Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi entrusts Banga to his principal secretary Hussan Lal

BANGA: As Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi announced projects worth over Rs 100 crore in Banga constituency, he announced that the assembly segment would be looked after by his principal secretary Hussan Lal on whom he showered a lot of praise. There is already speculation in the Congress circles that the senior bureaucrat is keen to contest elections from the constituency.
“Hussan Lal is a very competent officer and I am thankful that your area gave such a good and competent man. He has been managing my work to a great extent. I have given him powers of the CM (for this area) and whatever people want in the district, they can get it from him. I had asked him to prepare a list of villages where projects need to be undertaken. I am giving Rs 25 crore for spending in the constituency and you can spend wherever it is required,” Channi said in his address at a public function at Khatkar Kalan.
In another unusual development, Hussan Lal, who flanked the CM while sitting on the stage, was even made to address the gathering. He told public that he belonged to the same district and his village was in Balachaur area.
“I studied in a government school, where there was no building and we would sit at under a tree,” he said, adding that during his entire service he had been working to the best of his ability. He claimed that CM had asked him to specially look after Nawanshar and especially Banga as he (Lal) was from this district.
Lal has also remained deputy commissioner of Nawanshahr.
When Channi put his principal secretary in the central position not just in the constituency but also in the entire district, discomfiture of the ticket aspirants from the Congress became palpable. Sources revealed that former MLA Mohan Lal, who is also among 3-4 prominent aspirants, including former MLA Tarlochan Soondh, later told CM that if Banga was being blocked for Lal then he should be given ticket from some other constituency.
Party sources said some days back ticket aspirants were conveyed by a top Punjab Congress functionary that CM was interested in fielding his principal secretary from the seat and they should be cooperating with him.
Balachaur MLA Darshan lal and Nawanshahr MLA Angad Singh in their speeches specially eulogized Lal, which is also not common in such functions where only political bosses are praised and not the bureaucrats.
Channi targets Capt:
Channi criticised former CM Amarinder Singh for conniving with Akalis and BJP to harm the interests of the state. He said that when the Congress ministers and MLAs started their efforts to get Amarinder removed as the CM, SAD president Sukhbri Badal would help him by staging a dharna outside his residence where ministers would be criticised.