49. Sukhbir captures cable network in Punjab,

alleges Khaira

Dharmendra Joshi

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 16

ShiromaniAkali Dal (SAD) presidentSukhbir Singh Badal has captured the entire cable network business in Punjab. This accusation was made by Bholath MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira in a letter written to Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) secretary R.K. Arnold on Monday.

Demanding a CBI inquiry into the matter, he alleged that Sukhbir had captured and taken over the cable network business with the support of the SAD-BJP government headed by his father Parkash Singh Badal.

Also Kapurthala District Congress president, Khaira stated that after having captured the entire transport and mining trade in Punjab, Sukhbir had through a well-planned strategy and with the support of the state government captured and taken over the cable network business. The people in Punjab only got to watch the channels on their television sets which SukhbirBadal allowed to be aired, he added.

The Bholath MLA further stated that the Badal family had huge benami shares and interest in DIGI cable and Fastway cable companies. Ever since the formation of the SAD-BJP government, SukhbirBadal had coerced, threatened, registered false cases against scores of private cable operators in the state.

“As a result major cable network business has ended up being in the hands of Fastwaycable company. This company is headed by Gurdip Singh of Ludhiana, also the owner of the Jujhar bus service and an old family friend of the Badals,” he added.

Expressing apprehension that SukhbirBadal had been funding and financing Fastwaycable company with huge benami shares in the business, Khaira demanded a thorough probe into these companies, including their overseas funding network to bring the truth to the fore.

The Congress had been put to a severe disadvantage through this manoeuvring by SukhbirBadal with the support of his father and the Punjab government, he stated, giving an example that PTC channel which was practically the Badal’s channel was way above on the UHF where as other Punjabi news channel such as Zee Punjabi, MH-1, etc are way below to UHF 72 OR 73. It was common knowledge that the maximum reach of ordinary television sets in Punjab was approximately UHF 60, therefore by doing so a majority of Punjab is watching one-sided publicity in favour of the ruling party.

The Congress felt that all this could have far-reaching political consequences keeping in view the ensuing LokSabha elections, he said, adding that in order to allow free and fair elections it was imperative to allow the viewers of Punjab a fair share of all shades of political opinion. He reiterated that a detailed CBI inquiry be conducted to unearth this government-sponsored political nexus that had virtually taken over the cable business in Punjab.