Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi with Navjot Singh Sidhu. (File) MORE THAN a month after Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu resigned seeking the ouster of Advocate General A P S Deol and DGP I P S Sahota, the government Tuesday buckled. At a joint press conference with Sidhu, Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi announced that Deol’s resignation had been accepted.
Channi said Deol had sent in his papers a week ago, and these would be forwarded to Punjab Governor Banwarilal Purohit. “By tomorrow, we will appoint a new Advocate General,” the CM said. He also announced that Sahota would be replaced once the UPSC got back on the panel of names the Punjab government sent “a long time ago”.
Sidhu has been pushing for lawyer D S Patwalia as Deol’s replacement. He resigned on September 28, seeking that Deol be removed, arguing that as lawyer of then DGP Sumedh Singh Saini, he had secured the police officer a blanket bail in a firing case related to the sacrilege protests. Sidhu also wants Sahota removed for the “clean chit” to the accused in the sacrilege case.
Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi with Navjot Singh Sidhu at a press conference. (Express Photo) While Sidhu announced last week that he was taking back his resignation, he had refused to take charge till the two were removed.
Sources said that Channi pressed for Deol’s resignation at the Cabinet meeting Tuesday, and there was no discussion on the matter. The final decision to accept Sidhu’s demand was taken at a meeting between him, the CM and Punjab Congress affairs in-charge Harish Chaudhary on Monday. Sources said the high command had conveyed that Sidhu’s demand be met so as to end the public discord.
At Monday’s meeting, Sidhu is also learnt to have demanded that the Channi government expedite the DGP’s replacement and take up the matter with the UPSC. It is not clear if Sidhu will resume charge as Punjab Congress chief before Sahota’s removal.
On Tuesday, Sidhu held another round of talks with Channi, before the Cabinet meeting. Following the announcement of Deol’s removal, Sidhu praised the CM for “taking people-friendly decisions” while adding that a road map should be finalised given the state’s precarious financial situation.
Ahead of his removal, Deol had accused Sidhu of interfering in his work, while the Congress leader had called him a “compromised” officer.
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