Congress raises questions over Kejriwal’s meet with top Punjab officials in CM Mann’s absence

Punjab Congress president Raja Warring said Kejriwal, Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha and Delhi minister Satyender Jain met Punjab chief secretary Anirudh Tewari, power secretary Dalip Kumar and PSPCL chairman Baldev Singh Sran in Bhagwant Mann’s abence

The opposition Congress on Tuesday raised questions over the “official meeting” held by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener and Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal with top officials of Punjab in the absence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann.

Delhi chief minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal with Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann in the run-up to the assembly elections. Mann is in Delhi to discuss the modalities to fulfil the poll promise of providing 300 units of free electricity to consumers. (HT file photo)

Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that Kejriwal, Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha and Delhi minister Satyender Jain held an official meeting with Punjab’s chief secretary Anirudh Tewari, power secretary Dalip Kumar and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL) chairman Baldev Singh Sran in the absence Mann and state power minister Harbhajan Singh.

“Will Punjab be puppeteered by Delhi people, in what capacity and on which issue was this meeting held? CM Sahib make it public..sar to jhuka diya he tha ab matha bhi tek diya hai kya,” Warring tweeted.

Warring also asked if senior officers of Punjab will have to mark their attendance in Kejriwal’s darbar. “Is Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann the head only in name?” he posted.

The state Congress president’s attack came just hours before Mann was scheduled to meet Kejriwal in Delhi to discuss the modalities to fulfil the poll promise of providing 300 units of free electricity to consumers in Punjab.

Punjab cabinet minister Laljit Singh Bhullar, however, did not see anything wrong with the state officials’ meeting with the party chief. “He (Kejriwal) is the national convener of the AAP and can hold a meeting. There is nothing wrong or condemnable about it,” he told a TV channel. Congress Legislature Party leader Partap Singh Bajwa also asked Mann to inform if the Delhi CM and ministers have indeed been meeting the state’s officers in the absence of the CM and Punjab ministers. “If so, this is a terrible violation of our rights as a state. The people of Pb did not vote for Govt to be remote controlled from Delhi (sic),” he wrote, retweeting the PPCC chief’s post.

Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira also termed the meeting as “gross interference” in Punjab’s domain by outsiders “which is totally unacceptable”. “@BhagwantMann must clarify his position and reprimand officers bypassing his and his minister’s authority,” he tweeted.

Former Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu also tweeted, “Punjab’s IAS officers summoned @ArvindKejriwal in CM @BhagwantMann’s absence. This exposes the Defacto CM and Delhi remote control. Clear breach of federalism, insult to Punjab pride. Both must clarify.”