Punjab: New CM Channi summoned to Delhi thrice in 4 days, excessive command desires tight management over state politics

With the fallout with Captain Amarinder Singh recent in thoughts, the Congress excessive command doesn’t appear inclined to delegate powers to its Punjab unit. Within 4 days after being elected as the brand new Punjab Chief minister, Charanjit Singh Channi was summoned to Delhi two occasions to hash out a “consensus” cabinet, demonstrating get together management’s resolve to maintain the reins of the state authorities in its personal fingers and never permit native management to take management, a report printed in News 18 mentioned.
On Friday, 24 September, Channi was summoned once more to Delhi, to debate cabinet expansions, as per reviews.
From administrative shuffle to the appointment of bureaucrats to the number of ministers within the new Punjab Cabinet, Gandhis will reportedly have a say in all choices in regards to the state. The choice to take absolute management in Punjab state stems from the unhealthy optics the get together attracted within the wake of the unceremonious removing of Captain Amarinder Singh from the publish of the chief minister.
“Besides deciding who all will be the part of the cabinet, the appointment of the bureaucrats assisting the government will now be taken by the high command, more specifically, the Gandhis,” mentioned a senior get together chief quoted by the News 18 report.
As per sources quoted within the report, the Gandhis are even protecting the Pradesh Congress Committee Navjot Singh Sidhu ‘under check’. Earlier this week, whereas coming back from Shimla, the Gandhis took together with them former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jhakhar to Delhi to seek the advice of him on the Punjab cabinet formation, indicating that they might additionally embrace those that aren’t firmly embedded within the Sidhu camp.
The get together is mulling over appointing somebody “neutral” as an election marketing campaign get together in cost to make it possible for competing factions throughout the get together don’t take pleasure in recriminations over the appointment of the mentioned particular person. Jakhar is among the many frontrunner within the rivalry. According to the sources, Gandhis are open to session not simply with Sidhu however with different voices throughout the get together.
Officially, the get together excessive command has maintained that it desires to offer a free rein to the Channi-Siddhu duo in operating the state, however the sources aware about the interior working of the Congress declare the Gandhis are nonetheless unwilling to devolve your entire duty to the 2 and nonetheless need to preserve their functioning beneath test.
Sources say the inordinate delay within the announcement of the revamped police high brass was due to the excessive command scrutinising the names handed by the Punjab authorities. It is claimed that chief minister Channi was keen on having senior IPS officer Iqbal Preet Sahota, however the excessive command was much less disposed to him and as a substitute different names have been additionally deliberated upon.