SAD-BJP delegation seeks disqualification of MLAs appointed advisors to CM

A SAD-BJP delegation here on Wednesday met Punjab Speaker Rana K P Singh and demanded that the six Congress MLAs appointed advisors to the Punjab chief minister be disqualified.

The delegation, including SAD leaders Parminder Singh Dhindsa and Bikram Singh Majithia, said the MLAs should be disqualified as they had accepted an office of profit by becoming advisors to the CM and getting a ministerial rank.

Their appointment was in violation of the 91st amendment of the Constitution, which stated that the total number of ministers shall not exceed 15 per cent of the total strength of the House, the delegation said.

They said with the appointment of new advisors, the total number of political appointees in the government had risen to 27, with 13 being advisors, four political secretaries, nine officers on special duty and one chief principal secretary.

The delegation also demanded the disqualification of Congress MLA and Punjab State Warehousing Corporation chairman Raj Kumar Verka, who also holds a cabinet rank.

The delegation said AAP legislators Sukhpal Singh Khaira, who represents the Bholath assembly segment, Nazar Singh Manshahia from Mansa, Master Baldev Singh from Jaito and Amarjit Singh Sandoa from Rupnagar (Ropar) should also be disqualified as they had resigned from their party.

The Punjab government had on Tuesday appointed six MLAs as advisors to Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, a move described by the Opposition as an attempt to circumvent the constitutional cap on the cabinet size and a "daylight robbery" of the exchequer.

Five of the Congress MLAs would now get the status of a cabinet minister while the sixth will be a minister of state.

The government had appointed Kushaldeep Singh Dhillon (Faridkot); Singh Raja Warring (Gidderbaha); Sangat Singh Gilzian (Urmur) and Inderbir Singh Bolaria (Amritsar South) as political advisors to the CM.

Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Kuljeet Singh Nagra was appointed the advisor (planning). All the five have been given a cabinet rank.

The sixth MLA -- Tarsem Singh DC (Attari) - has been made the advisor (planning) with the rank of the minister of state.