Punjab CM plays down Guv’s meeting with officers, Akali Dal terms it against spirit of federalism

Ruchika M Khanna

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 14

The Aam Aadmi Party government in the state is on guard after a 45-minute meeting convened by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria yesterday. The move has not just created ripples in the civil administration, but also made the ruling party sit up and take note.

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann today said, “Let him meet officers. He needed an introduction with them. After all, he has to write letters to them tomorrow, let him meet them. But it is wrong to say that this is akin to running a parallel government.”

Officials in the state government said they were yet to start collating the information sought by the Governor. He had sought details of ex-servicemen living in border districts of the state and a list of state-run universities that did not have regular vice-chancellors.

Governor Kataria had told the Administrative Secretaries last evening that he would meet them again soon.

A couple of years ago, when the then Governor summoned the then Chief Secretary and the DGP of the state over the alleged deteriorating law and order situation, then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had taken a strong exception to that. He said the Governor should not have fallen to the “antics of the BJP” and that he “should have asked him directly”.

While Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann refrained from saying much on the issue, Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal said holding of parallel meetings by the Governor was against the spirit of federalism, as enshrined in the Constitution. Akali Dal spokesperson Dr Daljit Cheema said such things could affect Centre-state relations. He also “advised Bhagwant Mann to set his house in order to avoid Centre’s interference in state affairs”.