|
|
|
|
|
PGI satellite centre: Ignored, Badal writes to PM Chandigarh, October 9 In a strongly worded letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Badal today expressed “surprise, dismay and displeasure” over the lack of decorum and courtesy involved in the Centre’s decision. He urged the PM to “impress upon his colleagues not to allow politics to take precedence over issues of development and governmental duties or to override basic governmental courtesies”. No one in the state government had been informed by the Union Ministry of Health about the programme, he said. The proposal for setting up this satellite centre of the PGI was personally initiated by him (Badal) in October 2012. The state government had identified a suitable piece of land for it in Sangrur. Later, he, along with the Union Health Secretary, the Director, PGIMER, and some state government officials, had also visited the site, Badal said. He said he had personally urged the Union Health Ministry to accord approval to the project and it was finally okayed because of continuous efforts and persistent follow-up by the state government. Expressing surprise over the move by the Union Government, Badal raised issue of the spirit of “cooperative federalism” in the working together of the Union and the state governments for the development and prosperity of the states and the country as a whole. This spirit, he said, had been dealt a severe blow by this needless act of cheap political gimmickry.“The Centre and the states must work hand in hand to speed up overall development. As a matter of fact, we have always rolled out a red carpet for honourable members of the Union Government and other constitutional dignitaries from the Centre,” he said. Badal said he was personally satisfied and happy that the foundation stone of the centre would be laid in Sangrur, but “ignoring the state government completely was intolerable as it involved not just issues of protocol, but also of political impropriety”. He said this smacked of low-level political gimmickry, something that did not behove the government of a democratic country like India. “This is not how mature governments and political parties function in a responsible democracy,” he said. At a function in Hoshiarpur, Badal said recently he presided over a function at Gurdaspur and had extended a personal invitation to the Congress’ Rajya Sabha Member and former Union Minister Ashwani Kumar to attend that function. The row
CM’s contention
Invite was sent, say pgi authorities
The PGI authorities have clarified that they had invited Badal to the function. A PGI spokesperson said: “We have invited the CM.” Congress MP Vijay Inder Singla said it was PGI’s prerogative to send invitations for the foundation stone-laying ceremony.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
| HOME PAGE | |
Punjab | Haryana | Jammu & Kashmir |
Himachal Pradesh | Regional Briefs |
Nation | Opinions | | Business | Sports | World | Letters | Chandigarh | Ludhiana | Delhi | | Calendar | Weather | Archive | Subscribe | Suggestion | E-mail | |
