The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government in Punjab led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann appointed Rajya Sabha Member Raghav Chadha as chairman of an advisory committee to the state government.
Disclosing this, a spokesperson of the Chief Minister’s Office said the CM cleared the file to this effect on Monday.
Chadha, who was the AAP legislator from the Rajendra Nagar assembly constituency in Delhi, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab. He was appointed as the party’s co-incharge of the Punjab unit ahead of Assembly polls in the state in February 2022.
Chadha had earlier served as financial advisor to Delhi Finance Minister Manish Sisodia.
“In his new role, Raghav Chadha will shoulder the responsibility of overseeing the conceptualisation and implementation of pro-people initiatives of the AAP government in Punjab and advise the government on matters of finance accordingly,” the spokesperson said.
“His sound financial knowledge and prudence is likely to be a boon for the debt-ridden Punjab currently reeling under an extreme financial crunch as he is expected to play an vital role in financial planning and making Punjab Debt free,” he added.
In their reaction to the move, Opposition parties accused the AAP government of ‘outsourcing’ and ‘sub-letting governance’ to its true masters through the Chadha-led committee.
BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said it was the darkest day in the recent political history of the state when the chief minister has given all his powers to an unconstitutional authority to run the state. He demanded that the chief minister Bhagwant Mann should resign after AAP chief and Delhi CM, Arvind Kejriwal, appointed an advisory committee superceding his authority.
He predicted that the entire steering wheel of Punjab will be henceforth in the hands of Kejriwal, and Mann will become an official dummy chief minister.
Chugh said a Delhi-based Rajya Sabha MP Varun Chadha who doesn’t enjoy mandate of Punjab will be officially running the state rendering all constitutional institutions, including the Cabinet, in the state redundant.
“It is a shameful day for Punjab, ” he added.
Senior Akali leader Prof Prem Singh Chandumajra said the AAP in Punjab is setting up “a government above the government” in the form of an advisory committee.