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November 25, 2011

Virasat-e-Khalsa dedicated to humanity

Rs 300-crore monument depicts the history, evolution of the Khalsa Panth
 500-yr heritage comes alive Complex stands at a site that is the birthplace of the Khalsa Panth
Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh presents a sword to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday during the inaugural ceremony of the Khalsa Heritage Memorial, a museum on Sikhism, located on a 75-acre site in the holy city of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.
REPOSITORY OF RICH KHALSA HERITAGE: Akal Takht Jathedar Giani Gurbachan Singh presents a sword to Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal on Friday during the inaugural ceremony of the Khalsa Heritage Memorial, a museum on Sikhism, located on a 75-acre site in the holy city of Anandpur Sahib in Punjab.
Virasat-e-Khalsa’s Israeli architect Moshe Safdie
Asha Bhosle performs at the inaugural ceremony.
Anandpur Sahib, November 25
The Akalis today basked in the reflected glory of the steel petal roof of the Virasat-e-Khalsa that was dedicated to humanity in a ceremony that encompassed all faiths, but was essentially rooted in Sikh culture and tradition.
Badal, flanked by Akal Takth Jathedar Gurbachan Singh and the Sikh high priests, pressed a button to unveil the museum’s inaugural plaque as the Virasat-e-Khalsa monument seemingly rose out of the hillocks in the background. Nihangs astride horses and on foot along with ‘gatka’ troupes dressed in blue with saffron colour turbans dotted the hillocks and enhanced the backdrop.
Asha Bhosle started the function with a soulful rendition of the ‘shabad’ ‘Mera Sahib, Mera Sahib’ followed by Punjabi singer Jaspinder Narula’s ‘Deh Shiva Var Mohe’. The programme ended with an ‘ardas’ by Takth Sri Keshgarh Sahib Jathedar Giani Tarlochan Singh.
A glider then showered confetti and flower petals on the assembled congregation that had BJP president Nitin Gadkari, Art of Living founder Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh Badal among others. This was followed by a fireworks display.
The inauguration clearly belonged to Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal. The veteran leader has achieved the unique distinction of being behind the creation of the Rs 300 crore monument destined to take the Sikh religious experience to a new level.
Rajya Sabha MP Tarlochan Singh set the tone for the function by reminding the congregation that the museum was the result of one man’s dream. With elections in mind, he prayed to the lord to give Badal more time to complete all remaining tasks of the Sikh community.
The Chief Minister recollected his chance visit to the Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem and a meeting with its Boston-based Israeli architect Moshe Safdie. Calling the museum a culmination of his life tasks, Badal said, “I am satisfied that I have managed to fulfill the tasks set for me by the Guru.
Sacha padshah mehr karo, asin hor vi sewa kar sakiye (God bless us so we can serve the people even better).”
The Virasat-e-Khalsa stands at a site that is the birthplace of the Khalsa Panth. The second holiest Sikh shrine, Takht Keshgarh Sahib, is located here. It was here in 1699, on the day of Baisakhi, that 10th Sikh master Guru Gobind Singh founded the Khalsa Panth and baptised the 'Panj Piaras'.
Conceived as a repository of the rich heritage of the Khalsa, showcasing the history and culture of Punjab, the heritage complex has been built on a 100-acre site to emphasise the eternal message of the Sikh gurus.
The Chief Minister said that a never-before miracle in Sikh history would take place in the coming week — the inauguration of three more memorials to commemorate the two genocides that occurred in Sikh history and the victory of Sirhind by Banda Singh Bahadur.
Earlier, BJP president Nitin Gadkari said he had been in the construction business for long, but was impressed by the scale of the monument.
Spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravi Shankar said today’s ‘sankriti’ had been saved by the Khalsa Panth and that the 120-crore people of the country would be indebted to the Sikh Panth for the sacrifices made by its gurus in the cause of humanity.
Also present were Swami Madhav Ashram Shankra-charya Bapu Asa Ram, Pakistani dignitaries Imran Masood (ex-education minister) and Rai Azizullah (ex-MP), former Canadian MPs Ruby Dhalla and Gurbax Malhi, besides Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal and other senior SAD and BJP leaders.

ROLL OF HONOUR: The Chief Minister honoured Israeli architect Moshe Safdie on the occasion. He said Safdie had studied Sikh religion for two years before designing the heritage museum. Safdie said he wanted the museum to look 300 years old and he thought he had succeeded in this objective. Others who were honoured included noted filmmaker Bobby Bedi and designer Amar Behl for creating the exhibits of the heritage museum.

Why is the rupee falling?


Why all the fuss over rupee depreciation?
With the rupee shedding over 10 per cent in value since the last week of July, there is a lot of attention on the volatile nature of the Indian currency yo-yoing with the US dollar. But, the current free fall in the domestic currency to Rs 49-50 levels is in a way mirroring a historical trend. 

In early controlled exchange rate regime, the rupee exchange rate hovered around Rs 4 in the 1950s, Rs 5 in the 60s, Rs 7 in the 70s, and Rs 8 in the 80s. The liberalized era of 90s was different, the rupee moved in the Rs 20s (the rupee was also partly decontrolled in early 90s) and Rs 40 in the decade of 2000.

Not to forget two major devaluations by the government in between. The rupee was devalued first in 1966 by a massive 60 per cent from Rs 4.76 to Rs 7.50 against the US dollar. Twenty five years later in the 90s, the rupee was again devalued by 20 per cent from Rs 20.5 to Rs 24.5 against the US greenback. 

The reasons for the two devaluations were not too dissimilar; twin deficit (current account and fiscal), soaring inflation, insufficient foreign exchange reserves, and the developed world demanding decontrol and liberalization to allow them to do business in  India.  

Pranab says RBI to look into rupee slide if necessary 

But, the reason for the current round of rupee depreciation is related more to current grim global economic environment. The currency of every other emerging economy - barring China that managed its currency peg against the US dollar - is falling like nine pins. 

The currencies of Russia, Brazil, South Korea, and Indonesia have plunged by between six per cent to 16 per cent since January this year. So the 10 per cent fall in the value of rupee against the US dollar is hardly out of context.

Still, the ill-fated dollar is finally emerging from the debris thanks to euro crisis. The sovereign debt woes of European Union are shifting foreign investors from euro assets to dollar assets. There seems to be no other alternative to US dollar. The gold rush, too, is waning a bit as there is now a feeling of a bubble building up.     

Where does this leave the rupee? There is no support from the domestic economy. Foreign institutional investors are already fleeing Indian equity markets. The FDI investments unlike China were never big into India, anyway. 

Inflation is near all-time highs and interest rates are pinching companies as much as home borrowers. The fastest growing economy is also turning out to be the slowest in terms of reforming the economy or tackling pressing economic issues.  

Rate hikes will not tame inflation, says India Inc 

So, all eyes - read: importers - are on the Reserve Bank of India, or RBI, to pull a rabbit out of the hat. But that is easier said than done. If the Mint Street sells dollar to arrest the rupee fall, the apex bank has to pare down its foreign exchange reserves, not matter how huge it is. 

Secondly, this will also result in sucking out equivalent amount of rupee resources from the system, potentially squeezing liquidity. But the catch is any aggressive (mild ones will continue) open defence by the RBI to arrest fall will be read as an inherent weakness of the rupee vis-à-vis the dollar. That will mean giving speculators a chance to create further havoc with the likely rupee fall.

In fact, the RBI was in a similar situation in the 2007/08 period when rupee actually appreciated on the back of dollar inflows from foreign institutional investors into Indian equity markets. The exporter community cried hoarse from the rooftops but the central bank allowed the rupee to find its own level though with minor intervention. The rupee finally appreciated to a record Rs 39.37 levels in January 2008.     

Like all the earlier phases in rupee's journey, the current phase of depreciation will also pass and rupee will find its own level.

Courtesy: Anand Adhikari    

India's Best Business Schools

Around 2,500 years ago, Greek philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus had pronounced: "The only constant in life is change." Think of change as a never-ending game - 'The Change Game', if you like. As in every other sphere, The Change Game resonates through the 2011 edition of Business Today's annual special issue on business schools, or B-schools, as well. So, ladies and gentlemen, let us begin from the very top. The familiar order of A-B-C - or Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Ahmedabad, IIM Bangalore and IIM Calcutta - played itself out eight times in the 11 earlier rankings we have done since 1998. But in this year's BT-Nielsen ranking of India's Best B-schools, the top trio has shuffled into B-C-A. For the first time since 2002, IIM Bangalore finds itself perched at the top. What has helped it most is its unmasked ambition for growth and an increased thrust on research.

CHECK OUTFull listing of India's best B-Schools 

Another significant change is in our methodology to rank the B-schools. For the past eight years, the responses of a perceptual survey by our partner Nielsen were wrung through its 'Winning Brands' model to arrive at brand equity scores to rank the B-schools. This year, too, we did a perception survey, but did not apply the Winning Brands model. Instead, scores were assigned to the responses of the five groups of stakeholders - MBA aspirants, current MBA students, young executives at companies, recruiters (human resource heads and functional heads), and permanent faculty of B-schools - across various parameters. These scores were aggregated, the highest scorer was assigned a score of 100, and the remaining scores were indexed to it. This makes the scoring more linear and simpler.

In the context of business education in India, an MBA degree from an IIM has always been the key to riches, glory and recognition. This year's ranking of the Top 10, too, suggests that at a time of turbulence in the economy, global and local, brand IIM is considered the safe house. For the first time ever, the top six colleges are all IIMs. The B-C-A trio is followed by IIM Indore (IIM-I), IIM Lucknow (IIM-L) and IIM Kozhikode (IIM-K), in that order. While IIM-I and IIM-L are familiar members of the Top 10 club, IIM-K rejoins it after nine years (see Dramatic Rise). IIM Shillong, too, joins the snoot club in style this year, catapulting to #9 from #15 last year.

Naturally, others have wilted. The Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, a top-tier school in the league of the IIMs, has dropped one slot from #7 to #8. The two institutes that share the #10 rank, Faculty of Management Studies (FMS), University of Delhi, and XLRI School of Business and Human Resources, Jamshedpur, have also taken a tumble, from #4 and #6, respectively, last year. Only Indian Institute of Foreign Trade (IIFT), New Delhi, shot up to #7 from #11 last year. That it is increasingly gaining equity in the B-school ecosystem is evident from the fact that last year, too, it had jumped to #11 from #17 in 2009. Backing these changes are vital insights on crucial shuffles at the very foundation of the system that schools the business leaders of tomorrow.

The vital triggers
Hard questions are being asked: Do our schools shape enough young leaders? What measures are the B-schools taking to reform their pedagogy? Why will our young, bright talents opt for Indian institutions, if they can study abroad? What will the entry of foreign B-schools mean for their Indian counterparts? In its golden jubilee year, IIM-A has come up with some answers of its own. "Our vision is to build on 'thought leadership', and come up with new paradigms in management thinking which are different from western models," says Samir K. Barua, Director, IIM-A (see Nifty at 50). Barua's statement comes at a time when leaders such as Jairam Ramesh in governance and N.R. Narayana Murthy of Infosys have accused top institutes of not doing enough research. Others such as Pritam Singh, Director General, International Management Institute, or IMI, suggest Indians have clung slavishly to western models of thinking that are inadequate for Asia.

Happily, good institutes admit to their need for research, and some have already initiated moves to create intellectual property. For instance, IIM-C has set up a finance lab that gets real-time data and news on companies from different stock exchanges. These are then converted into sentiment scores to predict share price movements. Unfortunately, "For this lab, we were sanctioned Rs 20 crore from the government, but the money has not come yet," says Shekhar Chaudhuri, Director, IIM-C.

At another level, B-schools are layering functional programmes with courses that equip students with soft skills. IIM-L, for instance, has an elective on leadership through literature. And Pramath Sinha, founding dean of ISB Hyderabad, has initiated an alternative value-add to education with The Young India Fellowship, a oneyear course in New Delhi that includes subjects such as Listening, Psychology, Plato's Republic (Philosophy), and Critical Thinking and Writing, besides regular management content.

The foreign hands
A big change on the horizon is The Foreign Education Bill, which once approved by Parliament, will allow the entry of foreign universities and other education providers into India. Should our B-schools be worried? "Yes, good institutions are likely to come, and we could all do with some healthy competition," says IIM-A's Barua.

IIM Indore: Up to #4 from #8 last year
IIM Indore: Up to #4 from #8 last year
Some are already here. For instance, Glasgow-based Strathclyde Business School has set up the Strathclyde SKIL Business School (SSBS) in Greater Noida partnering the Nikhil Gandhi-promoted SKIL Infrastructure. "Strathclyde will completely control the quality of education by providing the curriculum, faculty and also student exchange for a term," says Bhimaraya Metri, Dean of SSBS, who recently joined it from Management Development Institute (MDI) Gurgaon.

GD Goenka Group, partnering the UK's Lancaster University, launched GD Goenka World Institute in Sohna near Gurgaon in 2009, which offers a two-year postgraduate diploma in business management. And the GMR Group has announced its decision to collaborate with Schulich School of Business of York University, Toronto.

But it would be inaccurate to assume that Indian B-schools will be lightly regarded once the foreign biggies swagger in. A case in point is 24-year-old Gopal Balakrishnan, a first-year student at IIM-A. He had Berkeley, Harvard and Columbia in his consideration list while interning at Cisco after his engineering degree at Sardar Patel Institute of Technology, Mumbai. But on getting a call from IIM-A (where he had also applied along with ISB), his decision was clear. "The opportunity cost here is terrific. Besides, India is where the growth and opportunities are," he says.

The Foreign Education Bill also brings the matter of autonomy of Indian B-schools into sharp focus. "How is it that we struggle to prove our worth but do not have any say in designing the curriculum, whereas the foreign players can fix student fees, faculty compensation and design their own curriculum totally unhindered," asks H. Chaturvedi, Director, Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) at Greater Noida.

Last year, the All India Council for Technical Education (AICTE) triggered acrimony by sending a notification to state-funded B-schools which sought to curb their power to design their course curriculum and duration, determine their fee structures, and even their selection of an examination model for students. While IMI's Singh feels AICTE's role is not only to grant approvals, he also questions its attempt to paint all institutes - including established ones such as IMI and XLRI - with the same brush.

The IIMs, of course, can now choose their own directors, but according to IIM-C's Chaudhuri, faculty fee is an issue. "If we had the freedom to match salaries of US universities, we could have drawn better talent," he says. "But this may not be possible given the cost structure and environment in our country." In a double-whammy, what also hurts is the lack of good faculty.

The Department of Management Studies (DMS), IIT Delhi, for instance, needs at least 23 people now, according to Sudhir K. Jain, Head of Department. "We follow stringent selection norms. The entire academic background has to be sound. That's why a large majority of those who apply to us fails to fulfil the criteria," he says.
 
Positive shuffles
Even as the business education community grapples with autonomy and faculty issues, a positive change is beginning to happen at another level. Corporate consortiums are aiding institutes, not just with funding, but also with time to help develop curriculum and mentor students. For instance, the School of Inspired Leadership (SOIL) in Gurgaon, was co-created in 2009 by a consortium of 32 companies. When Anil Sachdev, Founder and CEO of SOIL, started the venture, he approached his former consulting clients. Luckily, he did not need funding support, but he asked them to invest time in co-creating the curriculum and also in mentoring students closely. "From day one, each student has a mentor from the industry who spends time with him or her on key issues," says Sachdev.

Great Lakes Institute of Management in Chennai, founded in 2004 by Kellogg professor Bala V. Balachandran, has five centres of excellence partnering TVS Capital Funds, which created the T.S. Srinivasan Chair Professor of Entrepreneurship for conducting research in entrepreneurship. Union Bank of India helped create the Union Bank-Great Lakes Center for Banking Excellence and a Faculty Chair as part of this.

Surely these are welcome moves for an industry feeling the pinch of not having enough employment-ready talent. "There has to be an investment from our side where we aid institutions in understanding our requirements," says Chandrasekhar Sripada, Head of Human Resource, IBM India/South Asia, which helps some B-schools design their programmes.

B-schools are also just beginning to wake up to the power of their alumni network. "The initial response to fund and to partner the institute in mentoring students has been terrific," says IIM-A's Barua. The emotional connect certainly helps. "IIM Bangalore helped me with my discipline and perspective, and also in valuing work-life balance," says Sonjoy Chatterjee, a 1994 batch graduate and Chairman of Goldman Sachs India (Securities). This respect translates into hires from the institute.

As India's business education ecosystem evolves and matures to prime itself for a world where India and Indian companies will play an increasingly key role in the global economy, change will indeed be the only constant going ahead. Heraclitus, you see, was a truly wise man.

The pros and cons of FDI in retailing

The Cabinet has approved 51 per cent FDI in multi-brand retail, a decision that will allow global mega chains like Wal-Mart, Tesco and Carrefour to open outlets in India.

The Cabinet also increased the foreign investment (FDI) ceiling to 100 per cent from the present 51 per cent in single-brand retail.

The following are the main issues raised by those in favour of foreign equity in multi-brand retailingand those opposed to it:

Those against:
- It will lead to closure of tens of thousands of mom-and-pop shops across the country and endanger livelihood of 40 million people
- It may bring down prices initially, but fuel inflation once multinational companies get a stronghold in the retail market
- Farmers may be given remunerative prices initially, but eventually they will be at the mercy of big retailers
- Small and medium enterprises will become victims of predatory pricing policies of multinational retailers
- It will disintegrate established supply chains by encouraging monopolies of global retailers

Those in favour:
- It will cut intermediaries between farmers and the retailers, thereby helping them get more money for their produce
- It will help in bringing down prices at retail level and calm inflation
- Big retail chains will invest in supply chains which will reduce wastage, estimated at 40 percent in the case of fruits and vegetables
- Small and medium enterprises will have a bigger market, along with better technology and branding
- It will bring much-needed foreign investment into the country, along with technology and global best-practices
- It will actually create employment than displace people engaged in small stores
- It will induce better competition in the market, thus benefiting both producers and consumers

Rocky Mountains top tourism draw among all Canada’s national parks


Whether it be skiing in the winter or sightseeing in the summer, Alberta’s iconic Rockies trump all other national parks when it comes to tourism spending.

Alberta’s iconic Rockies trump all other national parks when it comes to tourism spending.

EDMONTON — Ontario has Point Pelee, New Brunswick’s got the Bay of Fundy — but when it comes to tourism dollars, nothing trumps Alberta’s iconic Rocky Mountain vistas.
A new report on the economic impact of Canada’s national parks and historic sites suggests that visitors spend significantly more money in Banff, Lake Louise and Jasper than they do at Parks Canada sites in other provinces.
“Alberta has some of the greatest parks in the country,” said Andrew Campbell, Parks Canada’s vice-president of visitor experience.
According to the study, released Thursday, visitors to the province’s national parks and historic sites spent close to $1.5 billion in 2009. That means that more than half of the economic impact of Canada’s park system is enjoyed by Alberta.
Compare that to neighbouring British Columbia. The province boasts 1,000-year-old cedars and coastal rainforests as well as rugged peaks, but tourists spent only $345 million in B.C’s national parks.
That doesn’t surprise Bruce Okabe, chief executive of Travel Alberta.
He said most travellers typically associate Alberta as the place in Canada with mountains and glaciers, even though B.C. has them, too.
“The Canadian Rockies are an iconic brand. Pretty well anywhere in this world, people know exactly where they are and what they are,” Okabe said.
Alberta’s tourism economy is fuelled by places like Waterton Lakes National Park and Lake Louise — and the fact that many of the parks are close to each other is a bonus for the industry, said Okabe.
“Once people arrive, they usually go to Banff first. It’s not that much farther to go to Lake Louise and one of the classic drives in North America is the Icefields Parkway. And then it’s not that far to Jasper.”
All told, tourists are pouring more than $2.5 billion into the Canadian economy by visiting national parks, Environment Minister Peter Kent said.
Parks Canada commissioned the study in a bid to better understand how federal investment in the country’s national park system affects the economies of local communities and businesses.
“It certainly does demonstrate the importance of Banff and Lake Louise as visitor centres. We’re lucky in that we sit on the border of Alberta and B.C. with this phenomenal park system,” said Stuart Back, director of in-resort services for Banff-Lake Louise Tourism.
He said local businesses are pleased to see Ottawa commit to some much-needed upgrades to infrastructure in Banff National Park.
Such changes have a huge impact on overall visitor experience, Back said. “In fact, more of those would be welcome.”
The reason national parks do better economically in Alberta relative to other regions is because people can enjoy the charms of places like Banff year-round, said Crosbie Cotton a spokesman for the National Park Ski Area Association.
But he said Ottawa can do more to capitalize on the appeal of the area — and keep international visitors interested in Alberta as a destination in an increasingly crowded market.
“The ski areas are keen to invest and modernize and they have huge challenges with current government policy,” said Cotton.
Both Sunshine Village and Lake Louise face significant challenges trying to update their facilities, he said.
“It’s been very tough in Banff and Jasper the last few years. We’ve got to turn that around. . . . There’s a lot more to that can be done in a way that protects the environment but enhances the quality of the amenities that people want.”
Speaking to a Tourism Industry Association of Canada conference Thursday, Kent also announced that “most” of the fees at Parks Canada sites will remain frozen until at least April 2013.

Special coaches exhibit facets of Vivekananda’s life


The special coaches with exhibits related to the life and teachings of Swami Vivekananda in Haridwar on Thursday.
Haridwar, November 24
Be it the historic “Sisters and brothers of America….” speech delivered by Swami Vivekananda at the Parliament of World Religions in Chicago in 1893 or that the great philosopher was well versed in classical music, both vocal and instrumental, one can get to know about several facets of Swami Vivekananda’s life at a single place in Haridwar.
Special two air-conditioned coaches run by the Indian Railways on the occasion of 150th birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda were opened to the public at platform no. 9 here today.
The coaches, which will remain stationed at the platform till November 28 in Haridwar, which is the 13th destination of this exhibition train in the northern region. This express exhibition commenced on October 7 from Delhi Cantonment and Varanasi will be its last destination, where it will reach on the New Year’s Eve.
The coaches exhibit a large collection Swami Vivekananda’s rare pictures, write-ups, teachings and life details, etc.
According to the railway officials, the motive behind running this exhibition train is to bring Swami Vivekananda, who was instrumental in the revival of Hinduism in modern India and introduction of Hindu philosophy of Vedanta and yoga to the Western world, closer to the younger generation.
Swami Nitya Sudhanand, general secretary of Ramkrishan Paramhans Mission, urged people to have a glimpse of the great philosopher’s life, who instilled feelings of patriotism in people and preached communal harmony. “We are in constant touch with different schools and educational institutions to draw more and more students to this exhibition train, as they are the future of the country and will benefit immensely from knowing about Swami Vivekananda’s life and his teachings,” said Swami Nitya Sudhanand.

100th ton eludes Sachin again


MUMBAI: Batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar's wait for his century of centuries in international cricket continued as he fell just six short of the landmark on the third day of the final Test against West Indies at Wankhede Stadium here today.
Tendulkar, resuming at overnight 67, came out aggressively and looked set to achieve the impending milestone.
He struck three fours and a six to quickly reach the nervous 90s. But the ton eluded him as he was out to fast bowler Ravi Rampaul, caught in the second slip by West Indies captain Darren Sammy.
A hush descended over the stadium as Tendulkar walked off the field looking at the sky. The Mumbaikar has gone without a century for the last eight months. Tendulkar hit his 99th century in the World Cup league game against South Africa in Nagpur in March. Since then the cricketing fraternity and his fans have been eagerly waiting for him to score a ton.
There was a huge crowd at the stadium on Friday with hordes of people turning out to see their hometown hero reach the feat.
Tendulkar had got a lifeline yesterday when he was on 58, dropped by wicket-keeper Carlton Baugh off leg-spinner Devendra Bishoo. 

Ramoowalia is a spent force, says Amarinder


Chandigarh, November 24
Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee president Capt Amarinder Singh said today that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was like a drowning man, “trying to latch on to everything that comes his way”.
This explained Badal’s submission to every term and condition set by Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, otherwise a spent force, for merging his party with the SAD, he said.
Capt Amarinder Singh ridiculed Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Badal’s claim that with Ramoowalia joining the SAD, the party would rule Punjab for another 50 years.“However, if it really boosts the sagging morale of the demoralised Badals, who are running away from their respective constituencies, then their plight is really pitiable”, he remarked.
The claim that the SAD would rule for another 50 years was hopllow as Badal was finding it difficult to identify a safe seat for himself and his son, He remarked.
“It is natural for a man who has spent 70 years in politics and remained Chief Minister four times and is yet unable to identify a safe seat for himself to walk an extra mile to welcome to the party fold a man like Ramoowalia, a spent force in today’s politics”, the PCC presidentobserved.“Ramoowalia’s value is the same as that of an outdated cheque”, he claimed. The former Chief Minister pointed out that Ramoowalia and his Lok Bhalai Party was a non-entity from day one as it had polled 1.17 per cent votes in the 2002 elections and a mere .36 per cent in the 2007 elections.