Punjab govt appoints Raghav Chadha as advisory panel chief, draws Oppn flak

The Punjab government on Monday appointed Aam Aadmi Party MP Raghav Chadha as the chairman of a temporary advisory panel, a move that drew sharp criticism from the opposition parties

The Punjab government on Monday appointed Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MP Raghav Chadha as the chairman of a temporary advisory panel, a move that drew sharp criticism from the opposition parties.

After his appointment, Raghav Chadha met Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann to seek his blessings. (HT Photo)

A spokesperson of the chief minister’s office said CM Bhagwant Mann has cleared the file regarding Chadha’s appointment.

Rajya Sabha member Chadha, who is a chartered accountant by profession, is expected to play an essential role in financial planning and making Punjab a debt-free state, said the spokesperson.

The AAP-led government had notified the panel a few days ago to much scepticism of the opposition parties, which questioned its legality. The temporary committee headed by a chairman and run through members will not be entitled to any compensation, remuneration, or perks, according to the notification.

After his appointment, Chadha met Mann and touched his feet to seek the CM’s blessings. “Mann Sahib has honoured me with an opportunity to do ‘Sewa’ of the people of Punjab. I sought his blessings as I begin my new role. Will give my blood, sweat, tears and toil to make my elder brother and CM@Bhagwant Mann proud,” he tweeted with a short video clip.

Sharp reactions from Oppn

Calling the decision “absolutely uncalled for”, Leader of Opposition in the Punjab assembly Partap Singh Bajwa also criticised the move. “Like Sir Henry Lawrence foisted as the British Resident in Punjab in 1846 to control the Sikh Empire for an outsider, Raghav Chadha today has been appointed as the representative of the @AAPDelhi Durbaar in Punjab,” Bajwa said in a tweet. “This move is nothing more than circumventing the peoples will and choice in Punjab and making the State a colonial outpost of @ArvindKejriwal ji. Absolutely uncalled for!” he said.

Punjab Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said appointing Chadha as chairman of the advisory panel is tantamount to making him the chief minister of Punjab. “Punjabis did not vote for this change. It seems @BhagwantMann ji has handed over the Punjab government on contract,” Warring said in a tweet.

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) also took a dig at the AAP-led government. “With @bhagwantMann sent on 5 years “forced” marriage leave, all powers go to Delhi boy Raghav Chadha. Pbis elected AAP, hoping badlav in the system. They didn’t know badlav meant controlling Pb from Delhi. Any way congratulations to the new CM Pb @raghav_chadha for this major badlav!(SIC),” the party tweeted.

The Amarinder Singh-led Punjab Lok Congress said, “Today Bhagwant Mann has reaffirmed his rubberstamp status by appointing @raghav_chadha as the chairman of the advisory committee and making him the De facto CM.”

The Bharatiya Janata Party demanded immediate withdrawal of the decision, saying it will not be tolerated by the people of Punjab as it amounted to surrendering the state’s authority to Delhi bosses. Punjab BJP state general secretary Subhash Sharma, in a statement, said, “Earlier Chadha used to operate through backdoors, now he will dictate his authority openly,” adding that it was the first step towards making Chadha the “full-fledged CM of Punjab”.

‘Firmly connected to his roots’

The CMO spokesperson, meanwhile, said as an alumnus of top educational institutes like Modern School, Barakhamba, and London School of Economics, Chadha has a distinction of working with some of the biggest corporate firms of the world. “The young political leader had earlier served as financial adviser to Delhi finance minister Manish Sisodia. Though he drew a nominal salary of only ₹1 from Delhi government, he is credited with plugging the pilferage of the revenue and cutting down corruption,” he said.

Chadha, who originally hails from Jalandhar and has lived in Delhi since his parents moved there few decades ago in search of work, has “remained firmly connected with his roots and acted as a catalyst in revamping Delhi’s Punjabi Academy thereby promoting the Punjabi language and culture in the national capital,” the spokesperson added.

(with agency inputs)