Stop Kejriwal From Calling Punjab Officials For Meetings, Akali Dal Urges Governor

The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Saturday appealed to Punjab Governor Gulab Chand Kataria to stop former Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from taking meetings of government officials along with state Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann in violation of constitutional norms

In a statement here, senior leader Bikram Singh Majithia claimed while the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab was earlier run from Delhi via remote control, now Kejriwal had directly taken on the mantle of the de-facto Chief Minister and was summoning Chief Minister Mann and senior civil and police machinery to Delhi at his beck and call.

Urging the Governor to intervene in the matter, he said: "Such acts are also a violation of the official oath of secrecy by the Chief Minister."

Giving details, Majithia said Kejriwal had held three meetings recently with the Punjab Chief Minister, senior officials and AAP legislators at Kapurthala House in Delhi. He said on October 28, Kejriwal summoned the Chief Minister as well as the state DGP, the Police Commissioners of Jalandhar, Amritsar and Ludhiana as well as AAP legislators from three cities.

The Akali Dal leader claimed that similarly on October 29, Kejriwal held two meetings at Kapurthala House in Delhi. He said in the first meet in the morning Kejriwal held a meeting with the Chief Minister, the state DGP as well as the Deputy Commissioners and the Senior Superintendents of Police of Kapurthala, Fazilka, and Bathinda and AAP legislators from these constituencies. He said in the second shift on the same day Kejriwal held a meeting with the DC and the SSP of Mohali as well as the Chief Minister and the state DGP.

Majithia, while urging the Governor to take strict action in the matter, also appealed to him to forbid the state government officials from attending any meetings called by Kejriwal in Delhi. --IANS