A day after Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Banwarilal Purohit’s explosive reply to Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann’s letter over the issue of premature repatriation of Punjab cadre IPS officer Kuldeep Singh Chahal from UT Administration, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader on Thursday played down any differences with the former saying that “all was well” between the two.
Maintaining that there’s “no clash with the Governor”, Mann tried to brush it aside as routine by claiming, “Our relations with the Punjab Governor are good”.
“Kayi bari iss tarah da eh chhota-mota chalda rehnda…hun theek ho gaya (sometimes such small things keep happening, but things are fine now)…We have sent a panel and a Punjab-cadre IPS officer will soon be appointed as Chandigarh SSP,” said Mann while interacting with the media at Lachowal toll plaza on Hoshiarpur-Tanda road.
He maintained that a panel of names of three Punjab cadre IPS officers has been submitted to the Governor, and “a Punjab-cadre officer will soon be appointed as Chandigarh SSP”. The state government panel included the name of Mohali SSP Dr Sandeep Garg, Assistant Inspector General (Personnel, Law and Order) Akhil Chaudhry, and Hoshiarpur SSP Bhagirath Singh Meena.
Going into background of the matter, Chahal, posted as Senior Superintendent of Police UT-Chandigarh, was repatriated to Punjab, his parent cadre, on Monday even though 10 months were left in the completion of his three-year tenure. The Administration handed over the charge to Chandigarh SSP (Traffic) Manisha Chaudhary, a Haryana-cadre IPS officer.
Mann immediately wrote to Purohit terming the Governor’s move “unwanted and undesirable”. In the letter, Mann said that Chahal had been repatriated prematurely and without the Chandigarh Administration seeking a panel of names of three Punjab IPS officers to choose as a replacement, and the post, meant to be filled by Punjab cadre IPS officer, has been given to Haryana-cadre IPS officer.
Lashing out at Mann, the Governor, in a strongly worded reply, said that he was unnecessarily raising the “issue of Punjab versus Haryana”, and it’s not applicable in this case.
Strongly countering Mann’s objections, Purohit had said that all procedures had been followed before he relieved Chahal from his post, and Punjab Chief Secretary was informed in the last week of November that the 2009-batch officer would be removed.
He pointed out that Mann could not be contacted because he was busy campaigning in Gujarat.
“Had care been taken (to ascertain facts) then such a letter could not have been written at (all), in the first place and it must be noted,” Purohit had told Mann.