Chandigarh, November 7, 2019 (Yes Punjab News)
The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said the manner in which the Congress government had tried to regularize the appointment of seven legislators as Advisors in the rank of Ministers with retrospective effect by amending the Punjab State Legislature (Prevention of Disqualification) Act, 1952 was not legally tenable and would not stand the test of time.
Talking to newsmen at the Vidhan Sabha here, former finance minister Parminder Singh Dhindsa said an earlier attempt to amend sub section F of the same Act to regularize the appointment of Chief Parliamentary Secretaries had been rejected by the courts. “This amendment will also not stand judicial scrutiny”, he added.
Mr Dhindsa said the amendment was against the spirit of the 91st amendment which stated that the strength of the ministry could not be more than 15 per cent of the strength of the members of the Vidhan Sabha.
He said all the seven Advisors including Raj Kumar Verka, Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Kuljit Singh Nagra, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Inderbir Singh Bolaria, Kushaldeep Dhillon and Tarsem Singh DC had already invited disqualification upon themselves by accepting an office of profit in the form of Advisors in the rank of cabinet/minister of state rank. “This crude attempt to amend the Act with retrospective effect will not change their fate”, he added.
The Akali leader said instead of looting the State exchequer and burdening the people of the State with additional expenditure on providing perks and facilities to the new Advisors, chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh should give them a berth in his cabinet.
He said it was condemnable that the Congress government had bulldozed the amendment at a time when the State was unable to give mid day meals, SC scholarships, old age pension, shagun scheme, sugarcane dues or even Dearness Allowance installments to its employees.
He said it was a matter of shame that crores of rupees were proposed to be spent on the seven Advisors but nothing was being done to give employment, unemployment allowance of Rs 2,500 per month or mobile phones to youth or even jobs and compensation to farm suicide victim families.
Mr Dhindsa said it was not too late for the seven Advisors to give up the post in public interest. He said all the seven Advisors had been elected to the Vidhan Sabha to address the problems of their electorate. “They should not accept any post which gives an impression they are seeking to enrich themselves at the cost of the people”, he added.
