‘Why is Punjab being remote-controlled from Delhi?' asks Bajwa; it seems the AAP leadership wants to expedite the loot of Punjab: SAD
The appointment of Aam Aadmi Party leader Shaleen Mitra, an Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to former Delhi Cabinet Minister Satyender Jain, as an OSD to Punjab Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh has sparked a row in the state, with the Opposition Congress accusing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of 'surrendering Punjab to the Delhi leadership'., while the ruling AAP leaders hitting back at the Congress, reminding them of their CM Amarinder Singh's 'handing over the state' to strategist Prashant Kishor.
Mitra's appointment as an OSD to the Punjab health minister came amid a row that many leaders from the AAP Delhi were saddled in important positions in Punjab, especially after the party's defeat in the Delhi Assembly elections. A photograph of Mitra sitting with Dr Balbir Singh in a meeting went viral on Wednesday.
Leader of the Opposition in Punjab Partap Singh Bajwa took to X, 'AAP govt appoints Delhi neta Satyendar Jain's PA Shaleen Mitra as OSD to Punjab Cabinet Minister Dr Balbir Singh. Why is Punjab being remote-controlled from Delhi? Jobs for Punjabis or rewards for Delhi aides? @BhagwantMann surrendered Punjab to Delhi wallas.'
AAP govt appoints Delhi neta Satyendar Jain's PA Shaleen Mitra as OSD to Punjab Cabinet Minister Dr. Balbir Singh.
Why is Punjab being remote-controlled from Delhi?
Jobs for Punjabis or rewards for Delhi aides?@BhagwantMann surrendered Punjab to Delhi wallas.@INCIndia… pic.twitter.com/aQ3Z2nPka0
— Partap Singh Bajwa (@Partap_Sbajwa) June 4, 2025
Congress leader Sukhpal Khaira posted the appointment letter of Mitra on X, saying, 'This is how @ArvindKejriwal is remote controlling Punjab government! Below is the appointment of Shaleen Mitra as OSD to Health Minister @AAPbalbir! -@ArvindKejriwal has slow by slow captured all vital positions in Punjab and @BhagwantMann is just a 'Dummy' Cm has been kept to tell jokes, dance around, cut ribbons, enjoy his security and cavalcade of cars !'
This is how @ArvindKejriwal is remote controlling Punjab government !
Below is appointment of Shaleen Mitra as OSD to Health Minister @AAPbalbir !
–@ArvindKejriwal has slow by slow captured all vital positions in Punjab and @BhagwantMann is just a 'Dummy' Cm has been kept to… pic.twitter.com/hwOD7LwZWe
— Sukhpal Singh Khaira (@SukhpalKhaira) June 4, 2025
However, AAP leaders hit back at the Opposition, for the first time, on the issue of accommodating Delhi leaders in the Punjab government's posts.
Finance Minister Harpal Cheema posted on X, 'Wasn't Prashant Kishor's appointment as Chief Advisor to CM a blow to 'Punjab's Pride'? An outsider was handed reins with no accountability, no questions then. @Partap_Sbajwa is now crying foul over an OSD which is pure hypocrisy. AAP is here to deliver, not outsource governance.'
AAP spokesperson Neel Garg, too, joined the chorus, 'When @INCIndia made Prashant Kishor the de-facto CM of Punjab, not a single question was raised. No accountability. No protest. Silence from @Partap_Sbajwa. Arusa Alam a Pakistani agent had free access to the CM Office under Congress rule — no files moved without her 'approval'. Bhupesh Baghel, Congress leader of Chhattisgarh is Punjab's Congress Prabhari — a clear message that Punjab Congress is on remote control. This is not about governance. This is about Congress' entitlement. #AAP is not Congress. We don't outsource Punjab, we empower Punjabis. We are building systems, not sycophancy.'
Shiromani Akali Dal also jumped onto the bandwagon, hitting at AAP. The party wrote on its X handle, 'Another shocking development. Jailed Delhi Aam Aadmi Party minister Satyendra Jain's OSD Shaleen Mitra will now be OSD to the Punjab Health minister. This effectively means this ministry has also been taken over by the corrupt AAP leadership of Delhi. It seems the AAP leadership wants to expedite the loot of Punjab, knowing well that its countdown to being ousted from power has started. The Shiromani Akali Dal is committed to unmasking and punishing each & every corrupt deed once it assumes power in the State.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India Today
19 minutes ago
- India Today
Setback for India: Jairam Ramesh after US general praises Pakistan's terror fight
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh questioned the Indian government on Wednesday over recent remarks by a top United States military official praising Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts. Taking to X, Ramesh wrote, 'Recently, the head of the US Central Command called Pakistan a 'great partner in the counter-terrorism campaign'. What will our Prime Minister and his ovation say to this? Is this not a diplomatic setback for India?'advertisementHis statement followed US Central Command chief General Michael Kurilla's testimony before the House Armed Services Committee, where the outgoing commander described Pakistan as a 'phenomenal partner' in counter-terrorism comments came at a time when India had been actively campaigning to expose Pakistan's support for cross-border terrorism, particularly after the deadly terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam in April. During the hearing, General Kurilla urged Washington not to adopt a zero-sum approach in South Asia, stating that the US must maintain strategic relations with both India and Pakistan."We need to have a relationship with Pakistan and with India. I do not believe it is a binary switch that we can't have one with Pakistan if we have a relationship with India,' he said. 'We should look at the merits of the relationship for the positives that it has.'advertisementKurilla's remarks came even as India stepped up diplomatic efforts to hold Pakistan accountable for its alleged role in the Pahalgam attack, which killed 26 people on April 22. In response, India carried out precision air strikes on terror infrastructure across the border in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir on May military escalation ended on May 10 after the Directors General of Military Operations from both countries reached an officials, including External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar, had reiterated that India would not accept any equivalence between victims of terrorism and the perpetrators. New Delhi also expressed concern over multiple international responses that appeared to hyphenate India and Pakistan during the brief military Kurilla, who is expected to retire later this summer, also spoke about Pakistan's role in combatting the Islamic State's regional affiliate, ISIS-Khorasan, also known as IS-KP. He acknowledged efforts by the Pakistani military and army chief General Asim Munir in countering the terror Watch
Time of India
27 minutes ago
- Time of India
Caste survey decision by Cong brass, not Karnataka government, says CM Siddaramaiah
BENGALURU: Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah sought to clarify Wednesday that it was the Congress brass's decision and not his govt's to undertake a fresh caste survey, suggesting unease at the prospect of his core vote bank of minorities, backward classes and Dalits not taking kindly to re-enumeration after leaked data from the 2015 exercise showed a massive jump in their numbers. Siddaramaiah, under the pump for the June 4 stampede in Bengaluru in which 11 cricket fans died, told reporters at Gauribidanur in Chikkaballapur district that there were "some complaints" about the Kantharaj Commission's caste survey data. Won't reject 2015 census report: Siddaramaiah There were claims that the data was outdated, so some suggested a fresh enumeration within a relatively shorter timeline. We won't reject the (2015) report. We have already accepted it in principle," Siddaramaiah said. On whether he was disappointed with Congress's decision to go for fresh survey, he said, "We will act per the high command's directive. It's not our decision."Siddaramaiah and his deputy minister D K Shivakumar had been summoned to Delhi Tuesday for a meeting with Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, purportedly to explain state govt's failure to stem the outrage over the stampede sparked by an allegedly mismanaged victory parade for IPL-winning cricket franchise RCB. While Siddaramaiah appeared wary of owning the decision to enumerate caste demography afresh, Shivakumar batted on the front foot. He questioned why BJP was criticising the decision to conduct a new survey after refusing to accept data from previous one. "Why such opposition when we are trying to address concerns? We are not rejecting the Kantharaj Commission's report. We are only trying to correct the shortcomings of the earlier survey," DKS said.
NDTV
43 minutes ago
- NDTV
Congress Expels Digvijaya Singh's Brother For Remarks On Rahul Gandhi
The Congress on Wednesday expelled former Madhya Pradesh MLA Laxman Singh, who is brother of ex-chief minister Digvijaya Singh, from the primary membership of the party for six years for "anti-party activities". The action against Laxman Singh, also a five-time MP, came after he repeatedly made "derogatory" remarks against party leader Rahul Gandhi. The Congress had earlier issued a show cause notice against him saying why action should not be taken against him for his remarks. "Congress president has expelled Laxman Singh, former MLA, Madhya Pradesh, from the primary membership of the Indian National Congress for a period of six years with immediate effect due to his anti-party activities," Tariq Anwar, member secretary of the Congress' Disciplinary Action Committee, said in a statement. The statement did not elaborate based on what "anti-party activities" it had acted against Laxman Singh. The MP Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) had made a recommendation to the party leadership for initiating action against him for his alleged anti-party activities and the matter was sent to the Disciplinary Action Committee of the AICC. Laxman Singh has been a five-time MP and three-time MLA from Madhya Pradesh. He was first elected to the state legislature in 1990. He became an MP for the first time in 1994 from Rajgarh. He switched to the BJP in 2004 when he was elected to the Lok Sabha again. He returned to the Congress fold in 2013. Last month, the Congress issued a show-cause notice to Laxman Singh, younger brother of party veteran Digvijaya Singh, saying his "derogatory" remarks targeting senior party leaders, including Rahul Gandhi, have "crossed all acceptable limits". It said his remarks have caused "serious damage" to the party's "image and dignity". On April 25, Laxman Singh had attacked the party leadership in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. "Rahul Gandhi and Robert Vadra are naive. The country is suffering the consequences of their immaturity," he had said during a condolence meeting organised to pay tributes to the Pahalgam victims. The notice was issued to Laxman Singh on May 9 by party's Disciplinary Action Committee (DAC) member secretary Tariq Anwar. It said, "This is to bring to your notice that a complaint has been received from MP Congress chief Jitu Patwari and All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary in-charge of MP Harish Chaudhary regarding your repeated public statements that have caused serious damage to the image and dignity of the Congress." "It has been further noted that your recent statement has crossed all acceptable limits, particularly the derogatory and disrespectful remarks directed at senior party leadership, including the Honourable Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha Shri Rahul Gandhi," the notice said. On April 25, Laxman Singh had also targeted Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah, saying he could be "in cahoots with terrorists". Targeting Vadra, he had said, "Robert Vadra's statement that the terrorists attacked because they did not allow Muslims to offer namaz on the road is not only irresponsible but also a statement that poses a threat to the security of the country. I am saying all this in front of the camera, so that no one is confused. Congress should think 10 times before speaking, otherwise the public will answer in the elections."
