MLAs will be made legislative assistants: CM

CHANDIGARH: Chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday said the government will appoint MLAs as “legislative assistants” who will assist ministers on the official matters.

“The legislative assistants will be appointed by Vidhan Sabha speaker and they will assist ministers in routine functioning of the departments,” said Amarinder in a free-wheeling chat on Facebook live with an English daily.

In an official release, Amarinder made it clear that all party MLAs would be accommodated, either as ministers or legislative assistants or as chairmen of boards/corporations.

Amarinder defended his government’s move to install legislative assistants saying that with 42 departments, it was not possible for the ministers to handle the work alone. The legislative assistants will be provided an office in the Vidhan Sabha and they will not be part of administrative hierarchy of govt.

The CM said he will meet Congress president Rahul Gandhi soon and expected remaining posts to be filled in this round of cabinet expansion.

Leader of opposition in the Punjab assembly Sukhpal Singh Khaira alleged that the CM was going to appoint Congress MLAs as legislative assistants with independent portfolios and powers of ministers, “which is nothing but making mockery of the constitution provision that doesn’t allow more than 15% ministers of the strength of Vidhan Sabha”.

ILLEGAL, SAYS KHAIRA

Khaira said that the new “unconstitutional appointments” were being made on the similar lines of parliamentary secretaries which were quashed by the high court. “Now this is the new modus operandi of Amarinder to bypass and hoodwink the constitution and pacify agitating Congress MLAs at the cost of public exchequer,” he said.

NO DIFFERENCES WITH JAKHAR

On the reported incident relating to state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar leaving without meeting him two days back, the CM said the Gurdaspur MP was scheduled to meet him but an unscheduled meeting came up. “Though Jakhar was asked by CPS Suresh Kumar to go to the room where the meeting was being held, he decided not to wait but leave, as he might have had some other work, said the CM.

CAPT SAYS WITH 42 DEPARTMENTS, IT WAS NOT POSSIBLE FOR MINISTERS TO HANDLE WORK ALONE