Sunny Deol’s prolonged absence from constituency

Pathankot: Now that the storm over the farm laws has blown over, voters of the Gurdaspur parliamentary constituency are waiting with waited breath to see their MP in town. Ajay Singh Dharmendra Deol aka Sunny Deol was last seen in his constituency nearly 18 months ago. In the future, too, nobody is sure when the actor will set foot in his constituency. One big fallout of his prolonged absence is that there is nobody to chair meetings of the District Vigilance and Monitoring Committee (DVMC), a body which supervises Central Government-funded projects. MPs are ex officio chairmen of the DVMC. But with Sunny Bhaji nowhere to be seen, the DVMC meetings too have run out of steam. The latest on Deol is that the Punjab BJP is making plans to “use his services” in the upcoming Assembly elections. Whether Deol will agree or not remains in the realms of speculation.

‘Fresh’ threat for old-timers

Sangrur: After rumours about the change of constituencies of some MLAs, many of their supporters are confused these days, leaving them guessing as to who the possible candidate would be. At several places, fresh faces are getting prominence, leading to displeasure among those left out. At party functions, crowds of newcomers are creating problems as many leaders are finding it hard to spot old-timers. “No doubt I have got many new workers, but the confusion has pushed my old workers away,” says a senior leader.

Poaching pangs for Cong

Patiala: With the state Congress yet to rejig its district committees, former CM Capt Amarinder Singh’s newly formed outfit has poached a few of its leaders and named them district presidents. A senior Congress leader said with the Congress leadership busy settling political scores among themselves, it will not be a surprise if a majority of the Vidhan Sabha seats see ‘Congress versus Congress’ contest. The recent issue of the Mayor taking on the state government despite being told to resign has not helped the party prospects.

Donning commoner’s attire

Patiala: Taking his cue from monarchs who would disguise as commoners to check corrupt acts, SSP Harcharan Bhullar has taken it upon himself to conduct vigil on the ground without informing his security staff. Taking a tough stance against corruption by policemen at checkpoints, he held a meeting recently with DSP and SHO-level officers to ensure they kept “strict vigil themselves”. “I will now start dressing up as a commoner and travel in trucks and buses to check any corrupt act by our staff,” he said.