Pattern Of Things To Come In Punjab

[palamrinder]

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070417/main4.htm

BJP not to play second fiddle to SAD

Sarbjit Dhaliwal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 16

The BJP leadership today categorically told Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal that it had joined the SAD- led government to be an equal partner and not to play second fiddle in it.

Led by president of the Punjab unit of the BJP Avinash Rai Khanna, the BJP members of the coordination committee held a lengthy meeting with Badal.

Manoranjan Kalia, BJP minister and leader of the party in the Vidhan Sabha, and Navjot Sidhu, BJP MP from Amritsar and representative of the central leadership of the BJP in the coordination committee, attended the meeting. At the meeting Badal was accompanied by his core team of officers, including chief secretary Ramesh Inder Singh and principal secretary Darbara Singh Guru.

Sources said the BJP, which was clear about the fact that the Badal government was dependent on it politically, had a lot to tell to Badal. First of all it said that the BJP’s MLAs and main party workers had the feeling that they were being ignored at every step as far as power sharing in the state was concerned. They informed Badal that there was resentment in the BJP because of its marginalisation as a partner in the government by the SAD.

The sources said the posting of deputy commissioners, senior superintendents of police, SDMs, DSPs and other district and subdivisonal-level offices came up for discussion at the meeting. The BJP told Badal that it was a dominant player in six districts of Punjab and wanted the posting of officers of its choice at the top and cutting edge level in those districts. The implementation of the manifesto within a specific time frame and the coming municipal elections were also discussed. The BJP wanted a major share of seats in the municipal elections, it is learnt.

Among the districts that figured at the meeting were Amritsar, Jalandhar, Gurdaspur, Hoshiarpur, Ludhiana and Ropar. “Badal was told to evolve a mechanism to iron out differences on various issues and for the smooth functioning of the government”, said the BJP leader. “If our ministers as well as MLAs cannot protect their constituencies and watch the interests of their supporters while being a part of the government, it could adversely affect the BJP”, said the BJP leader. “Of course, it is the privilege of the Chief Minister to post officers of his choice as district and department heads, but while heading a coalition government he is supposed to give due share to the coalition partner in the matter of filling important slots in the administration”, added the BJP leader.

The sources said Badal told the BJP leaders that what had happened so far was because of a communication gap. He had proposed to hold a meeting of the coordination committee once a month to overcome the communication gap problem.

The BJP told Badal that it wanted that its four chief parliamentary secretaries (CPSs) should be attached to ministers holding important portfolios. Likewise, four SAD CPSs should be attached its ( BJP) ministers.

http://www.tribuneindia.com/2007/20070417/punjab1.htm#7

Bhandari may head Punjab BJP

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, April 16

The Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab unit is about to see a power shift.

Hardcore RSS man Rajinder Bhandari, who was overlooked for the party ticket in the recent assembly poll, is tipped to succeed Avinash Rai Khanna as the next president of the unit.

Well-placed sources in the party said today that a formal announcement in this regard would be made in a few days.

Bhandari is seen close to Arun Jaitley and also to Avinash Rai Khanna. Khanna was also backed by the RSS when he was chosen as president.

The president of the BJP unit will also be on the all-powerful SAD-BJP coordination committee, which also has Navjot Singh Sidhu and Manoranjan Kalia as its other members.

Bhandari’s name was also supported by Harjit Singh Grewal, former national secretary and confidant of BJP chief Rajnath Singh.

Grewal, Avinash Rai Khanna and Bhandari are seen as a well-knit group.