Former deputy speaker Bir Devinder Singh on Thursday said recent appointments by the state government to accommodate Rajinder Gupta of Trident Group, Amrit Sagar Mittal of Sonalika Tractors Group and Sunil Gupta, a former director of the Canara Bank, do not commensurate with the financial health of Punjab.
In a statement here, he said the appointments also point out towards the bizarre culture of status consciousness, to enjoy privileges without power and entitlement of ‘cabinet rank’ without responsibility.
“The government has been very kind to bequeath the status of cabinet minister upon three corporate honchos, whom it had earlier appointed as vice-chairmen of the economic policy and planning board of Punjab,” said Devinder.
He said the “futile exercise” is also not in consonance with the spirit of the 91st Amendment of the Constitution, which places restriction on the size of council of ministers and the number of ministers should not exceed 15% of the strength of the Lok Sabha or the state assembly.
“If you grant the rank of cabinet minister to persons, who actually are not the minister, under the oath of the constitution, it certainly defeats the outlined objectives and circumvent the directive of the Constitution,” he said, adding that the state government must refrain from being too generous towards corporate honchos.