Raghav Chadha to head top Punjab panel, Opposition slams move

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab government has appointed AAP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha as chairman of the temporary advisory committee to the state government on matters of public importance.
An official spokesperson said chief minister Bhagwant Mann cleared the file in this regard here on Monday.
The AAP government has gone ahead with the appointment despite a sharp reaction from opposition following the government’s notification last week regarding the formation of the advisory body.
Reacting to the move, Punjab Congress president Amrinder Singh Raja Warring tweeted, “The appointment of Raghav Chadha as chairman of the advisory committee amounts to making him the CM of Punjab. Punjabis did not vote for this ‘badlav’. It seems that Bhagwant Mann has given the Punjab government a contract.”
The notification in this regard had read: “The chief minister of Punjab has undertaken a review of the working of government at various levels and is of the view that a body (temporary in nature) is required to tender advice to the government of Punjab on matters of public importance pertaining to public administration.”
Leader of the opposition Partap Singh Bajwa said: “Like Sir Henry Lawrence was foisted as the British Resident in Punjab in 1846 to control the Sikh Empire for an outsider, Raghav Chadha today has been appointed as the representative of the AAP Delhi Durbar in Punjab.” He added that the move was “nothing more than circumventing the people’s will and choice in Punjab and making the state a colonial outpost of Arvind Kejriwal-ji. Absolutely uncalled for.”
Meanwhile, the Punjab government’s official statement issued on Monday highlighted Chadha’s Punjab connection.“Hailing from Jalandhar, as his family moved to Delhi for work opportunities a few decades ago, Raghav Chadha had remained firmly connected with his roots and acted as a catalyst in revamping Delhi’s Punjabi Academy, thereby promoting the Punjabi language and culture in New Delhi.”
It added that Chadha in his new role would be responsible for overseeing the conception and implementation of the AAP government’s pro-people initiatives in Punjab and would advise the government on matters of finance accordingly. “His sound financial knowledge and prudence are likely to be a boon for debt-ridden Punjab, which is currently reeling under an extreme financial crunch, as he is expected to play a key role in financial planning and making Punjab debt-free,” the statement read.