Delhi poll effect: Punjab Sectt wears a deserted look

Varinder Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 30

The Delhi Assembly elections have started casting a shadow on the Punjab Civil Secretariat. Most ministers remain absent from the Secretariat here as they have been “deputed” by their party high command for the Delhi elections.

The entire Punjab Bhawan in New Delhi has been reportedly booked for the Chief Minister and Punjab ministers till February 5. Punjab Bhawan’s A block has 24 rooms while the B block has more than 70 rooms.

The Secretariat here has been wearing a deserted look for the past few days as almost all Punjab ministers have preferred to stay in Delhi to extend support to the BJP-SAD candidates and BJP’s chief ministerial candidate Kiran Bedi.

SAD spokesman and the Punjab Education Minister Daljit Singh Cheema, however, claimed the ministers were regularly clearing their files. “Mostly, they go to New Delhi early in the morning and return to Chandigarh in the evening,” Cheema said.

It seems BJP ministers and Chief Parliamentary Secretaries prefer to “stay put in the field” rather than coming to the secretariat. Hardly any of them, except for Local Bodies’ Minister Anil Joshi and Health Minister Surjit Kumar Jyani, has been regularly visiting the Punjab Civil Secretariat ever since the Haryana Assembly elections. Senior BJP leader and Punjab Industries’ Minister Madan Mohan Mittal was seen more at Udyog Bhawan in Sector 17 than at the Secretariat.

The BJP high command, according to the Health Minister, has not put any state minister on poll duty in Delhi as the party wanted to focus more on the forthcoming local bodies elections here. “They have told us to work in Punjab and not come to Delhi,” said Jyani. He, however, refused to comment on his colleagues’ absence from the Secretariat.

The situation was expected to remain the same at the Secretariat for some more time.

Except for Food and Civil Supplies’ Minister Adesh Partap Singh Kairon and Agriculture Minister Tota Singh, no minister was present at the Secretariat yesterday.

Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal was away to Dhuri. Deputy Chief Minister Sukhbir Singh has been shuttling between Delhi and Chandigarh to supervise party’s affairs for the Delhi elections.

The Chief Minister has directed his cabinet colleagues and the Chief Parliamentary Secretaries to remain present at the Secretariat at least for first three days of the week.