Five ministers question CM over Punjab govt jobs to MLAs’ sons

Chandigarh, June 18

Amid the ongoing crisis in the Punjab Congress, five Cabinet ministers — Sukhjinder Randhawa, Sukhbinder Sarkaria, Charanjit Channi, Tript Rajinder Bajwa and Razia Sultana — today had a showdown with CM Capt Amarinder Singh at the Cabinet meeting over the issue of giving government jobs to the sons of party MLAs.

Want FIR on death in terror attack tabled

• The ministers opposed the appointment of Fateh Jung Bajwa’s son Arjun Partap Bajwa as an Inspector
• They demanded tabling of the FIR regarding the killing of MLA Bajwa’s father in a terrorist attack in 1987
• They said the beneficiary did not fit into the criteria of being offered job on compassionate grounds

Barring Sultana, the four ministers have been questioning the CM on unfulfilled poll promises. The case pertains to the appointment of sons of legislators Fateh Jung Bajwa and Rakesh Pandey as Inspector and Naib Tehsildar, respectively, on compassionate grounds by tweaking rules.

Fateh Bajwa, younger brother of Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa, yesterday spoke in favour of the CM. In political circles, the appointments are being seen as a move by the CM’s camp to woo the MLAs. Overruling the objections, the CM got the appointments passed and said anyone against it could move the court. Justifying the move, the CM is learnt to have further pointed out that jobs had been offered to deserving sportsmen and ex-servicemen too.

Flagging the Congress poll manifesto of shunning VIP culture, the ministers vehemently opposed the appointment of Bajwa’s son Arjun Partap Bajwa. They demanded tabling of the FIR regarding the killing of MLA Bajwa’s father in a terrorist attack in 1987 and consent from other family members, besides pointing out that the beneficiary did not fit into the criteria of being offered job on compassionate grounds.

It is learnt that Sukhjinder Randhawa and Tript Bajwa pointed out that appointing son of an affluent MLA was setting a wrong precedent when there were more deserving persons, including genuinely poor families of former party MLAs and the kin of party workers who had been killed by terrorists.

Sultana pointed out that her family deserved the same as her husband, former DGP Mohammed Mustafa, had served during terrorism days.

The standoff between the dissident ministers and the CM today happened a day after ministers Sukhbinder Sarkaria and Sukhjinder Randhawa ensured the absence of Chief Principal Secretary to CM Suresh Kumar from yesterday’s pre-Cabinet meeting. Kumar was absent in today’s meeting also. — TNS