CM reaches ‘Delhi Durbar’ to seek approval for Cabinet expansion
Saturday, 03/06/2017
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Chandigarh : Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday reached New Delhi to appear in the ‘Delhi Durbar’, with a list of Congress legislators to be inducted in his Cabinet of ministers.
Sources disclosed that Amarinder will discuss the list with party Vice President Rahul Gandhi. The CM will seek approval of party high command for elevating the MLAs as ministers.
At present, seven more ministers could be accommodated in the Cabinet and the CM is trying to adjust the MLAs in such a way that every section could be given appropriate representation and the deserving leaders could be made ministers, sources revealed.
Since the Vidhan Sabha session is scheduled for mid-June, so Capt Amarinder Singh is attempting to expand his ministry before then.
Though the list of aspirants for a Cabinet berth is quite long, yet Capt Amarinder Singh is comfortable with six or seven more members in his council of Cabinet members.
It is learnt that Rana Gurjit Singh, who is embroiled in the sand mining and ‘benami bids controversy, may lose his portfolios - Power and Irrigation Ministry.
The Cabinet, at present, has nine ministers excluding Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, who is holding a number of portfolios.
The MLAs who are seeking elevation as ministers are busy in lobbing for a berth in the Cabinet council.
Sources disclosed that the names of MLAs who will be made ministers, have almost been finalised. The MLAs who could be elevated include Rana Warring from Gidderbaha assembly constituency, MLA Guruharsahai Gurmeet Singh Sodhi, Raj Kumar Verka from Amritsar (West), Balbir Singh Sidhu from Mohali, O P Soni from Amritsar (Central), Vijay Inder Singla from Sangrur, Kuljit Singh Nagra from Fatehgarh Sahib, Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa from Dera Baba Nanak, Sangat Singh Gilzian from Tanda Urmar and Olympian Pargat Singh, who after quitting Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) joined the Congress before Vidhan Sabha elections and was elected from Jalandhar Cantonment seat.
A reshuffle in the portfolios of the sitting Ministers is also on cards, it is learnt.
Captain vows stringent action in sacrilege cases
Chandigarh: Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh on Friday said those involved in the 2015 Bargari firing and other incidents related to religious sacrilege and desecration would face exemplary punishment.
The chief minister also urged the Centre to ask the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to expedite its investigations into the three cases relating to sacrilege/ desecration of Guru Granth Sahib at Bargari village. CBI had taken over the probe in the case in November 2015.
Lashing out at the erstwhile Badal government for recommending an extension in service to SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma, who had ordered firing in Bargari, Amarinder said he had rejected the same and the officer had retired from the force.
He said the officer too would have to face the consequences for his act.
“The fresh Commission of Inquiry under the chairmanship of Justice (Retd) Ranjit Singh to investigate all cases of sacrilege, is probing every such incident, including that in Bargari, and the role of controversial SSP Charanjit Singh Sharma,” the CM said.
