Chandigarh March 31:
In the death of Captain Kanwaljit Singh, Punjab has lost a statesman, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has lost a visionary, and I have lost a guide.
I remember the day when I was contesting elections for the first time. At Gidderbaha, during that fateful election, the counting for the byelection results was on. After the fifth round of the counting, I was trailing behind the Congress candidate. Capt Kanwaljit Singh came out of the booth with tears in his eyes.
The tears did not seem to stop and I rushed forward to meet him. As a new entrant, I tried to calm him down repeatedly saying: “It does not matter.” Capt Kanwaljit Singh did not agree and said: “It matters Manpreet.” “The Akali Dal was looking forward to this election as a chance to bounce back centre stage,” the Captain remarked, adding that after years of difficult times, it was this election, which would have helped the Akali Dal turn the tide.
For me it was a first election, but in the experienced eyes of Capt Kanwaljit Singh, it was not a mere byelection. As we know, he was very right. The next three rounds of counting ensured that I won my first election and the ruling Congress party lost its moral standing to rule and the SAD never looked back.
For all young MLAs in the Akali Dal, Capt Kanwaljit Singh was a constant source of inspiration. He would be available for counselling and would never hesitate to call a spade a spade. He was the “voice of reason” for many young Akali MLAs. Unlike many other ministers, Capt Kanwaljit Singh would issue direct and explicit orders to bureaucrats, seeking the implementation of the governmental policy.
While many ministers prefer to seek advice from officers, Capt Kanwaljit Singh would be very direct. “This is the will of the people and you have to implement it”, was how he would direct bureaucrats. Perhaps this trait stemmed from his Army background. For me, I would call him up even for advice on issues like tabling of finance reports or seeking a vote on account. He would be direct and curt in his response and this is what I always appreciated in him.
Today, returning from his cremation, I reminded of those moist eyes, which greeted me at Gidderbaha and today, it was our moist eyes, which bid him farewell.
In the death of Captain Kanwaljit Singh, Punjab has lost a statesman, the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has lost a visionary, and I have lost a guide.
I remember the day when I was contesting elections for the first time. At Gidderbaha, during that fateful election, the counting for the byelection results was on. After the fifth round of the counting, I was trailing behind the Congress candidate. Capt Kanwaljit Singh came out of the booth with tears in his eyes.
The tears did not seem to stop and I rushed forward to meet him. As a new entrant, I tried to calm him down repeatedly saying: “It does not matter.” Capt Kanwaljit Singh did not agree and said: “It matters Manpreet.” “The Akali Dal was looking forward to this election as a chance to bounce back centre stage,” the Captain remarked, adding that after years of difficult times, it was this election, which would have helped the Akali Dal turn the tide.
For me it was a first election, but in the experienced eyes of Capt Kanwaljit Singh, it was not a mere byelection. As we know, he was very right. The next three rounds of counting ensured that I won my first election and the ruling Congress party lost its moral standing to rule and the SAD never looked back.
For all young MLAs in the Akali Dal, Capt Kanwaljit Singh was a constant source of inspiration. He would be available for counselling and would never hesitate to call a spade a spade. He was the “voice of reason” for many young Akali MLAs. Unlike many other ministers, Capt Kanwaljit Singh would issue direct and explicit orders to bureaucrats, seeking the implementation of the governmental policy.
While many ministers prefer to seek advice from officers, Capt Kanwaljit Singh would be very direct. “This is the will of the people and you have to implement it”, was how he would direct bureaucrats. Perhaps this trait stemmed from his Army background. For me, I would call him up even for advice on issues like tabling of finance reports or seeking a vote on account. He would be direct and curt in his response and this is what I always appreciated in him.
Today, returning from his cremation, I reminded of those moist eyes, which greeted me at Gidderbaha and today, it was our moist eyes, which bid him farewell.
