With PC help, CM throws weight behind key aide

CHANDIGARH: By roping in former Union Finance Minister and senior advocate P Chidambaram to argue in the case of his confidant Suresh Kumar, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has underlined the retired IAS officer’s importance in the scheme of things for him in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has categorically stated that till he is at the helm of affairs, Suresh Kumar would remain part of his core team

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 14

By roping in former Union Finance Minister and senior advocate P Chidambaram to argue in the case of his confidant Suresh Kumar, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh has underlined the retired IAS officer’s importance in the scheme of things for him in the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO).

Not only did the Chief Minister twice visited the Sector 16 residence of Suresh Kumar after a single Bench of the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed his appointment as Chief Principal Secretary, but also categorically stated that till he was the Chief Minister, Suresh Kumar would remain part of his core team.

It is learnt that for the past few days talks were on at the top level in the government to rope in Chidambaram to argue the case. He was flown in a state government helicopter from Delhi to Chandigarh last evening. Recently, the Advocate General (AG) called upon Chidambaram in Delhi to brief him on the case.

Even after staying of operation of the order quashing Suresh Kumar’s appointment as Chief Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister by a division Bench of the High Court, speculations were rife that he was reluctant to join back with his detractors still around in the Chief Minister’s Office.

However, highly placed sources in the government said Suresh Kumar’s reluctance on joining back would be history now as the Chief Minister had stood by his commitment to bring him back. In the close-door meetings between Capt Amarinder Singh and Suresh Kumar twice in the last few days, the latter is learnt to have reached certain clarity with the former.

The sources said Suresh Kumar’s comeback could see redefining of the protocol within the CMO with an eye on pushing back his detractors. He had conveyed that his detractors should not interfere in the roles assigned to him.

As the High Court’s stay was a partial relief and the sword of the final decision in the case is still hanging, Suresh Kumar’s detractors are still hoping to use this aspect to their advantage by pushing for his replacement.

Ever since the Chief Minister made his intentions clear to strongly defend the case, Suresh Kumar’s detractors have been working overtime to ensure that he remains out of the CMO. Those gunning for Suresh Kumar had intensified efforts to appoint a new CPS to CM even as the state had started the groundwork to challenge the single Bench judgment of the High Court.