07062025-LT-01.qxd 6/7/2025 12:36 AM Page 1 c m y b Ludhiana tribune COPS HALT ANGANWADI WORKERS’ MARCH TO MEET CM DAKOTA JOHNSON STAYS SILENT ON HER BREAKUP SIRSA’S TURBANATOR GOES TO MR OLYMPIA City police stopped anganwadi workers from heading towards a hotel to meet CM Bhagwant Mann. P2 American actress Dakota Johnson preferred to stay silent on her recent breakup with Chris Martin. P4 Bodybuilding is yet to get due recognition, says Sunmeet Gill as he prepares for biggest platform. P4 » » » FORECAST MAINLY CLEAR SKY MAX 39°C | MIN 26°C YESTERDAY MAX 37°C | MIN 25°C SUNSET SATURDAY 7.22 PM SUNRISE SUNDAY 5:21 AM SATURDAY | 7 JUNE 2025 | LUDHIANA Action politically motivated to derail my electioneering: Ashu LUDHIANA (W) BYPOLL Manav Mander Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 Congress leader Bharat Bhushan Ashu, who is contesting the Ludhiana West bypoll, while reacting to the entire episode of receiving summons in a Vigilance case, involving alleged land fraud, to the suspension of the SSP , said the entire event was politically motivated to derail his electioneering and was an attempt to implicate him in yet another false case in the midst of the campaigning, when the court has already quashed a vigilance case against him. Ridiculing the government’s action of suspending the SSP , Vigilance, Ludhiana, JagatPreet Singh, claiming that he had acted on his own, Ashu released a photograph where the AAP candidate, Sanjeev Arora, is seen addressing officials with the SSP in attendance. On allegations that he was in touch with the SSP and got summons issued to himself to Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu shows a picture, claiming that MP Sanjeev Arora giving directions to cops, including Vigilance Bureau sleuths. TRIBUNE PHOTO: HIMANSHU MAHAJAN gather public sympathy, Ashu said: “I am so powerful that I got summons issued to myself. Was the previous CP Kuldeep Cha, hal, also transferred by me and I also got DC Jitendra Jorwal transferred. Reality is that AAP is playing a dirty game and making officials scapegoats.” “As the campaigning for the byelection is gathering pace and AAP is realising that they are losing the ground, a message has been sent to all 28 police stations in Ludhiana to dig out any old complaints pending against me so that I can be implicated and harassed,” he said. The Congress candidate said the government had hoped that once they arrest him, others would feel scared and they will stop campaigning. Instead, he pointed out, it boomeranged on them as there was public anger and outcry. Now, the government was trying to save its face by making the SSP a scapegoat. Earlier, Chief Director, Vigilance, SPS Parmar, was also suspended in a similar manner. Senior party leader Rana Gurjeet said: “We were anticipating such desperate moves from the government, and they did it. AAP is trying to resort to all sorts of intimidating tactics against the Congress”. Congress leader Pargat Singh cautioned officials to ensure that they did not act on verbal orders of AAP leaders. Stating that the real Chief Minister of Punjab today was Arvind Kejriwal while Bhagwant Mann was “just in the name”, the senior Congress leader said. AAP candidate misusing power, says Cong; Arora denies charges Won’t forgive sins of omission, commission, says Warring Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 A picture is doing rounds in social media groups where the AAP candidate, Sanjeev Arora, is seen holding a meeting of government officials at some place in which the suspended SSP Vigilance, Jagat Preet , Singh, is also sitting. The Congress has alleged that AAP candidate was misusing power. The picture is released by the team handling media affairs of Congress candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu. It is being alleged that Arora was giving instructions to government officials, which was violation of the poll code. Talking to The Tribune, Arora said on daily basis, he attends several such meetings, how does he know who all were sitting in the meetings? He said if the SSP Vigilance, in , question was close to him, why would he be suspended on Friday? He said the Congress was levelling baseless allegations against him and his party to get sympathy of voters and the picture in question was over two months old. Also seen in the picture is the registrar of PAU, Dr Rishipal Singh, who said this picture was clicked about two months ago at the place of relatives of a leading advocate here. Ludhiana, June 6 Taking a strong exception to the Vigilance Bureau summoning the party candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu in the midst of his election campaign, Punjab Congress president and local MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring said on Friday that the party would neither forget nor forgive any sins of omission and commission being committed by the AAP government. Addressing a press conference here on Friday, Warring said, summoning Ashu at this stage only reveals that the AAP had admitted its defeat and was now acting in sheer frustration. “The cat is out of the bag as both Arvind Kejriwal and Bhagwant Mann are feeling desperate and frustrated about the imminent fact that they are losing the election,” he said. Condemning the summons issued to the Congress candidate, he asked, why the Vigilance needs to issue the same in the midst of the campaign and why it could not wait till the end of the elections? He said earlier also, cases had been registered against workers and councillors just to threaten and intimidate HIMANSHU MAHAJAN RECEIVING SUMMONS IN VIGILANCE CASE, SSP’S SUSPENSION Amrinder Singh Raja Warring addresses the media in Ludhiana. them so that they did not campaign for the party candidate. But, he asserted, the Congress men would neither be scared nor be intimidated. In a clear message to some officials who are dancing like a puppet to the tunes of AAP , he warned them that their time was already running out as it was a matter of about a year more and then, they will be held accountable. “We will neither forget nor we forgive or spare you,” he told them. The PCC president reiterated his stand that the state needs comprehensive police reforms to fix accountability and curtail their unbridled powers. He said a commission would be set up to verify cases and fake FIRs would be cancelled immediately. And officers who would found to have registered those fake FIRs would be dismissed instantly. He referred to the custodial killing of a youth in Bhucho Mandi in Bathinda. He said the young man had been detained and brutally killed and the police had registered a soft case against guilty police officials so that they get easily bailed out. It was unacceptable and this has to be changed, the guilty had to be punished. Warring declared that there were about 50 DSPs, about 35 SPs and a few more officers in Punjab who deserve to be dismissed while suggesting that the commission that would be set up once the Congress forms the government and it will identify all such officers so that they were dismissed. Only one woman among 14 in poll fray One more succumbs to Covid in dist Manav Mander QUALIFICATIONS OF IND CANDIDATES Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 In the upcoming Ludhiana West bypoll, only one woman candidate is contesting the election. None of the major political parties have fielded woman for the bypoll slated for June 19. Renu is the only woman who is contesting the poll as an Independent. A total of eight Independent candidates are in the fray, which include Gurdeep Singh Kahlon, Paramjit Singh Bharaj, Baldev Rak Katna Debi, Pawandeep Singh, Albert Dua, Rajesh Sharma, Neetu and Renu. Renu is a graduate from Delhi University and an active social worker. Hailing from Ludhiana, she shifted ■ Gurdeep Singh Kahlon: LLB ■ Paramjit Singh Bharaj: BE ■ Baldev Raj Katna Debi: Masters in Engineering ■ Renu: Graduation ■ Pawandeep Singh: Graduation ■ Albert Dua: Graduation ■ Rajesh Sharma: Class XII Renu, Ind candidate to Delhi as her father was working with the Northen Railway and spent many years of her life there but Ludhiana is where her heart belongs. Staying in the city for the past around nine years, she tries to contribute whatever she can for the welfare of residents. ■ Neetu: Illiterate “I owned a salon but then got associated with Aam Aadmi Party when Anna Hazare started a movement and now, I am working for a social cause. Wherever I think I can contribute for the uplift of society, I do the same,” she said. Renu’s main focus is on women and senior citizens. Bypoll becomes prestige battle for all parties Shivani Bhakoo Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 The Ludhiana West bypoll, to be held on June 19, has become a matter of prestige for all parties and their respective candidates due to high stakes in the seat. The fate of the candidate, who will win the seat, will be determined by about 1.74 lakh voters of the constituency. The major parties are making every effort to win over the electorate and wellknown personalities are travelling to the city to support and campaign for candidates. In support of BJP candidate Jiwan Gupta, who is contesting the poll for the first time, Tarun Chugh, BJP general secretary, has come to the city on Friday. Anil Sarin, spokesperson for the BJP, said on June 7, Manjinder Singh Sirsa, national secretary of the BJP, would be visiting the Ludhiana West segment in support of Gupta. While on June 8 and 9, the BJP has roped in Hardeep Puri and Anurag Thakur, respectively, to visit the city and support BJP workers and the candidate and ask for votes for the latter. Though started campaigning much later as compared to candidates of other parties, BJP candidate workers look upbeat and confident. Since the seat is too important for the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), as it would pave the way for Arvind Kejriwal in Parliament, big faces in the party would be visiting the city in coming few days. The names include Arvind Kejriwal, Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Satyendra Jain, Atishi, Raghav Chadha and Sunita Kejriwal. While supporters of Shiromani Akali Dal candidate Parupkar Singh Ghuman said in the coming week, people would see Bibi Harsimrat Kaur Badal and Bikram Majithia visiting the city and reaching out to voters. “SGPC members and party president Sukhbir Singh Badal are already camping here. Akalis are getting good response,” said Maheshinder Singh Grewal, senior SAD leader. One of the spokespersons for the Congress, however, claimed that many leading personalities would be visiting the city to campaign for Bharat Bhushan Ashu but since dates were not confirmed it would not be advisable to comment regarding the matter now. The byelection is certainly not a cakewalk for any one candidate or party as stakes are high for parties and voters have kept their cards close to their chest. For the city, the emphasis will be on civic amenities such as roads, parks and sanitation but she wants to work in the larger interests of society. “World has progressed a lot but women failed to get their due. I want to work for the uplift of the women and providing a respectable position to senior citizens, which are like a treasure for any generation,” she said. Renu’s father, Ratan Lal Deepak, was a famous singer and used to sing on All India Radio and she too has a bent for singing. Meanwhile, of the eight Independent candidates, one candidate has done LLB, two have done engineering, three are graduate, one has done Class XII and one is illiterate. Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 A 69-year-old woman from the district died of Covid after being hospitalised in Chandigarh. Belonging to the Koom Kalan block, the woman who had co-morbid conditions and suffering from Covid, succumbed to the virus on Friday. The woman was not keeping good health for the past five months and went to the PGI for treatment, where she was found suffering from typhoid. On May 25, her Covid test was done, which came out positive after which she was referred to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Sector 32, Chandigarh. She was on The total number of positive patients in district has reached 18. FILE oxygen support and breathed her last on Friday. On May 29, first Covid death was reported from Ludhiana. A 40-year-old patient had died after being hospitalised for two days in Chandigarh. Two deaths have been reported in Ludhiana so far. The first one was reported from an urban area while the other one from a rural area. Besides, two more samples tested positive for the virus. Those who tested positive include a 22-yearold man and a 52-year-old woman. With this, the total number of positive patients Neither ‘disaster nor scam’state wants BJP: Chugh , Sukhmeet Bhasin Tribune News Service Ludhiana, June 6 Taking on the Congress and AAP BJP national general , secretary Tarun Chugh on Friday alleged that while the Congress had looted Punjab in the past, for the past three-and-a-half years, it is now AAP government’s representatives who are exploiting the state. Says CM Mann insulted Army with his remarks on Op Sindoor He said the people of the state were fed up and crying out for a relief. “This time, in the Ludhiana West byelection, the people are unitedly saying: “Neither disaster, nor scam — Punjab wants BJP Chugh said. ,” As part of the campaign for the bypoll, the BJP leader held a press meet on Friday at Shehanshah Palace, Ferozepur Road. He targeted the AAP government for failing to deliver on its promises to women, saying: “For the past three- c m y b BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh addresses mediapersons in Ludhiana. ASHWANI DHIMAN and-a-half years, women have been waiting for Rs 1,000 that AAP promised them before coming to power. Later, they promised Rs 1100, but that too has not been fulfilled.” Chugh criticised the ruling AAP government for not providing any clarity on how much drug trafficking has been curbed since the May 31 deadline. Regarding Operation Sindoor, Chugh condemned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann for making “derogatory remarks”. “Mann insulted the Indian Army and disrespected sacrifices of war widows by mocking Operation Sindoor,” he said. He also pointed out the deteriorating law and order situation in the state, saying that no outside investor was willing to set up industry in the state and local industrialists were migrating to other states for safety reasons. “Even farmers are distressed by the incompetent government,” he said. Taking a swipe at the Congress candidate, the BJP leader claimed that he had even served time in jail in connection with a grain scam and was an arrogant individual. He said in the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, hundreds of innocent Sikhs were killed but the then Congress government failed to punish the perpetrators. “However, when BJP came to power in 2014, a committee was formed and today we are seeing its results,” Chugh remarked. “Both disaster (AAP) and scam (Congress) have destroyed Punjab. That’s why people now want to give the BJP a chance,” he added. BJP district president Rajneesh Dhiman, state treasurer Gurdev Sharma Debi, Punjabi film actor Hobby Dhaliwal, Sardar Bikram Sidhu, former secretary Vimal Tandon were among those others present. reported from the district has reached 18. Health Minister Balbir Singh, who was in the city on Friday, advised immunocompromised individuals such as pregnant women, elderly and those with conditions such as kidney disease, high BP cancer or respirato, ry issues to wear masks while stepping outside as a precautionary measure. Civil Surgeon Ramandeep said people should continue using mask in crowded areas and if people observe flu-like symptoms, they should get themselves tested and isolate. People with Influenzalike illness (ILI) and severe acute respiratory infections (SARI) should also get themselves tested. Dist Cong vice-chief, BJP spokesperson, supporters join AAP Ludhiana, June 6 The Punjab Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) gained more strength in the Ludhiana West Assembly byelection, delivering a significant blow to the Congress and the BJP On Friday, Congress . vice-president of Ludhiana district Veer Karamveer Shelly and BJP spokesperson Amit Kumar, along with several supporters, joined AAP . MLAs Ashok Parashar Pappi, Kulwant Sidhu and Rajinder Pal Kaur Chhina formally inducted these leaders into the party fold and welcomed them in the presence of senior party leaders. Along with Shelly, his associates Rinku, Roni Gogla, Deepak (residents of Ward 65), Pradeep, Raju, Sunny, Shiva Sood and Sanjay Kumar, all residents of Ward 63, also joined AAP . While addressing mediapersons, Parashar said inspired by policies and work of AAP leaders from the BJP , , Congress and SAD had been joining AAP — TNS .