Centre accepts IAS officer and BJP’s Bathinda candidate Parampal Kaur Sidhu’s resignation, asks Punjab for an NOC

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, May 11

Days after the Punjab government refused to approve the Voluntary Retirement request of IAS officer and BJP’s Bathinda candidate, Parampal Kaur Sidhu, she has sent her resignation to the Department of Personnel and Training, Government of India.

Her resignation has reportedly been okayed by the Centre, which in turn has sought the comments of the state government and a No Objection Certificate, through a letter sent to the state government on Friday night.

Highly placed sources in the government have confirmed to The Tribune that the state government had initiated the process of granting the NOC. The resignation now has to be approved by the DoPT.

This clears the way for the 2011 batch IAS officer and daughter-in-law of Akali Dal leader Sikandar Singh Maluka to contest the Lok Sabha election, scheduled for June 1.

Talking to The Tribune, Parampal Kaur Sidhu said it was sad at how she had been given a rough time by the incumbent AAP government, just to thwart her chances in the election arena.

“I am told that by submitting my resignation, I will stand to lose retirement benefits. Earlier governments did not show such vindictiveness towards officers who chose to throw their hats in the political ring, opting to contest elections from the Opposition parties. Voluntary retirement was given to Kunwar Vijay Pratap by the Congress government, though he contested on an AAP ticket. Earlier, Akali-BJP government allowed VRS to Kuldeep Singh Vaid, who contested from a Congress ticket. But since I want to serve the people of Bathinda, I have decided to let go of my life’s savings by submitting my resignation and not go in for VRS,” she said.

Parampal Kaur Sidhu had sought VRS from the state government on April 1. When she did not hear from the government, she applied for the VRS to the DoPT on April 7, which in turn approved it on April 10. As she joined the BJP on April 11, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann warned her that her VRS application was not accepted by the state government, and that she would lose her retirement benefits. This was rebutted by the Centre, which claimed it used its residuary powers to approve the VRS. Sidhu was declared as the BJP candidate from Bathinda on April 16, where she is pitted against incumbent MP Haraimrat Kaur Badal, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu.

As she continued with her campaigning, the AAP government threw a spanner on May 7, asking her to resume duties immediately as her VRS had not been accepted. She, however, dug in her heels. On May 9, she sent her resignation to DoPT, which sought the NOC from Punjab government on Friday night.