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Time of India
4 days ago
- General
- Time of India
Congress picks leaders, poet to campaign for Ludhiana West bypoll.
Ludhiana: The Congress is rolling out its star power in the high-stakes Ludhiana West assembly byelection, with 40 senior members — including sitting chief ministers, Rajya Sabha MPs, and popular public figures — lined up to campaign for party candidate Bharat Bhushan Ashu. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now They even have a poet to deliver the punch. Himachal Pradesh chief minister, , Rajasthan's former deputy CM Sachin Pilot, and actor-politician Raj Babbar are among the headline names expected to hit the campaign trail. Rajya Sabha MP and noted poet Imran Pratapgarhi, famed for his fiery verse-laced speeches in Parliament, is also slated to join the campaign, in what Congress leaders hope will galvanise voters with both emotion and rhetoric. Several senior Congress members from Punjab, including former CM Charanjit Singh Channi, MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, and former minister Pargat Singh, are camping in Ludhiana already to rally support for Ashu, as the party eyes a broader political resurgence ahead of the 2027 assembly elections. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, state's leader of opposition Pratap Singh Bajwa, former Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel, and Himachal Pradesh deputy CM, Mukesh Agnihotri, also feature on the star campaigner list. Other prominent figures include MPs Manish Tewari and Kanhaiya Kumar, spokesperson Pawan Khera, and Delhi-based bigwigs Alka Lamba and Sandeep Dikshit. Rana Gurjeet Singh, the bypoll in-charge for Ludhiana West, confirms that the high command has cleared the full list. "Most of them will join the campaign by next week, barring unavoidable exceptions like Bajwa-ji, who is abroad currently," he said. Imran Pratapgarhi's upcoming campaign appearance is being particularly awaited by local Congress leaders, who believe his poetic critique of the central govt could lend emotional resonance to Ashu's bid. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The Ludhiana West bypoll has assumed outsized political significance, not only for Congress's revival hopes in Punjab but also due to Aam Aadmi Party's attempt to retain the seat via its candidate Sanjeev Arora — a Rajya Sabha MP. Opposition parties have accused AAP of seeking to vacate Arora's upper house seat to make way for Delhi's former chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. As the campaign intensifies, the bypoll is shaping up as a critical litmus test — not just for Ludhiana, but for broader alignments ahead of Punjab's 2027 battle. MSID:: 121625903 413 |
Time of India
26-05-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Rana Gurjeet launches website to support farmers in growing maize, replacing paddy
Chandigarh: To promote maize cultivation as a sustainable alternative to the water-intensive paddy crop, senior Punjab Congress leader and MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh launched a dedicated web portal. He assured farmers that their entire maize produce would be procured at the minimum support price (MSP) of Rs 2,240 per quintal. Launching the website — — Rana Gurjeet Singh emphasised, "I am not pursuing any political agenda with this initiative. I am working in mission mode, taking full responsibility. I may be alone for now, but the people are appreciating my efforts and joining the 'Navi Soch, Nawan Raah' programme that I have launched." He added that maize would be purchased from farmers who register on the portal, and they would receive guidance to adopt best agricultural practices. According to the MLA, the govt should have taken such initiatives forward. "I urge the Punjab govt to implement programmes and policies that truly benefit farmers and other sections of the population," he said. Reflecting on last year's crisis when the cotton crop suffered from a pink bollworm infestation, Singh said he initiated maize cultivation trials as an alternative. The trials yielded encouraging results, prompting him to take on the mission of replacing paddy with maize. Farmers replacing paddy with maize are encouraged to register on using their phone and Aadhaar numbers and provide details of the land under maize cultivation. For ease of access, the website is available in both Punjabi and English. Once registered, farmers will receive support for adopting good agricultural practices, including guidance on quality seeds, nutrients, agro-chemicals, irrigation scheduling, weed and herbicide management, and more, said the Sultanpur Lodhi MLA. Addressing a query, Rana criticised the state govt's hesitancy. "Some in the govt question the future of maize cultivation after two years. I ask —why not plan beyond that? Why isn't the govt committing to MSP procurement and seeking support from the Centre to ensure it?" He further highlighted that the central govt announced a subsidy of Rs 17,500 per hectare — totalling Rs 21 crore — for farmers shifting from paddy to maize. "I propose that the Punjab govt also offer an additional Rs 10,000 per acre saved from power used for paddy cultivation," he added. Rana also recommended expanding the scope of maize cultivation beyond the proposed districts of Kapurthala, Bathinda, and Gurdaspur to include Sangrur, Barnala, and Mansa, where the issue of groundwater depletion is especially severe. MSID:: 121413359 413 |
