Punjab Cabinet ministers want chief secretary to be sacked

Punjab cabinet ministers on Monday asked Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to sack chief secretary Karan Avtar Singh and declared that they would not attend cabinet meetings as long as he attends these meetings.

Karan Avtar Singh had taken on the ministers at a pre-cabinet meeting on the excise policy on Saturday, insisting that the changes recommended by the ministers to the policy could not be taken on board. The face-off had led to ministers storming out of the meeting on Saturday; finance minister Manpreet Singh Badal was the first one to walk out. Saturday’s cabinet meeting was deferred to Monday.

At an informal meeting ahead of the cabinet meeting, the ministers decided to stand their ground and walk out of the meeting if the chief secretary is present.

The chief secretary was advised to stay away from Monday’s cabinet meeting and additional chief secretary (home) Satish Chandra was tasked to officiate in his absence.

As soon as Monday’s cabinet meeting started, the ministers told chief minister Amarinder Singh that they would not attend cabinet meetings in case the chief secretary is present.

This could be a little problematic. According to the rulebook, the chief secretary of a state is also the secretary to the cabinet, coordinates all meetings of the cabinet and signs off on the official records.

“The chief minister has accepted our demand because he asked all of us to bring our grouse on record,” said Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, the minister of cooperation and jails, told Hindustan Times.