Oppn parties attack AAP govt over its move to replace CM as chairman of development authorities

Chandigarh, Jun 22 (PTI) Lambasting the Punjab government over its decision to replace the chief minister as the chairman of urban development authorities with the chief secretary, the Opposition parties on Sunday alleged it is Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) supremo Arvind Kejriwal's "maneuver to consolidate his control" over the state.
     Earlier on Saturday, the Punjab Cabinet decided to delegate the chairmanship of all urban development authorities to the chief secretary and said this "bold reform" is aimed at strengthening decentralised governance, speeding up decision-making and empowering the administrative setup to act swiftly on ground-level issues.
     The decision was based on a comprehensive review of national models, where such bodies are headed by the IAS officers or ministers and not chief ministers, as seen in Ahmedabad, New Okhla Industrial Development Authority, Kanpur, Bengaluru and others.
     Pertinently, the chief minister is the chairman of development authorities but due to his busy engagements, sometimes the work of these authorities was adversely affected, said an official statement issued after the Cabinet meeting.
     Leader of Opposition and senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Sunday condemned the Cabinet's decision and said "the chief secretary's expanded role is a direct assault on Punjab's self-respect".
     "CM Bhagwant Mann hasn't just mortgaged Punjab's authority to Delhi's whims '” he has sold his soul for the perks and privileges of power. The @CsPunjab takes orders from Punjab Development Commission controlled by Delhiwalas, reducing the elected Chief Minister of Punjab to a mere puppet. This is a de facto coup of Punjab's democratic mandate," alleged Bajwa in a post on X.
     Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also condemned the AAP government's decision.
     "This move is also a final proof that Punjab is now being directly controlled by non-Punjabis and even the pretense of ruling through Bhagwant Mann has ended," he alleged.
     Badal further alleged it is common knowledge that Punjab bureaucrats report directly to Kejriwal and his non-Punjabi associates.
     "By appointing the Chief Secretary as Chairman of all urban planning and development authorities in Punjab, including PUDA, GMADA, GLADA, JDA, BDA, ADA, PDA, and others, @BhagwantMann's meek and unabashed surrender to @ArvindKejriwal is now complete. He has handed over control of Punjab's lands and development funds to his Delhi boss through a bureaucrat, who is a close aide of Kejriwal," he said in a post on X.
     Badal said "never in Punjab’s history has a bureaucrat been appointed as chairman of any authority in which the chief minister and his ministers are ex-officio members".
     "Will the Chief Minister and his cabinet colleagues now attend meetings chaired by their subordinate officers?" he asked.
     "As president of Punjab's only regional party, Shiromani Akali Dal, I assure all Punjabis that we will strongly resist forcible acquisition by this non-Punjabi lobby through brazen abuse of govt power," said Badal.
     Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira as well condemned the AAP government's decision and said "this decision marks a historic and alarming erosion of democratic principles, as it effectively sidelines the elected chief minister and hands over critical governance functions to a bureaucrat".
     "For the first time in 75 years of India's independence, an elected leader, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has been replaced by a bureaucrat in such a vital role. This is a blatant assault on Punjab's democratic fabric and a clear indication that Arvind Kejriwal has assumed the role of de facto Chief Minister of Punjab," said Khaira in a statement.
     "Mann has been reduced to a mere puppet, an ornamental figurehead who is being controlled by Kejriwal and his Delhi-based coterie," he alleged.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)