No problem in welcoming Canadian PM: Amarinder

CLEARS AIR Chief minister also says cabinet expansion will be made before budget session of assembly; asserts Suresh Kumar to be brought back as his chief principal secretary

CHANDIGARH: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Saturday made it clear that he would welcome Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau “if he comes to Punjab”.

Trudeau is coming on a visit to India in February and is scheduled to visit the Golden Temple in Amritsar.

“Trudeau is a great leader and enjoys a lot of respect. I don’t have any problem with him. Though we have not received any official communication about his visit from government of India, if he comes to Punjab I would welcome him,” said Amarinder while talking to a select group of mediapersons at his official residence here.

However, the CM reiterated his earlier stand that he won’t welcome people like Canada’s defence minister Harjit Singh Sajjan “who are backing prokhalistani agenda” in Canada and Punjab. “I won’t meet people like Sajjan who are supporting the elements who want to destroy the hard-earned peace in Punjab. But there are good MPS of Indian origin in Canada too. I don’t have any problem in meeting them,” he added.

ON CABINET EXPANSION

He said he will expand his cabinet before the budget session of the state assembly, likely to begin in the second week of March. “I think the time has come when I should have a fullfledged council of ministers.

Even I can’t be handling the charge of around 40 different departments for long. The cabinet expansion would be done before the budget session so that my new ministers take full command in the session,” he said.

He did not rule out reshuffling of the departments of present ministers. “Reshuffling is likely when I have to distribute most of the charges among the new and old ministers.”

ON SURESH KUMAR

The CM said retired IAS officer Suresh Kumar, whose appointment as his chief principal secretary was quashed by the Punjab and Haryana high court will be back on his earlier post.

“Why on some other post or adviser? He will be made my chief principal secretary. As long as I am the chief minister, Suresh will be part of the government. We are taking legal recourse and are going to challenge the decision of the high court before a double bench,” he said in reply to a question.

‘NO ISSUES WITH SIDHU’ Ruling out any differences with local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has publicly expressed his displeasure over not being consulted on selection of Amritsar’s mayor, Amarinder said Sidhu was not supposed to be consulted on the issue.

“Selection of mayor is the prerogative of the party. A committee comprising PPCC chief, state affairs in-charge Asha Kumari, me and general secretaries selected the mayor. It was not a government matter but was a party affair,” he said and added that he had no issues with Sidhu, who came to his residence for lunch on Saturday afternoon.