AAP MLA says sorry, DC office staff call off strike

Jalandhar: A call for an indefinite workers’ strike over AAP’s Jalandhar West MLA, Sheetal Angural, berating employees at the DC office here on Friday, was called off by the office’s employees’ union after the issue was resolved on Sunday.
The incident had taken place during a self-styled raid by the politician. The PCS Officers’ Association had also come in support of the strike, against what it described as “unbecoming behaviour” of MLA Angural, who had live-streamed the supposed raid on the office during which he had also objected to the reinstatment of a licence to an immigration agency which dealt in higher studies abroad.

The district administration had refuted the allegations and suggested to the MLA to file a complaint if needed. On Sunday, the Jalandhar DC Office Employees’ Association held talks with MLA Angural, who apologised, in the presence of DC Jaspreet Singh and Jalandhar Central AAP MLA Raman Arora.
Angural also issued a clarification in a separate video in which he stated he had no issue with any official or employee. He also said he regretted if superintend Parminder Kaur felt hurt due to what happened on the day. In a video of the episode on Friday, Angural could be seen pulling her up for not talking to him and rushing to DC’s office. On his Facebook page on Sunday, Angural wrote: “If any employee, officer of the DC office was hurt, I apologise.”
The employees’ association also issued a video statement, saying as the MLA had expressed regret, they considered the issue resolved.
It is learnt the government’s top brass was concerned over the situation turning ino an embarrassment, as Punjab State District (DC) Office Employees Association had also announced to burn Angural’s effigy and then Joint Action Committee, a representative body of employees of different government and public sector departments, also announced to support the protest.
In a statement, the PCS Officers Association had said that the MLA “entered various branches of the DC office Jalandhar with several cameras and people and misbehaved with all present”. “Every employee works within the ambit of the law and gives due respect to MLAs as per protocol. Getting a basic respect in return from them as the least we can expect. The PCS Officers Association strongly condemns this unbecoming behaviour and action by a public representative in Jalandhar including his behaviour with deputy commissioner, additional deputy commissioner and other senior functionaries present in office,” the association said in a statement issued by general secretary Ankur Mahindroo. It said it would brief the state’s top brass regarding the matter.
On Friday, Angural had first gone to the offices of district administration, pulled up staffers about their working and streamed it live, then pulled up the woman superintendent in the DC’s presence, and then had a brief argument with ADC Sareen. He criticised the working of district administrat- ion’s offices, saying that reports of corruption were bringing a bad name the AAP government.