Chandigarh, October 29
A “jhandi wali car” is a dream of all politicians. In Punjab, 14 legislators of the SAD-BJP combine have been given ministerial status by appointing them as Chief Parliamentary Secretaries (CPSs).

The CPSs get a flag car with an unlimited petrol allowance, an official residence in Chandigarh, personal staff at home and official staff at office. All but one have no work.

None of the ministers give any work to the CPSs attached to them except for Public Works (Building and Roads) Minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa, who routes all files through his CPS. This despite the fact that Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has issued strict instructions to ministers to route all files through CPSs.

The institution of the CPS was created to satisfy the political aspiration of legislators after a cap was put on the strength of the ministry. However, the tool seems to be failing to serve its purpose with the CPSs becoming frustrated at being thwarted from doing any work by their respective ministers. Some are now openly asking to be divested of their posts.

CPS (local government) Harish Rai Dhanda of the SAD says the government should do away with the practice rather than continuing with it in its present form. “We are unnecessarily parked in this place”, says Dhanda, adding that parliamentary secretaries were not shown files despite the fact that they could not neither change their course nor take any decision on the issue concerned.

“All we can do is make observations on the files, but we are not being allowed to do even this”, he added.

CPS (Revenue) Sukhpal Singh Nannu of the BJP says, “We feel that we have become a burden on the state exchequer,” adding that “The government might just as well take back our car keys if it is not going to give us any work”.

Nannu says as CPS he loses out in the Assembly also, as he is not allowed to ask any question. “Similarly because we have been given a ministerial status, I cannot go to a Secretary as per protocol. The Secretary won’t come to me. How do I take up issues concerning the people”? he asks.

CPS Raj Khurana, also of the BJP, says all parliamentary secretaries, either of the SAD or the BJP, face a similar situation.

CPS (Cooperation) Jagdeep Singh Nakai, who is under the Chief Minister, says some files come to him and some don’t. He, however, says the CM calls him to meetings and he is involved in department work.

The CM has apparently been unsuccessful in persuading his Cabinet colleagues to give any work to the parliamentary secretaries despite individual as well as collective appeals by CPSs. He has written various letters on this issue. The Chief Secretary also issued a letter to all ministers in November last under which the Rules of Business, 1992, were amended so that departments claiming they could not route files through parliamentary secretaries due to standing orders, do not have this excuse any longer. Even this did not have the desired effect.

However, one minister has shown that you don’t need any amendment to show files to your fellow colleague. PWD Minister Parminder Dhindsa routes all his files through his CPS Des Raj Dhugga, who says his minister tells him to go ahead and issue orders rather than make recommendations only.