Punjab Congress wants AAP to clarify stand on governor’s letter
Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring on Thursday asked the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Punjab to clarify its position on the questions and charges leveled by Governor Banwarilal Purohit in his letter to the Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.
“The Aam Aadmi Party and its government cannot twist the matter by simply saying that these are all state subjects”, Warring said, adding, “even if these are state subjects, these need to be answered and clarified.”
He said there is no reason or logic questioning the qualification of the governor when he is constitutionally appointed. The same constitution was drafted by Dr Baba Saheb Ambedkar, whose picture the AAP Government has displayed in all offices, he pointed out.
The Congress leader, however, conceded that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann is answerable to people of Punjab, and not to anyone else. “Since the governor has raised these issues, it will be in the fitness of things that the government should answer these,” Warring said, adding, there is no constitutional impropriety visible on part of the governor.
He suggested the AAP government to avoid any confrontation with the governor or the Centre the way it is happening in Delhi. “Why import this sort of Delhi Model of taking unnecessary confrontation with the governor without any rhyme or reason?” he asked, adding, Punjab can do better without adopting “this particular” type of Delhi model.
“In fact, Punjab can do without any other model by sticking to its own model,” he remarked.
The Punjab Congress president also referred to the Union Health Ministry withholding grants from the National Health Mission for the reason of rebranding the existing health facilities in Punjab as “Aam Aadmi Clinics”.
“When Punjab is already reeling under such severe financial strain, can we afford unnecessary confrontation with the centre and end up losing grants?” he asked, while urging the Chief Minister to rethink his strategy in the interest of the state.
Warring assured the chief minister that when it comes to safeguarding the interests of the state, the Congress party will be at the forefront in supporting the government. He, however, said the Congress will not support any undue confrontation with the governor or the Centre, particularly when issues of public interest are at stake.
In a letter to the Punjab Governor Banwari Lal Purohit, who on Monday sought details about the process followed by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in the selection of 36 school principals for sending them to Singapore for training, the CM on Tuesday said the residents of the state want to ask that in dearth of any fixed criteria for appointing a person to the post of Governor, how the Union government appoints the Governors to various states.
The Statesman
