Ever since AAP leader Bhagwant Mann became the chief minister of Punjab, opposition parties have been alleging that the government is remote controlled by Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal. Now, the Congress party has alleged that appointment letters in Punjab are being signed by the AAP supremo.
Congress leader Sukhjinder Randhawa made the allegations by sharing a Facebook post by AAP worker Ankit Saxena, who had posted an appointment letter with Arvind Kejriwal’s signature. On September 2 morning, Ankit Saxena, who is a social media manager with AAP, posted a notice showing the appointment of chairmen of nine boards/corporations in Punjab, and the notice was signed by Arvind Kejriwal.
The notice announced the appointments of new heads of Punjab State Farmer Commission, Markfed, Pungrain, Punjab Agri Export Corporation Itd., Punjab Youth Development Board, Punjab Agro Food Grain Corporation Ltd., Punjab Agro Industry Corporation, Punjab Small Scale Industries Corporataion, and Forest Development Corporation.
The notice was printed on Aam Aadmi Party letterhead and signed by party chief Arvind Kejriwal, implying that the appointments have been announced by the Delhi CM, instead of the elected CM of Punjab. Sharing the notice, Ankit Saxena wrote in his Facebook post, “Many many congratulations with the hope of carrying out the new responsibilities with integrity … Best wishes..”
Sharing the Facebook post during an interaction with media, Randhawa questioned, “What more proof is needed that the Punjab government is being run from Delhi?”. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said that the worry of people of Punjab that the state govt was being run from Delhi has started to prove true.
“A social media manager with the AAP is sharing the letter signed by Kejriwal; unless the AAP says the signature is fake,” Warring said. Another Congress leader Partap Bajwa said that the appointment of chairpersons by Delhi CM, Punjab liquor policy copied from Delhi or other policy decisions have proven that Delhi is controlling the Punjab government.
While Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal is signing notices for appointment of chairmen in Punjab, last week the Delhi Lieutenant Governor had returned 47 files because they were not signed by the CM. The LG had said that the files were signed by the staff of the chief minister’s office instead of the chief minister himself, and therefore they were returned to the CMO.
According to officials, all files sent to the L-G through the CMO have to be duly signed by the CM as these files are related to important and sensitive matters.
On August 22, LG Vinai Kumar Saxena had written to the CM to sign all files personally before sending it to him for consideration and approval. But even after that letter, the CM and CMO continued to send files to the LG without the signature of the CM, after which the LG’s office returned 47 files.