Officers who met Kejriwal were sent for training, will send them again: Bhagwant Mann

Tribune News Service

Aparna Banerji

Jalandhar, April 14

Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann on Thursday said the Punjab bureaucrats and officials with whom Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal had a meeting a few days ago had been sent by him for training purposes.

Rubbishing the claims that he was being sidelined, he said the opposition's objections to the same were "criticism for the sake of criticism", as he was making all key decisions in the state.

Addressing a gathering at an auditorium on the occasion of the 131st birth anniversary of Dr BR Ambedkar at the Dr B R Ambedkar Government College here, Mann said attempts were being made to undermine the basic character of the Constitution, which needed to be nipped in the bud. Mann said the AAP government had taken power away from those sitting in palaces and given it to the common man only due to the democratic set-up envisioned by Ambedkar.

In a direct reference to former minister Sadhu Singh Dharamsot regarding the ‘post-matric scholarship’ scam, Mann said he would soon be behind bars.

Addressing the press queries on the meeting between Arvind Kejriwal and bureaucrats of Punjab recently, Mann said, "Oh main hi bheje si afsar. (I had only sent those officers). For training the same officers have been going to Gujarat. We also send officers to Tamil Nadu. For the betterment of Punjab, I'll even send them to Israel, if need be."

Responding to queries on opposition's concerns that he was being sidelined, Mann said, "Which opposition, where is the opposition? They shouldn't just criticise for the sake of criticism. I had allowed the officers to go. I'm taking all the decisions (in the state). If I like something in another state, I will send my officers there. I'll send them to Delhi again. Stalin (Tamil Nadu CM MK Stalin) came to Delhi to visit schools and Trump's wife (former US President Donald Trump’s wife Melania) came to Delhi too. All parties run from Delhi."

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