Bureaucrats calling the shots, won’t bow before them: Soni

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 9

Cabinet minister OP Soni, who was recently divested of Education Department, today expressed his “displeasure” over the matter. Soni now holds the charge of Medical Education and Food Processing Industry.

Though he did not say anything openly, he lashed out at the state bureaucracy. He claimed that under his guidance, the Education Department (government schools) showed immense improvement. He said till recently, there was 5 per cent dropout rate in government schools and private schools were preferred. But after he took over as Education Minister, the results were above 85 per cent in government schools, which was a great achievement, he claimed.

Soni was in the city to inaugurate an exhibition on education, being organised at Government College for Girls here.

Answering media queries, he said in Punjab, bureaucracy was dominating. He was asked if bureaucrats were more powerful than ministers in the state. Soni said the Captain Amarinder Singh government was doing good for the state. At the same time, bureaucrats were more powerful, but he would not succumb to any kind of pressure, he said.

“I am a hard-working person. I will not bow to the pressure tactics of the bureaucrats,” he said. Targeting Chief Secretary Suresh Kumar, he said, “I never bow before him or seek favours from the bureaucracy. I do my work diligently and won’t let anyone dominate me.”

On the recent Cabinet reshuffle, he said it was the prerogative of Capt Amarinder. “Whatever has been done, is for the betterment. The new portfolios given to me are good and I will work hard to bring improvement,” he said.

When asked about Navjot Singh Sidhu, Soni said Sidhu was like big brother to him and he would not like to make any comment on him.