:dateline:With the Congress party decision not to contest the Khadoor Sahib bypoll election, Bhai Baldeep Singh’s nomination papers was rejected.
Congress on Wednesday announced to boycott the bypoll which was considered as a �semi-final� for the Punjab assembly elections of 2017.
Addressing the press, Punjab Congress president Captain Amarinder Singh said the decision to�boycott had been taken in protest against the sacrilege of Guru Granth Sahib and the inaction of the government in seeking out�culprits. �The issue that hurt Sikh sentiments deeply, is still unresolved and, due to which no question arises of contesting the bypoll.�
It may be recalled that name of Congress leader Ramanjit Singh Sikki who resigned as MLA from the Khadoor Sahib constituency, had been cleared by Congress president Sonia Gandhi but she gave right to choose to contest or not to Captain Amarinder Singh.�
On Thursday, nomination papers of the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) dissident Bhai Baldeep Singh who had filed the papers for the bypoll as an independent candidate, were rejected by SDM Ravinder Singh on the grounds that his vote is�not registered in Punjab, which is mandatory as per rules the of the election commission.
After these major developments, now the main contest�will be held between ruling Shiromani Akali Dal (Badal) candidate Ravinder Singh Brahmpura, son of Akali stalwart Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, and independent candidates, mainly with Congress rebel Bhupinder Singh Bittu who has distributed grants to the villages of the constituency from MPLAD fund of MP Dr. Manohar Singh Gill.
This story doesn’t ring true. Sikka had gone on leave so would not have been able to file his nomination paper in order to stand. His boss Amarinder Singh wanted him to take leave in order to post the papers. Sikka didn’t do that so now AMarinder Singh is trying to make a purely technical default into some sort of point of principle. Really quite shameless as Amarinder himself is unanswerable to SOnia Gandhi who had the right of veto over him (and thus the Punjab) from Delhi!We need to sweep away all these dirty old practices and double dealings and double speak. No more political parties like Congress, BJP or Akali Dal. New parties with leadership age restricted to no more than forty (and I would also suggest a weight restriction also as looking at Amarinder Singh I am concerned where he is getting so much money to engorge himself to such obesity) and full international audits of bank accounts of every office holder before they enter office and after they leave it (restricted to two terms with an automatic ban against their children entering political life to stop dynasty building).
Correction: ‘Amarinder himself is unanswerable to SOnia Gandhi who had the right of veto over him (and thus the Punjab) from Delhi’ – it is a typo as I mean answerable to Sonia although actually he should be unanswerable to her and the Congress Party who still refuse to accept responsibility for their mass murdering past.