An Artical on LS Poll Soldiering on
Call to weed out criminals, corrupt Sarbjit Dhaliwal Tribune News Service Jalandhar, March 27 With regard to the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections, three ex- Army officer brothers, who served this country during the war in 1971, have given an unusual but inspiring call to their fellow countrymen. They have asked voters, especially the youth, to use their vote to elect honest, upright, transparent, visionary and clean politicians regardless their political affiliations. Brothers are Col Hardev Singh Mann, Col Amarjit Singh Mann alias Jiti Mann, Leiut Col Mohinderjit Singh Mann, alias Mindi Mann, who, after retirement, settled in Chandigarh, Patiala and Delhi respectively. The three bothers have urged that the politicians having criminal, dishonest and corrupt should be comprehensively defeated and thrown out from the political process of the country forever. “During the war we saved this country from the external enemy by shedding our blood and sweat on the borders. And the time has come now to save this country from enemies within by giving them a crushing defeat in the Lok Sabha elections”, three Mann brothers said, who as Army officers fought the 1971 War against Pakistan on different border fronts. Speaking on behalf of all three brothers, Lieut Col Mindi Mann said the root cause of various problems being faced by the country was that many criminal elements had entered the political mainstream in the garb of politicians. Their only mission was to become rich, famous and power wielders. By winning elections they could use muscle and money power available for foul means. Such people were a blot on the very concept of the government, he said. “Our father, late Gurcharan Singh, who had retired as an SP, died a proud man. He saw all his three sons fight the war against Pakistan in 1971”, said Mindi Mann. “Ours is perhaps the only such example in the country. While the eldest of us- Hardev, led his regimental advance in the then East Pakistan, the second, the then Capt Jiti Mann, and myself served with Skiners Horse in the Shakargarh Sector on the Western front. We were engaged in a pitched tank battles in that sector”, he said. Mindi Mann said his eldest brother Hardev, who was in Hudson Horse, a reputed regiment, was seriously hurt in the 1965 war in Sialkot Sector. “ “Our father at that point of time was the DSP at Moga and a police party led by him had shot dead five Pakistani paratroopers in an encounter on a canal side near Halwara. These paratroopers were part of a Pakistan taskforce and dropped to cause damage to Halwara airport,” he said.. Manns are originally from Chak Number 97 village in Layalpur (now in Pakistan) but family shifted to Phumassi village, near Amargarh in Sangrur district during the partition. Saving the country from internal enemies was equally important, Mindi Mann said.
