Badal flies into code net

Fri, May 9 01:05 AM

THE ELECTION code of conduct is in force in view of the Panchayati Raj polls in Punjab and a by-election for the Amritsar (South) Assembly segment. But Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, chief campaigner of the Shiromani Akali Dal, has been flying down to this area in his official helicopter nearly every day for the past week - a facility he cannot avail for party activity.

The chief minister, who had his schedule packed with poll meetings in Amritsar on Wednesday, had reached Tarn Taran in the morning in a fleet of cars, from where he hopped on to his official Pawan Hans (VT-SOK) helicopter parked at Guru Arjan Dev Sports Stadium and flew off to some other destination, but was back around 2.20 pm.

As he disembarked, standing in attention to receive him were Tarn Taran Deputy Commissioner Ajoy Sharma, SSP H.S.

Chahal and a horde of other officers and Akali workers. Not the one to waste time, Badal quickly slipped into one of the cars in the fleet waiting for him and zipped off to the Amritsar (South) constituency, hitting the campaign for SAD nominee Inderbir Singh Bularia.

Justifying Badal's use of the official helicopter, Deputy Commissioner Ajoy Sharma said the CM could use it in the discharge of his official duties. Asked what official engagement Badal attended to after landing in Tarn Taran, Sharma said there was some "confidential meeting with district officials".

Earlier, there have been allegations of the ruling SAD-BJP coalition going overboard in re-carpeting roads and upgrading water supply and streetlights before launching the poll campaign - all in violation of the model code of conduct.

RECOMMEND THIS STORY