Punjab ministers Sarkaria, Randhawa threaten to boycott meeting, CM’s aide Suresh Kumar stays away

Sarkaria and Randhawa were part of one of the two groups of ministers called for discussion on the recommendations of the 6th Punjab Pay Commission that are to be placed before the state cabinet on Friday. The duo expressed reservations about the presence of the chief minister’s top aide in the meeting.

Amid their ongoing standoff with chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, cabinet ministers Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria and Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa threatened to boycott a pre-cabinet meeting held on Thursday to keep his (CM’s) chief principal secretary Suresh Kumar out.

Suresh Kumar, who has been the top aide of Amarinder in the past four-and-a-half years and enjoys his confidence, had along with the chief secretary, arranged for discussion with the ministers on the pay commission recommendations. (HT photo)

Sarkaria and Randhawa were part of one of the two groups of ministers called for discussion on the recommendations of the 6th Punjab Pay Commission that are to be placed before the state cabinet on Friday. The duo expressed reservations about the presence of the chief minister’s top aide in the meeting.

“Sarkaria told an officer of the chief minister’s office (CMO) that he would not participate in the meeting in case Kumar is attending it. When the CPSCM learnt about the minister’s stand, he decided to keep away from the meeting,” according to two persons aware of the developments. Both Randhawa and Sarkaria have been critical of the chief minister lately, particularly his handling of the 2015 Kotkapura police firing case and over-reliance on bureaucrats.

Sarkaria and Randhawa were in the first group of cabinet ministers that also included Brahm Mohindra, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Charanjit Singh Channi, Razia Sultana and Gurpreet Singh Kangar. The remaining ministers were in the second group and four of them, including Manpreet Singh Badal and Bharat Bhushan Ashu, asked Kumar to join the meeting, but he did not, according to sources. Barring Razia Sultana who was away, all other ministers attended the discussions.

Thursday’s developments are being seen in political and bureaucratic circles as part of the ongoing rift in the ruling party and an embarrassment for the chief minister. Kumar, who has been the top aide of Amarinder in the past four-and-a-half years and enjoys his confidence, had along with the chief secretary, arranged for discussion with the ministers on the pay commission recommendations.

The pay panel has recommended a two-fold increase in salaries of all employees over the previous pay panel, with increase in minimum pay from ₹6,950 to ₹18,000 per month, with retrospective effect from January 1, 2016. The overall financial implication, including the arrears for the previous five years, of the salary revision has been pegged at a whopping ₹35,000 crore. “Once approved by the council of ministers, the revised pay scales will be implemented from July 1,” he said. It is not clear whether Kumar would attend the cabinet meeting on Friday or not.