AAP govt trying to make scapegoats of IAS officers: Cong, SAD on panchayat dissolution issue

The Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal demanded that Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann and the minister concerned should own moral responsibility for the decision to dissolve all gram panchayats.

Chandigarh: The Congress and Shiromani Akali Dal Friday demanded that Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and the minister concerned should own moral responsibility for the decision to dissolve all gram panchayats, instead of trying to make scapegoats of two IAS officers in the matter.

This demand comes a day after the Punjab government took a “U-turn” by informing the high court that it is withdrawing its notification dissolving all gram panchayats in the state, and a few hours later, suspended two senior IAS officers for the decision.

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Rural Development and Panchayats Minister Laljit Singh Bhullar Thursday said the state government suspended the principal secretary and director of the rural development and panchayats department with immediate effect for taking a “technically-flawed” decision regarding the dissolution of panchayats.

Partap Singh Bajwa, Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, took potshots at the Aam Aadmi Party dispensation and said the chief minister “should own moral responsibility” and “resign forthright”.

“It is shameful that @BhagwantMann who signed off on the decision to dissolve the Panchayats has tried to scapegoat two bureaucrats to protect himself and his Minister. If CM had any morals, it is he who should own moral responsibility & resign forthright!” Bajwa, a senior Congress leader, posted on X, formerly Twitter.

Senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia also hit out at the AAP-led Punjab government. “The cat is out of the bag. CM @BhagwantMann & Panchayati Raj minister @Laljitbhullar are responsible for signing & implementing the decision to dissolve panchayats six months before their term in Punjab,” Majithia wrote on X.

“The file on this issue was moved by hand with the Director, Panchayati Raj & Financial Commissioner, Development forced to sign the files within two days following which both the Panchayati Raj minister & the CM signed the file on the same day,” he said.

“It is clear the @AAPPunjab govt is trying to make scapegoats of senior IAS officers by suspending them. The real culprits are the Panchayati Raj minister & the CM who backtracked once the Punjab & Haryana high court made it clear it was going to scrap this decision,” he added in the post.

Escalating his attack, Majithia, in his post, added that Delhi Chief Minister and AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal should “dismiss” Mann and Bhullar “for killing democracy through this dictatorial decision”.

Senior Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira also echoed similar sentiments on the issue.

“What a shame for @BhagwantMann & @BhullarLaljit Panchayats Minister to approve dissolution of Panchayats according to official noting doing the rounds on social media and then make IAS officers scapegoats for their foolish actions. I urge the bureaucracy of Punjab not to become part of their unconstitutional designs bcoz they don’t have the courage to defend you and ultimately you’ll have to face the music later,” he wrote on ‘X’.

The Punjab government Thursday suspended 1994-batch IAS officer Dhirendra Kumar Tiwari, Principal Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayats, and 2009-batch IAS officer Gurpreet Singh Khaira, Director, Rural Development and Panchayats and ex-officio Special Secretary, Rural Development and Panchayats, with immediate effect. A few hours earlier, it had informed the Punjab and Haryana High Court that it was withdrawing the notification on dissolution of all gram panchayats in the state, which was seen as a major embarrassment for the Bhagwant Mann regime.