Jalandhar : An attempt of the district administration to reach a consensus between the candidates for the NRI Sabha president election failed on Thursday. The election is scheduled to be held on March 7.
One of the contestants and ex-president Pritam S Narangpuri did not turn up for a meeting called by the ADC (G)-cum-Returning Officer, Jasvir Singh. Three other members — ex-president Jasvir S Gill, his wife Gurvinderjit Kaur, a covering candidate, and founder member Kirpal Singh Sahota — have chosen not to enter into any negotiation.
While February 24 is the last day to withdraw nomination, Friday is the last day to reach unanimity. Narangpuri said: “Even if Gill or Sahota chose to withdraw, I will not.”
Sahota has the support of Gill’s nephew Jagvir Singh, who now has an estranged relation with his uncle. Ex-president Kamaljit S Hayre said: “The election has become an ego fight in the family. I chose not to re-contest as election cannot be fought on fake votes. I had even lodged objections against voting rights to members who have worked in Gulf countries two to three decades ago and are now permanently settled in Punjab. NRIs are no longer interested in the activities of the body and the poll percentage this time will be less than 10 per cent, unlike previous years when even sitting MPs from abroad used to come here to cast votes.
As election is drawing near, NRIs settled across the globe have started asking the government to clear the air about the status of the NRI Sabha. They are asking whether the sabha is a Constitutional body or an NGO.
The executive director of US-based North American Punjabi Association (NAPA), Satnam Singh Chahal, in a statement issued here on Thursday said the NRI Sabha was registered as a society under the Societies Registration Act on March 20, 1998. But due to “interference” by the Punjab Chief Minister and other government officials in the day to day work of the body, doubts had been created among the Punjabi diaspora about its legal status, he said.
Chahal further said the NRI Sabha had no Constitutional powers to address the issues concerning Punjabi diaspora, so the Punjab government should clarify if the NRI Sabha is a government body or simply an NGO.
“Like other NGOs, the sabha was set up as a society and has not received any financial aid from the state government till date. It was formed by a few bureaucrats, business persons and politicians to fulfill their own self-interests. There have been incidents in the past when cars and other facilities of the sabha have been misused by the bureaucrats,” he said.
Chahal said, “The officers are appointed under the orders of the President in consultation with the Chief Minister, who is body’s patron.”
The Tribune (tribuneindia.com, Feb 21, 2020)