Mittal joins issue with UT admn

CHANDIGARH, Jan 17: Punjab Food and Supplies Minister Madan Mohan Mittal today joined issue with the UT administration when he declared that by justifying its 8220;irresponsible behaviour8221; of not extending invitation to the ministers of Punjab and Haryana during the recent visit of the President of India, the bureaucrats had exposed themselves. Talking to The Indian Express, Mittal said that the news appearing in a section of press quoting unidentified official sources justifying the stand of the UT administration, needed to be taken seriously by the Administrator and the Adviser.

The Administration earlier in response to Mittal8217;s criticism had said that the President of India was here to attend a conference on the city architecture, and politicians had nothing to do with it. Hence they were kept out.

The food minister held that he represented the views of the majority of his colleagues who felt ignored during the President8217;s visit. The UT was a part of India and Punjab and Haryana were partner states having share in administration in the ratio of 60:40 respectively, he added. Mittal said that even if there was no precedent for extending invitations to ministers from the two states, the administration could have now made amends. Let the officials of the administration who justify their stand come out in open showing their identity and then the government would deal with it in an appropriate manner.