Capt leaves a clean office

A day before votes are counted for the Punjab Assembly elections, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh...

A day before votes are counted for the Punjab Assembly elections, Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, who faced a lot of flak for not attending his office for days at a stretch, can pat himself on the back for being the only CM in the last 15 years to conclude his present term in office having cleared all files but one.

Sources said among the first official duties facing Amarinder when he took over in February 2002 after the Congress came to power in the state was clearing the 350-odd files left uncleared by his predecessor Parkash Singh Badal, a three-time chief minister.

But Amarinder also started on a slow note, letting official files gather dust as he went after Badal and his MP son Sukhbir Badal with charges of corruption.

Consequently, some 1,700 files were waiting for his perusal when S K Sinha, the then principal secretary, was shifted from the CMO. It was then that the process of clearing old files took off, even though Amarinder was accused of visiting his plush office, renovated at a cost of Rs 4 crore, just twice a week on an average.

Talking to The Indian Express after the last Cabinet meeting, which approved the dissolution of the Assembly today, Amarinder said: 8220;I have cleared all the pending files, it8217;s a big relief. I have done my work.8221;

The Congress, meanwhile,is confident it will return to power, breaking the 41-year-long jinx on a party returning to power for a second successive term.

Talking to mediapersons after the dissolution of the 12th legislative Assembly as per Article 174 of the Constitution, the chief minister said: 8220;We will hold the Cabinet meeting next week as well, for we are all set to win.8221; Amarinder claimed that the party will win 65 seats of which 40 will come from Malwa, and 25 from Majha and Doaba.

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8220;Some of our people say we will bag 47 seats from Malwa but I don8217;t agree with them,8221; said Amarinder, patting himself on the back for garnering the votes of the Sikh peasantry for the first time. 8220;That is a major breakthrough for us,8221; he underlined.

When asked whether he would remain the next CM if Congress returns to power, Amarinder said: 8220;Congress has a set procedure 8230; it is for the high command to decide.8221; The CM was mum when asked to comment on the role of ECI in the elections, choosing instead to reiterate that Congress will win the Beas seat.

Earlier, the Cabinet met for the final time and decided to let its successor decide on the proposal to implement the judgment of the Supreme Court on police reforms.