Oppn looks to corner AAP govt after Kejriwal meets Punjab officials

The Delhi chief minister had met the chief secretary and senior officials of power department and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited in the national capital on Monday to discuss promises made in the run up to the state elections.

The political row over Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal meeting Punjab officials in the absence of chief minister Bhagwant Mann escalated on Wednesday, with the Opposition accusing Kejriwal of interfering in state’s internal matters.

Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal (ANI)

The Delhi chief minister had met the chief secretary and senior officials of power department and Punjab State Power Corporation Limited in the national capital on Monday to discuss promises, including 300 units of free electricity, made in the run up to the state elections. Mann also met Kejriwal a day later.

The meetings evoked sharp response from the opposition Congress, Shiromani Akali Dal and the BJP, which accused the AAP chief of ruling the state via “remote control”.

“First @ArvindKejriwal summoned PB officials to Delhi without @BhagwantMann and yesterday he summoned CM PB again, this abject surrender confirms PB will be run from Delhi! Can’t @BhagwantMann decide & announce 300 units promise on his own? Is there any rocket science involved?(sic)” Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira posted on Twitter on Wednesday.

Punjab finance minister Harpal Singh Cheema, however, hit back at those targeting the state government, stating that the opposition parties have been rattled by the people-friendly decisions of the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government. “Their statements tell their frustration. The good governance model of the Delhi government led by Arvind Kejriwal Ji in health, education and other sectors has been widely acknowledged. We will keep taking their suggestions from time to time. If we have to go to some other state also, we will. We have to take Punjab forward,” he said.