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Mann defends Punjab officials’ meeting with Kejriwal
JALANDHAR: Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday dismissed opposition parties’ allegations of being “remote-controlled”, after Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) national convener Arvind Kejriwal held a meeting of Punjab officials in Delhi in his absence.
Mann said it was his decision to send the officials to the national capital “for training purposes”.
On April 11, Kejriwal met top officials of the Punjab State Power Corporation Limited (PSPCL). A day later, Mann called on Kejriwal in Delhi to discuss the AAP’s pre-poll promise of providing 300 units of free electricity as demand peaks. The meetings evoked sharp responses from the Opposition, which accused the AAP chief of ruling the state via “remote control” and called Mann a “rubber stamp”.
Speaking to reporters at an event in Jalandhar, Mann asserted that the training was for the “betterment of Punjab”.
“I had sent the officials earlier as well. They went to Gujarat and Tamil Naidu also for training. If there is a need to send them to Israel for training for the betterment of Punjab, I will do so.”
On the opposition’s charge of him being sidelined, the Punjab CM said: “Where and who is the opposition in Punjab? They had won by only 200-300 votes and there are only 17-18 MLAs. They should not criticise for the sake of criticising. People will give them a befitting reply. I will send my officials to Delhi, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Naidu in the coming days.”
The chief minister said that the AAP government will make an announcement related to the power sector on April 16 for the people of Punjab.
Asked whether the AAP government will reinvestigate the role of former Congress minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot in the post-matric fraud case, Mann said: “You will see Dharamsot approaching the high court or sessions court for VIP facilities in jail.”
Soon after Mann’s statement, Punjab Congress MLA Sukhpal
Singh Khaira tweeted, “This is not only a belated afterthought cover-up by @BhagwantMann but definitely on instructions from @ArvindKejriwal who felt the opposition heat for summoning Pb officers directly to Delhi. All we want is that our CM shouldn’t be a dummy and remote-controlled.”
In a second tweet, Khaira said: “And this story by @BhagwantMann that these officers were sent to @ArvindKejriwal for training is another cock & bull story and a cheap cover-up attempt! Which rocket science training does Kejriwal give in a couple of hours of meeting? It’s better to tell the truth that they were summoned.”