Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Saturday accused Governor Banwarilal Purohit of not clearing a Bill related to the regularisation of around 36,000 government employees due to political reasons.
Addressing a Press conference on completing 100 days in office today, Channi said he will take his Cabinet to meet the Governor on Monday. “I, along with state ministers, have visited the Governor with a request to clear the file, but he is acting under pressure from the BJP and the Bill (related to the regularisation of around 36,000 government employees) has still not been cleared… If he still does not clear the file, we will sit on a dharna outside the Punjab Raj Bhawan,” he said.
The governor is yet to give his assent to 12 Bills passed by the Punjab Vidhan Sabha during its last session. The Bills pertaining to renegotiation of Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) are also lying with the governor.
Listing 100 decisions taken during his first 100 days in office, Channi claimed he not only made announcements but also made sure that those decisions saw the light of the day.
He said that the government had earlier announced free bus rides for college students and added that the decision has come into effect from Saturday. The students will be required to get passes made within three months. For now, they will just have to show their identity cards.
Channi also listed the FIR registered against former Shiromani Akali Dal minister Bikram Singh Majithia as an achievement. He said that the big fish has been booked and nobody will be allowed to go scot-free.
Moreover, he raised the pension for journalists accredited with the state government by Rs 3,000 per month to Rs 15,000. He said that his government was working 24×7. “Our treasury is open even today. We are trying to give Punjab a new direction,” he added. Channi said his government took action in the Kapurtala sacrilege case within 48 hours of the incident.
Asked about Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu’s tirade against his own party’s government, Channi said he was ready to work with the state party chief.