Pal Tiwari said, adding that it was a personal visit and
none was apprised of her programme.

The International News Weekly india
January 18, 2018 | Toronto
09
Katarpur Corridor: BJP scuttling
Sikhs’ dreams, says Capt
Continued on page 01
Sampla is a former BJP state unit
chief.
Singh said Sampla’s statement rejecting
passport waiver and making
visa mandatory for “the poor and illiterate
pilgrims” crossing the Kartarpur
Sahib Corridor showed neither the ruling
Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) nor
its ally Shiromani Akalu Dal were interested
in making the travel “hasslefree”.
“Sampla’s claim that all Punjabis
had passports was highly irresponsible
and wrong, and showed how misinformed
and disconnected from the
masses the Minister was,” he said, adding
that the BJP was on the one hand
trying to take credit for the corridor
and one the other, trying to impede its
smooth operationalisation.
He said Sampla’s statement reflected
the BJP’s “anti-minority attitude”
and the Modi government’s continued
attempts to sideline the country’s minorities
to further its political agenda.
Pakistan speed up Kartarpur Corridor work : 35% work already done
Lahore : There are report that Pakistan
has already completed 35% of work for
Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib corridor. The
corridor would connect Gurdawara Kartarpur
Sahib in West Punjab (Pakistan)
and Gurdawara Darbar Sahib, Dera Baba
Nanak in East Punjab (India). While here
is not much progress on the East Punjab
side by the Indian government, Pakistan
is expected to finish the work before the
predicted deadline.
Pakistan government’s Religious Affairs
and Interfaith Matter minister Noor
Ul Haq Qadri visited the site of Kartarpur
corridor work in Narowal district of West
Punjab and took stock of the construction
work. He was accompanied by Tariq
Wazir, additional secretary of Evacuee
Trust Property Board and Bishan Singh,
former president of Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara
Prabhandak Committee. Pakistani
minister said that the Pakistan Government
will ensure the completion of corridor
work before 550th Parkash Gurupurab
of Guru Nanak ji will falls in later part of
this year.
SC asks search panel on Lokpal
to recommend names by Feb
New Delhi : The Supreme Court on Thursday asked
the search committee for the Lokpal, headed by former SC
judge Ranjana Desai, to prepare a panel of names by the end
of February for consideration of the selection committee.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi--which
is hearing a PIL seeking direction to the government to appoint
the Lokpal expeditiously--posted the matter for further
hearing on March 7.
It asked the government to provide all necessary support
in terms of office, manpower and infrastructure to enable
the search committee to complete its task within the
timeframe fixed.
Petitioner’s counsel Prashant Bhushan demanded that
there should be transparency in the functioning of the committee.
The CJI said at this juncture it was only needed that
the committee should complete its task at the earliest. The
CJI said once the committee submitted to the panel, all the
names would be given to the petitioner.
The Bench asked Bhushan to have faith in the committee
headed by a former Supreme Court judge and see things
in a positive manner.
Ram Dera chief, 3 others
awarded life imprisonment in
Chhatrapati murder case
Continued from page 01
On hearing this, accused Krishan Lal went out of the
cave of Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh and came back with
his own revolver which he gave to Kuldeep Singh and
Nirmal Singh.
The CBI Special Court had earlier sentenced Ram
Rahim for 20-year rigorous imprisonment (RI) on August
28, 2017, in a case of rape of two women followers.
He had also been facing Ranjit Singh murder case before
the same court where he is an accused along with
Krishan Lal, Jasbir, Indersen, Avtaar and Sabdil. Ranjit
Singh was murdered on July 10, 2002. The CBI has alleged
that Ram Rahim suspected him to be behind the
circulation of anonymous letter of a sadhvi alleging
sexual exploitation of sadhvis at Dera.

The International News Weekly India
January 18, 2018 | Toronto 10
MLA quits AAP, blames ‘arrogant’ leaders
Bathinda: The Aam Aadmi
Party MLA from Jaitu, Master
Baldev Singh, resigned from the
party’s primary membership on
Wednesday, saying that he was
dissapointed by AAP’s “dictatorial”,
“arrogant” and “overconfident”
leadership.
Baldev Singh (60) said he was
going to join Bholath MLA Sukhpal
Singh Khairaled Punjabi
Ekta Party (PEP) “very soon”.
He had hinted at quitting the
party on January 7, when he said
he would consult his supporters
before reaching a decision.
The move comes just ahead of
AAP national convener Arvind
Kejriwal’s visit to Punjab for
launching the party’s Lok Sabha
poll campaign. In his resignation
letter, Baldev said he was pained
to see the party “completely giving
up on its ideology and principles”.
“After few years, I feel
AAP too has started behaving
like other traditional parties and
decisions are not taken with unanimity,
but with a dictatorial attitude.
Pained by all this, I have
decided to resign,” he wrote in
the letter to Kejriwal.
Baldev said he would continue
to be an MLA and had only left
the party. He said in the letter he
had, initially, seen AAP as a party
with a difference. “I was motivated
by the movement launched
by Anna Hazare and became a
part of AAP. To improve the situation
of our country and Punjab,
I quit my government job as a
head teacher, though I had more
than 4 years of service left,” he
wrote. “This panicked my family,
but I took the risk merely
due to the lofty promises made
by you and AAP,” he wrote.
Khaira resigned from AAP’s
primary membership on January
6. With Khaira and Baldev
leaving, AAP’s strength in the
assembly has fallen to 18. Some
other MLAs are in touch with
Khaira and more resignations
cannot be ruled out. The Shiromani
Akali Dal has 14 MLAs.
Belonging to Takhanbadh
village in Moga, Baldev was the
head teacher of a government
primary school in Machaki Mal
Singh village near Faridkot when
he took pre-mature retirement in
January 2014 and applied for the
AAP ticket from Faridkot parliamentary
constituency.
The ticket was allotted to
Sadhu Singh, but Baldev continued
to work for the party and got
its assembly ticket from Jaitu in
2017. Baldev described AAP leadership’s
attitude as “arrogant
and overconfident”, saying that
it led to the party’s “crushing”
deafeat in the assembly polls.
“You never bothered to look
into the reasons of this humiliating
defeat and once again handed
over the reins of Punjab to outsiders,”
he wrote.
In Kandela, bull’s blessings
opens doors for politicians
Chandigarh: The fourcornered
battle for the Jind
assembly seat has raised
the stakes for all contestants
in the byelection —
politicians are not only
bowing in front of voters,
but also a bull to ensure
their victory.
Congress media incharge
and its bypoll candidate
Randeep Singh
Surjewala visited Kandela
village, near Jind, on Monday
and offered prayers to
“Khagar (bull),” which is
believed to have saved the
villagers during police firing
in 2002.
The temple on the
Jind-Chandigarh highway,
which houses an idol of the
bull, attributed with divine
powers by the villagers, is
maintained by the village
panchayat. There is a music
system in the temple
and ‘aarti (prayer)’ is offered
twice a day — in the
morning and evening. The
bull temple perhaps has
more devotees than any
other conventional temple
in the vicinity.
All politicians or dignitaries
visiting the village
do not forget to offer
prayers at the memorial of
the bull, which saved the
village from a major tragedy.
For every villager, this
bull is paramount and people
respect those who pay
tribute to their saviour,”
Ram Mehar Kandela, a resident
of village and a khap
leader told media.
The village had turned
into a battleground between
farmers and the OP
Chautala government in
2002 over non-payment of
electricity bills.
The Kandela farmers as
part of the anti-government
agitation had blocked the
highway and the Haryana
police, in retaliation,
opened fire on them. The
BJP was supporting the
INLD government at the
time.
The bull, according to
the villagers, stood like a
wall between the police and
the farmers and saved lives
of the protesters. Narrating
the details of the bull’s powers,
the villagers claimed
the bull charged towards
the cops when they opened
fire.
Almost simultaneously,
the police rifles stopped
working, their vehicles
could not move and the
horses, which had cops
riding them, fled on seeing
the bull, they added. Nine
villagers lost their lives
in the firing, but Kandela
residents believe that the
bull was their saviour and
helped avert a major loss of
lives.
The bull died a few
years after the 2002 incident
and a temple was constructed
in its memory by
the villagers. Since then,
the villagers first offers
prayers to the bull before
beginning any new work
or before any auspicious
event in their families. A
portion of the first harvest
is offered first to the bull by
the villagers.
With the villagers suspicious
of the motives of the
undivided INLD and the
BJP — the two parties in
power at the time — khap
leader Ram Mehar Kandela
said the villagers would
wait and see if the BJP, JJP
or INLD candidates would
also offer prayers at the
temple.
So emotive is the 2002
firing issue in the village,
that after offering prayers
at the bull memorial, Surjewala
addressed an election
meeting in the village
and reminded its residents
that OP Chautala was responsible
for the violence
in Kandela.
An MBA enters the frame,
sparks speculations in BSP
Lucknow: He was there
beside BSP chief Mayawati
when she welcomed and
accepted greetings from
SP president Akhilesh
Yadav at her residence
here on her birthday on
Tuesday. He was also by
her side when RJD’s Tejaswi
Yadav came calling
on Sunday.
While there is a sudden
spurt in public appearances
of Mayawati,
the person who is arresting
people’s attention is
24-year-old Akash Anand,
standing besides her in
most photographs.
Akash is her nephew,
the son of her brother
Anand Singh, who served
as BSP vice-president till
2017.
The photos also set
speculations rife about
Akash, an MBA from London,
being assigned an
important political role.
But, senior leaders ruled
out any such development,
citing Mayawati’s
announcement in May
last year that no family
member of the national
president would be given
a post in the party. In the
past, she even had Anand
Singh removed from the
post of national vice-president
to refute charges of
promoting dynasty politics
in BSP.
BSP sources said
Akash had accompanied
Mayawati to Lucknow on
January 10 and stayed
with her to celebrate her
birthday on January 15.
He featured prominently
in all official photo ops.
“Akash handles his father’s
business and it
will be incorrect to read
anything political into
his visit. His last visit to
Lucknow was probably
in April last year,” said a
party member.
However, Akash and
his father have made several
public appearances
with Mayawati in the
past.
Sources indicated that
the nephew, who was initially
being groomed by
Mayawati for a bigger
role in the party before
she announced that no
family member would be
given a party position,
may be playing a part in
the upcoming Lok Sabha
elections.
“His first official public
appearance with Mayawati
was in 2016 when he
accompanied her to Saharanpur.
He was also on stage
with her during a rally in
Meerut in February 2017.
In October 2017, when
Anand was still the party
vice-president, their
names were mentioned
in a press release for the
first time,” said party
sources.
He has a Facebook
page ‘Akash Anand-BSP’
that was created in September
2017. The closed
group has seen activity
pick up over the past few
weeks with 1,427 members
out of a total 8,467
added in the past 30 days.

The International News Weekly India
January 18, 2018 | Toronto
11
Cong suspends Zira for ‘gross indiscipline’
Chandigarh: The Punjab
Congress on Wednesday
suspended its MLA
from Zira constituency,
Kulbir Singh Zira, for
“gross indiscipline” and
“undermining” efforts of
the Congress state government
to fight the drug menace.
Congress state president
Sunil Jakhar said instead
of raising his issues
on a public platform, Zira
should have discussed it
within the party. He said
the MLA had been suspended,
but would continue
to be a legislator.
Jakhar said Zira was issued
a show-cause notice.
“Though he submitted a
reply, he failed to explain
his conduct and this resulted
in the suspension,”
he said.
Jakhar said the next
course of action would be
decided after discussion
within the party. However,
interacting with media,
Zira said he had been
unnecessarily targetted
for raising the issue and
would take up the matter
with higher-ups in the
party.
Zira had boycotted a
district-level function on
January 12, alleging that
authorities were not acting
against the liquor mafia
in Ferozepur. He had
also levelled allegations
on Ferozepur range IGP
M S Chhina. Jakhar said
Zira also met DGP Suresh
Arora and submitted his
complaints, and these had
been marked to different
officers for investigation.
To a question on why
the Congress did not to
act against Rajya Sabha
MP Pratap Singh Bajwa
and Amargarh MLA Surjit
Singh Dhiman, when they
had earlier openly criticised
the state government
on various issues, including
drugs, Jakhar said,
“Somewhere, one has to
draw the line.”
“Indiscipline in the
party will not be tolerated.
If someone has any issue,
he should take up the matter
within the party,” he
said.
Dhiman had in 2017 left
the state Congress government
embarrassed when
he said that “chitta” (synthetic
drug powder) was
still being openly sold in
the state.
Jakhar rubbished the
allegations that Congress
leaders were grabbing
land of those supporting
the SAD and the BJP, as
was alleged by SAD president
Sukhbir Singh Badal
on Tuesday.
On resignations by
Punjab MLAs Sukhpal
Singh Khaira and Master
Baldev Singh from the primary
membership of the
Aam Aadmi Party, Jakhar
said the law would take its
own course.
SC rejects Punjab, Haryana
plea on selection of DGPs
Chandigarh/New
Delhi: In a major setback
to five states, including
Punjab and Haryana, the
Supreme Court on Wednesday
dismissed their pleas
seeking modification of its
order issued last year on the
selection and appointment
of directorsgeneral of police
(DGPs).
The five states had
sought the SC’s permission
to select and appoint their
DGPs according to laws that
they have enacted for the
same. Punjab and Haryana
had amended their respective
Police Acts last year.
The Supreme Court in
its July 3, 2018 verdict had
made it mandatory for all
the states to send a list of
names of eligible IPS officers
to the Union Public
Service Commission
(UPSC) three months before
the incumbent DGP was to
retire and, in turn, the commission
would choose three
officers from that list and let
the final choice rest with the
state governments.
A bench headed by
Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi
said on Wednesday that the
earlier directions of the SC
were issued in larger public
interest and to protect officials
from political interference.
The Punjab government
in its petition had submitted
since police is a state
subject, it should have the
liberty to appoint the DGP,
contending that the selection
of DGP from amongst
the three officers finalised
by the UPSC was against
the basic structure of the
Constitution and contrary
to the Centre-State relations.
Punjab DGP Suresh
Arora on Wednesday got a
nine-month extension after
the SC rejected the Punjab
government’s plea on the
appointment of the state police
chief.
The Appointments
Committee of the Cabinet
approved Arora’s extension
for an overall period of 12
months beyond the date of
his superannuation, September
30, 2018.
After Punjab DGP
Suresh Arora got two extensions,
a three-month one till
December 31 and onemonth
extension till January 31,
the Punjab government had
taken up the issue with the
Centre and sought a third
extension for the director
general of police (DGP)
and that was allowed on
Wednesday.
Arora was appointed
the DGP by the then SAD-
BJP government in 2015.
However, Haryana DGP
BS Sandhu, who along with
Arora had first got a threemonth
extension and then
one-month extension till
January 31, has not been
given a longer extension
yet. He too was due to retire
on September 30 last year.
After the Punjab DGP’s
tenure extension, Arora
will retire on September
30, but before that two of
the next five IPS officers in
the seniority list will reach
their age of superannuation
— DGP law and order Hardeep
Singh Dhillon will retire
on March 31 and 1986-batch
IPS officer Jasminder Singh
(DGP internal vigilance
cell) on August 30. '
BSF-NHAI team visits Dera Baba Nanak
Amritsar: A day after the
Union home ministry discussed
land acquisition at Dera Baba
Nanak in Gurdaspur district for
the construction of the Indian side
of the Kartarpur corridor, BSF inspector
general (Punjab frontier)
Mahipal Yadav and officials from
the National Highway Authority
of India (NHAI), accompanied by
those from the Gurdaspur district
administration, visited the border
areas of Dera Baba Nanak.
They visited places close to the
International Border (IB) with Pakistan
and inspected the land that
could be acquired for construction
of the passage and corridor
complex that would have offices
of the border paramilitary force,
immigration and customs.
Yadav confirmed that he
had gone to Dera Baba Nanak,
but to visit his battalion. “Since
I had gone there, I decided to
visit other places as well,” he
said. Sources said that the BSF
had put a requirement of around
70 acres for its new complex at
Dera Baba Nanak.
AAP writes to Speaker;
Khaira set to be
disqualified as MLA
Chandigarh : On a day when the third MLA of the
Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Baldev Singh, representing
Jaito Assembly segment, resigned from the party’s primary
membership, the top brass swung into action to
save AAP from further “political erosion”.
The party, after its core committee meeting, today
sent a letter to Vidhan Sabha Speaker Rana KP, saying
that Sukhpal Singh Khaira had resigned from the party.
Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema handed
over the letter to the Speaker. With this, the disqualification
of Khaira as MLA from Bholath in the Vidhan
Sabha becomes inevitable.
Bhagwant Mann, AAP MP, who is also part of the
core committee, told The Tribune that the decision to
send the letter to the Speaker was taken in the meeting
late this evening and endorsed by the Political Affairs
Committee of
AAP in Delhi and
national convenor
Arvind Kejriwal.
Crushing the
surging rebellion
in the party became
necessary
as the third resignation
of AAP
MLA from the party will bring down their number in
the House to 17.
HS Phoolka, though not part of the rebel group led
by Khaira, had resigned on January 3, citing differences
in ideology with the party. Khaira, who has the
support of six other MLAs, had resigned on January 6.
He floated his own party last week and the rebel MLAs,
Kanwar Sandhu (under suspension), Jagtar Singh
Jagga, Nazar Singh Manshahia, Jagdev Singh Kamalu
and Pirmal Singh, besides Baldev Singh, were present
at the party launch function. Sources in AAP say that
these MLAs are still in two minds about resigning from
the party.
The Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, too, jointly
have 17 MLAs (14 of the Akali Dal and three of the BJP).
With both Opposition parties having similar number of
MLAs (provided the three above mentioned MLAs are
disqualified), the SAD-BJP, too, can stake claim to the
post of Leader of Opposition.
Probably sensing this, the AAP leadership has
taken action only against Sukhpal Khaira. The move is
meant to stem the rebellion, as other rebels would not
like to give up their Vidhan Sabha membership and
force byelections in their segments.

The International News Weekly January 18, 2018 | Toronto 12
Punjabi
News Channel
AFTER ONTARIO
NOW LAUNCHED IN BC & ALBERTA
FIBE TV
Channel No. 2329
TELUS
Channel No. 2361