The presence of the son of Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi at the official meeting has stirred a new controversy in the state on Thursday. Visuals of the incident have gone viral on social media, drawing widespread criticism.
Channi’s son Ridhamjit Singh was seen sitting in a law and order meeting with the Punjab Director General of Police and other senior officials and ministers.
The Bharatiya Janata Party reprimanded the Punjab Chief Minister for the “immoral” incident. BJP Punjab president Ashwini Sharma termed it “unprecedented and immoral” and said, “Channi is well versed in the rules as he is a three-time MLA. Credibility and dignity must always be maintained while respecting the rules of the Constitution. It is unfortunate that senior bureaucrats, who are well versed in the rules and norms, have been allowed.”
Among the ministers who attended the meeting was Pargat Singh, who has been allotted the ministries of education, sports and NRI affairs.
No member of the family of the Chief Minister or other Minister can be present in the official meetings and if the case is otherwise it is in violation of the rules of business of the State Government.
Retired bureaucrats told The Times of India that the incident amounts to a violation of the provisions of the Official Secrets Act as many sensitive issues, “which the chief minister or ministers are bound to keep secret, are discussed in such meetings”.
“This is an unusual practice and it is not expected of a person holding such a high position. The bureaucrats posted in the CMO should have been informed about this. The presence of any unauthorized or private person in such meetings is against the interest of the State. It is also against the oath taken by the Chief Minister.”
Meanwhile, Channi on Friday met Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Congress leaders amid the ongoing ruckus in the party’s Punjab unit during his first visit to the national capital after taking oath. However, he went straight to the airport from his ‘extremely positive’ meeting at Delhi’s 7, Lok Kalyan Marg.
According to top party sources, the Congress high command has now asked Chani to “solve it at the state level. Besides, Punjab Congress in-charge Harish Rawat is also being sent to Chandigarh ahead of the cabinet meeting on Monday, they said.
Channi arrived in Delhi a day after hectic talks with the disgruntled Navjot Singh Sidhu, who eventually relented and reportedly agreed to continue as Punjab Congress chief, as he was assured that a coordination panel, comprising Both he and Channi will be involved, will be set up to oversee. All the big decisions of Punjab government in future. The decision was taken after a meeting of over two hours at the Punjab Congress Bhawan. Sidhu had resigned from the post of state party president on Tuesday.
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