Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MlA and the leader of Opposition in Punjab Vidhan Sabha Sukhpal Khaira on Monday alleged that Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh is a “Chief Minister in absentia”, mostly holidaying with his foreign friends while Punjab is battling with burning issues like poisonous waters, rampant corruption, unstoppable menace of drugs, rising unemployment, unending suicides by farmers, broken down law and order etc.
Khaira accused Capt Amarinder of running Punjab like a princely state, throwing to winds the constitution and norms of democracy.
“Instead of tackling the critical issues on a day-to-day basis, Capt Amarinder relies upon a small coterie of nominated politicians and his blue-eyed officers (read babus),” said Khaira adding that the latest example of Capt Amarinder’s “complete ignorance” can be gauged from his callous and casual approach towards widespread pollution in rivers, further aggravating terminal diseases like cancer, hepatitis etc in Punjab.
“While Punjab is on the boil after the poisonous spill by Chadha distillery in river Beas recently, causing deaths of lakhs of aquatic animals including fish, Capt Amarinder termed the issue as mere nonsense. I was stunned to hear CM’s reaction on electronic media couple of days back, when mediapersons asked him about pollution in rivers, the CM had the audacity to call the matter of poisonous waters nothing but nonsense,” he said.
“CM is misusing the brute mandate of the people and the Cabinet to flay the Constitution and set wrong precedents, to benefit individuals belonging to his party rather than watching public interest,” he alleged while outlining two “erroneous” cabinet decisions — giving “undue” benefits to individuals at the cost of public exchequer.
He said: “The waiving of Rs 84 lakh penalty of Rajinder Kaur Bhattal for her unauthorized stay in a government bungalow can never be justified. Besides, the appointment of Beant Singh’s grandson as direct DSP Punjab Police will never stand the scrutiny of law.”