Farmers Movement Archive

Tricity Buzz: Charuni faces tough questions from media

Chaduni faces tough questions from media When Haryana Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader Gurnam Singh Charuni launched his political party, the Sanyukt Sangharsh Party, in Chandigarh on Saturday and announced his decision to contest the Punjab assembly elections, he was subjected to some tough questions from mediapersons. One of the members of his party present at the press conference had to face backlash from the journalists when she referred to them as “Godi media”, a pejorative term for a sensationalist and biased media. When the party member didn’t stop, the mediapersons objected and she had to apologise. Chandigarh MC poll: Parties in race to outdo each other With the race for the Municipal Corporation of Chandigarh in its final leg, all parties are desperate to outdo each other. If one of them decides to organise a press conference, the others follow suit at the same time. When the Congress called a press conference to announce the “chargesheet” against the BJP rule in town, the saffron party held a press conference to announce its achievements. “It’s about grabbing eyeballs and finding space in the media. Everyone is fighting for the same space. It’s a zero sum game, one’s gain is another’s loss,” said a local Aam Aadm Party leader. Blame game boomerangs on former Congress leaders Former UT Congress leaders Pardeep Chhabra and Chandermukhi Sharma tore into the party’s performance when it was at the helm in the municipal corporation. The next day, an English daily published a report with their photo on its front page, giving vent to their criticism of the party they once represented. A few days later while interacting with the media, a senior Congress leader and associate of Chhabra and Sharma said, “I’ll get this report and photo framed. The period for which they are criticising the Congress was in fact when they were the main representatives at the MC’s helm. It means they are now blaming themselves for inefficiency. B-Team of Congress or B-Team of BJP? The Aam Aadmi Party is fighting its first civic election in Chandigarh and taking on two formidable rivals in the Congress and the BJP. Incidentally, both rivals claim that the AAP is the B-Team of the other. BJP leaders say that the AAP is the “B-Team” of the Congress since 20 of the 35 candidates fighting the election are former Congress workers. The Congress in turn claims that the AAP is the “B-Team” of the BJP as it is expected to make a dent into the Congress’ share of anti-incumbency votes against the six-year rule of the BJP. Brazen theft: Locked for two hours, Zirakpur house burgled In a brazen burglary, a house in Royal Estate Society of Zirakpur was burgled when the owner was away for less than two hours on December 14 morning. Owner Ashish Chadha said his family left at 9.40am and was back at 11.30am only to find door locks broken and the house ransacked. A shocked Chadha lost ₹35,000 and ornaments worth ₹2 lakh in just two hours. Controlling crime: Cop gets praise, predecessor warning Amid rising incidents of drug smuggling and illegal sale of liquor, senior Chandigarh Police officials have asked station house officers (SHOs) to pull up their socks. At a recent crime review meeting, an SHO won praise from his senior colleagues for cracking down on the supply of drugs, gambling and liquor in a colony under his jurisdiction. At the same time, his predecessor was issued a warning for giving a free hand to those involved in these illegal activities. Temporary rotaries in city of roundabouts Two temporary rotaries have been set up by the Chandigarh Traffic Police to avoid congestion and accidents. The mini circles have been come up in Industrial Area and Sector 17, while more will be installed at busy intersections in the coming days, it is learnt. The aim is to ease commuting between sectors and facilitate smooth flow of traffic. This is a temporary measure till small permanent rotaries are built. PU Senate hasn’t met in two years It’s been two years since the Panjab University (PU) senate, the varsity’s apex governing body, last met on December 14, 2019. Being the apex governing body, all matters concerning the university are taken up by the senate for approval. Matters have been piling up in the absence of a meeting, affecting the university’s functioning, especially after the term of the syndicate also ended in December last year. Though the senate elections were held this year, a gazette notification of the elected members is awaited. Inputs by Hillary Victor, Munieshwer A Sagar, Shailee Dogra, Tanbir Dhaliwal, Rajanbir Singh and Dar Ovais)

Hindustan Times

19-12-2021

Chandigarh