NRIs like to teach Punjab Politicians- the real meaning of democracy

Chandigarh, Feb. 10, 2007
Sampuran Singh

More than 50,000 NRIs have come to Punjab for the election and more than one billion rupees of campaign funds have come from overseas. For the past 20 years, Punjabi NRIs are trying to invest money in industry and technology but politicians always made a joke of it. NRIs may be very rich in USA, Canada and UK but THEIR heart lies in Punjab.

Manjit Singh from USA said, "We frequently come back to Punjab, we are strongly and emotionally bonded with Punjab. It is important for all the NRIs to participate in elections. Also if we want to invest in Punjab we must participate in Election process."

Punjabi NRIs are so powerful in USA, Canada, UK and they have close tie with Punjab through internet, TV and radio talk shows. One non-profit organization survey with more than 100 NRIs who are involved with Punjab politics- most of them response:

• We love punjab's land, we love it, we love it. Technology is so great, we got every day live news from Punjab. We always talk about Punjab, India's politics.
  
• We like to see Punjab paradise and we are very upset to see downward after blue star of 1984
  
• Now we are able to change the corrupted system and want to see our brothers and sisters live under democratic system.
  
• Most of the NRIs are very upset from politician's false promises and their wealth. Most of the NRIs argue that how come politicians have had 1 crore property 10 or 15 years ago and now 200, 2000 or 3000 crores
  

For the first time, NRIs are making the presence felt in elections and they are doing it because of India’s rising status, because it has become more respectable and more worthwhile.

NRI Jasbir Singh Khangura, from UK, Congress Party candidate, constituency of Qila Raipur

It is estimated that more than 250 NRIs from Britain, Canada and America who have returned to support the Khangura campaign . Mr Khangura hopes to rid his birthplace of the corruption that has left much of it without a functioning sewerage system, or reliable electricity and water supplies. He is standing as the Congress Party candidate for his native constituency of Qila Raipur, which has a population of 275,000, mainly farmers. Congress has never won in Qila Raipur, which has been held for the past ten years by Jag-dish Garcha, of the Shiromani Akali Dal party.

Mr. Khangura said, "I was three years old when I went to London. Now I am 43 and I think it is the right time to return to the mother land and participate in the development of state and the country,"

NRIs have poured billions dollars of investment into India since its market reforms began to deliver Chinese-style growth. Now they are demanding a greater say in government to protect their investments and to clean up a corrupt and inefficient bureaucracy.....Read More

NRI Surjit Rakhra from USA Camping in Samana

NRI Surjit Singh Rakhra along with his billionaire brother Darshan Singh Dhaliwal is camping door to door in the Samana constituency. Darshan Singh Dhaliwal goes around Patiala and Samana’s streets and asking for votes in his brother’s name.

Surjit said, more than 3,000 NRIs from the USA, Canada, Australia and the UK are camping here and begging votes for me door to door. We want to clean corruption. Our entire campaign is based on two things: the Punjabi brotherhood and the Akali Panthic agenda, whose basic hallmark is personalised meetings.

Darshan Singh Dhaliwal says, democracy is a great leveller, so I am here asking for votes despite my status. For me, it's a great opportunity to feel rooted to my birthplace. I may have become rich, but I am after all the son of this very soil. Here the campaigning is more on false promises. I am just making comparisons, between Surjit and his opponent Brahm.

Brahm Mohindra, who is contesting elections from prestigious Samana assembly constituency said, "Rakhra was acting like a travel agent in this area and not a politician. Referring a news report published in the section of media he criticized the statement of his brother Darshan Sigh Dhaliwal, a NRI, who said in is interview that Politics in India was a dirty game and wanted to take his brother Surjit Singh Rakhra back to USA."

His billionaire brother Darshan Singh Dhaliwal ....Read More