Why politicise AG’s office, ask Congress MPs post APS Deol row

Chandigarh, November 10

A day after Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi accepted the resignation of Advocate General APS Deol, after back to back attacks by PCC president Navjot Singh Sidhu, politics within the Congress heated up on Wednesday.

Ludhiana MP Ravneet Bittu and Anandpur Sahib parliamentarian Manish Tewari hit out at their party colleagues for “politicising” the AG office. Though MPs did not name anyone in their tweets, they appeared to be hitting out at Sidhu.

Tewari tweeted, “Politicising AG’s office undermines the integrity of constitutional functionaries. Both previous Advocates General of Punjab became punching bags in proxy political wars. Those who subvert the institution of the AG office need to remember a lawyer is neither wedded to a client or a brief.”

On resignation by Additional Advocate General Mukesh Berry, Tewari said, “The resignation very eloquently sums up the disgust that a lot of us lawyers across the country feel at repeated subversion of constitutional offices by some members of the political class. Targeting lawyers based upon clients they represented is a new nadir. I wish such politicians who perceive apolitical constitutional functionaries as ‘soft targets’ to wage their proxy war find a better way to do their politics. I sincerely pray the next AG will bring Bargari accused, drug, sand and transport mafia barons to justice.”

MP Ravneet Bittu tweeted, “All is well between the CM and Congress president. But the question remains whether the drugs report will be made public now and will the change of the AG ensure justice in Bargari?” — TNS