Punjab CM Amarinder Singh’s failure to appoint an officiating Chief Minister during his overseas visit has created a flutter in state political circles. More surprising, however, is the announcement of a team of ministers which shall monitor the drought and power situation in his absence.The committee that has heavyweights such as former CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal does not have a chairman. The task of convening its meeting has been handed over to an IAS officer. Not just the CM, even Chief Secretary Y.S. Ratra and even Principal Secretary to the CM, S.K. Sinha, are abroad. They will all return on August 12.Other than Bhattal, the committee has Minister for Agriculture Chaudhry Jagjit Singh, Local Government Minister Gurchet Singh Bhullar, the Irrigation Minister as also Financial Commissioner (Development), Industries Principal Secretary, and Power Secretary.No minister has been asked to preside over the meetings, putting Jagjit Singh, also number two in the Cabinet, in a spot. An official spokesman said that the Financial Commissioner (Development) would convene the meetings daily and ensure that its decisions are implemented.However Bhattal presided over today’s meeting as the senior-most minister.Political circles termed it a queer occasion when the second in command in the state is not trusted by the Chief Minister and is not allowed to even preside over a committee which is to meet daily in absence of the Chief Minister.It is well known that since Bhattal is a former Chief Minister, the camp led by Amarinder Singh has always looks upon her as a challenger. On two previous occasions, when the Akali Dal chief and former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal went on a tour to the US on health grounds, he too did not nominate any minister as an officiating Chief Minister.However, he had informed the Chief Secretary that in case the need arose for a Cabinet meeting, then the senior most minister, Balramji Das Tandon, who belongs to the BJP would preside over the meeting.And Tandon, not only presided over a Cabinet meeting, but also over an Akali Dal conference at the historic Jor Mela. But in today’s Punjab, in absence of the Chief Secretary, even this seems unlikely and the option of holding a Cabinet meeting in the absence of Amarinder does not seem a viable option.
