Capt’s luncheon diplomacy pays off; leaders mollified

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, May 21

In the matter related to the alleged misbehaviour by Chief Secretary Karan Avtar with ministers, all eyes are now on Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi.

“Once Manpreet returns from his native village, an effort would be made to untie the last knot in the string,” said a senior party leader. The Chief Secretary is learnt to have visited Bathinda to offer his condolences to Manpreet who lost his father recently.

All eyes on FM

• On Wednesday, Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa and Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring, who attacked Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, were learnt to have been mollified
• Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal and Technical Education Minister Charanjit Singh Channi are yet to respond

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Only yesterday Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa and Gidderbaha MLA Raja Warring, who led a bitter attack on Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh on Twitter, are learnt to have been mollified after attending a luncheon meeting with Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh at the latter’s farmhouse in Siswan.

Sources in the government claimed that the CM’s luncheon diplomacy paid off and the standoff between the ministers and the Chief Secretary was now over.

Also present at the meeting were PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar, Urmur MLA Sangat Singh Gilzian and Jalandhar Cantt MLA Pargat Singh.

While Manpreet was away to his native village, Channi was not invited, the sources said.

The Chief Minister is learnt to have told the party leaders that he wanted the top bureaucrat to continue in office till his retirement in August. Sources said he also spoke on the excise issue and the action being taken to check liquor smuggling. Pargat Singh is learnt to have reiterated concerns raised by him two months ago

Party MLAs not invited to the luncheon held parallel meetings. A note issued by the CMO later in the day said Capt Amarinder Singh, during an “informal lunch”, discussed the Covid situation with some party colleagues and MLAs, who also raised the issue of the Chief Secretary and alleged excise revenue losses.