Punjab Ministers have not gone through properly to his press statement: Kalia 

Jalandhar: In response to the Press Statement issued by Punjab Cabinet Ministers Vijay Inder Singla and Sham Sunder Arora, Manoranjan Kalia Former Minister Punjab and Former State President B.J.P. in a press statement said that both the Ministers have not gone through properly to his press statement. The “Army Principle” or the “Principle of Maharaja” rule does not apply in the functioning of elected civil government, he said, adding, that definitely the officers are accountable to the democratically elected government. When the person sitting on the post of Chief Minister or Minister demits office, the officers does not go with the person demitting office because they are the employees of the government not of an individual. He said that is why he condemned the statement of Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh in which he said that “instead of calling my officers, I should have been called”.

Kalia further said that talks between Union Government and Farmers' Unions are going on and there is every possibility to reach an amicable solution in future. Both the ministers must spell out first as to why the promise made in the 2017 Congress Election  Manifesto about the waiving of Rs 90,000 crores debt of farmers have not been    fulfilled?. Those who betrayed the farmers have no right to talk about farmers.

Adding, he said so far as the passing of the Bills negating the Farm Acts passed by the Parliament is in on the same lines when the previous Government 2002-2007 of Capt Amarinder Singh passed the Termination of Agreements Act 2004  in Punjab Vidhan Sabha on S.Y.L. issue , the then Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh failed to get the approval from the then Governor Punjab as both the Acts are not legally sustainable.  It is pertinent to note that at that time, there was U.P.A. Government at the Centre, and the then Governor Punjab was an erstwhile Congressmen.

Kalia advised both the ministers to have full knowledge before commenting on any issue.

It may be mentioned here that Cabinet Ministers and Senior Congress leaders Mr Vijay Inder Singla and Sunder Sham Arora on January 4, 2021 slammed the BJP for misusing the constitutional posts to weaken the democratic elected government in the state. In a statement issued in Chandigarh, both the Cabinet Ministers said that it was ironic that earlier the Governors in states like West Bengal, Maharashtra and others have tried to throttle democratic elected governments. He said that now the Governor Punjab was acting as a puppet in the hands of BJP leadership. Punjabis would never bow before the nefarious designs of the BJP leadership to threaten the Captain government and would teach BJP leadership a lesson, said Singla and Arora. Training their guns against the former Minister Manoranjan Kalia for issuing baseless and irresponsible statements, the Minister said that the BJP leader has never been into Army or NCC not even during their school days due to which he is not aware that a General or Commander calls the officers he was commanding as his own officers. They said that if the Punjab Chief Minister was calling the officers as his own officers that is primarily because he has Army background adding that he has every right to say that because the officers of Punjab are directly accountable to him. Singla and Arora reminded the former Minister that Governor was a titular head whereas the real executive powers lie in the hands of democratically elected government headed by Captain Amarinder Singh. Quipping on the statement of former Minister, the Congress leaders said that the BJP leader in his overdose to appease the Governor has forgotten the basic principal of democracy which implies a Government elected by the people, for the people and of the people. He said that that the BJP leader, who has remained the chief of state unit also, must remember that the officers are accountable only to the democratically elected government and not a titular head. The Cabinet Ministers also warned the BJP leaders of serious repercussions if they don’t stop such theatricals. The Ministers revealed that in order to neutralize the disastrous effects of the draconian farm laws for saving the farming sector, the Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh passed bills in the Punjab Vidhan Sabha but it is a really unfortunate that the Governor didn't gave his assent to the same thus completely ignoring the opinion voiced by elected representatives of the masses. "The leaders of Punjab BJP didn't raised even a whimper of protest instead choosing the safe option of remaining silent. Now, the same people have absolutely no locus standi to come out in support of the Governor. Moreover, you owe an answer to the people as to what have you done for the Welfare of farming community despite being the minister twice", questioned the Congress leaders. Lambasting Manoranjan Kalia, the ministers pointed out that the Constitution has fixed the responsibilities of the Governor but the Punjab BJP leaders are hell bent upon defining the office of Governor according to their own whims and fancies on the pattern of West Bengal.