New Delhi: The sons of two Congress MLAs in Punjab who were given jobs on ‘compassionate ground’ for the “sacrifice” of their grandfathers during the days of militancy in 1987 are likely to turn them down, with the Capt. Amarinder Singh government’s decision triggering a political row in the state.
Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) have criticised the decision, accusing the chief minister of trying to “purchase” the loyalty of Congress MLAs to “save his chair”.
In an ironical twist, while some ministers in the state have also opposed the cabinet’s decision on the appointments, Amarinder’s detractors within the party are on a sticky wicket on this issue as well.
One of the beneficiaries is the nephew of Partap Singh Bajwa, the Congress parliamentarian who has been in the forefront of party dissidents’ attack on the CM.
The two MLAs have also been known to belong to the dissidents’ camp. MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, another Amarinder detractor, also has his back to the wall as his brother Guriqbal Singh had been given a job on compassionate grounds four years ago.
Bittu and Guriqbal Singh are grandsons of former chief minister Beant Singh, who was killed by militants in 1995.
In May 2017, the Punjab government appointed Guriqbal as a deputy superintendent of police. In his case, the government had taken the case to the cabinet meeting to grant special permission by relaxing the maximum age requirement.
The ongoing controversy centres on the decision taken last Friday by the Punjab government to appoint Arjun Pratap Singh Bajwa, son of Qadian MLA Fatehjang Singh Bajwa, and Bhisham Pandey, son of Ludhiana MLA Rakesh Pandey, to the posts of inspector in Punjab Police and naib tehsildar in the revenue department, respectively.
Arjun’s grandfather, minister Satnam Singh Bajwa, and Bhisham’s grandfather, Joginder Pal Pandey, were killed by terrorists in 1987. Both the appointments have been defended by the government as “special cases” on “compassionate” grounds.
The main contention of critics is that the two beneficiaries come from privileged families and don’t need to be given special consideration for jobs.
The controversy comes amid a wave of dissidence that Amarinder is facing in Punjab, especially over allegations that his government failed to strongly defend the investigation by a state police SIT into the SAD-era Kotkapura police firing in 2015, which took place during a protest against sacrilege instances involving the Guru Granth Sahib.
In April, the Punjab and Haryana High Court quashed the probe and called for a new SIT to be set up.
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‘Won’t stand scrutiny in court’
According to a 2002 Punjab Department of Personnel letter to other departments, the compassionate ground policy covers “a dependent member of the family of a person (bread-winner) killed or 100% physically disabled in terrorist action or by security forces acting in aid of civil power”.
The eligibility also extends to a dependent member in the families of defence services personnel killed or severely disabled on duty.
Speaking to ThePrint, Fatehjang Singh Bajwa said he has decided to turn down the government’s job offer to his son. “We have informed the chief minister as well as the party high-command about it,” he added. Rakesh Pandey said he would be meeting the CM regarding the issue and then take a final decision.
“I will be meeting the chief minister soon. This is a party decision, so a call will be taken accordingly,” Pandey told ThePrint.
Asked why he had not taken the job on ‘compassionate ground’ earlier, Rakesh Pandey said he had neither asked for a job, nor was he offered one by the government.
Senior functionaries in the Amarinder Singh government said the CM was “under pressure” from the two MLAs and their friends in the party to make those controversial appointments.
“Although this is not the first time a grandson has been given a government job for the grandfather’s sacrifice, this is totally messy. It’s not going to stand the scrutiny of law in the court,” said one of these functionaries.
‘Brazen arrogance’
Rajya Sabha member Partap Singh Bajwa Monday appealed to the MLAs to voluntarily give up the jobs.
In a statement, Bajwa said Satnam Singh Bajwa and Joginder Pal Pandey were mass leaders who had served the public with distinction for many decades.
“They laid down their lives defending the unity and integrity of the nation during the dark times of militancy in Punjab,” he said.
“Given their long legacy, I appeal to my younger brother, S. Fatehjang Singh Bajwa, and my own associate Sh. Rakesh Pandey, MLA, to voluntarily give up the offer from the cabinet of Punjab for jobs to their kin on compassionate ground,” he added. “I am certain this would be the best way to honour the memories of the departed leaders.”
Speaking to ThePrint, Bajwa said the sentiment behind the move is not correct. “Had my father been alive, he would not have expected this. Punjab is going through a social turmoil and the timing is not correct for such appointments. God has been kind to us and hence we don’t need such benefits. I have already appealed to my brother,” he added.
Harcharan Bains, principal adviser to SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal, alleged that the decisions “show with what brazen arrogance the Congress government in Punjab treats public resources at its command as just a private tool to serve and promote its own petty political interests”.
“With one single stroke of his pen, Chief Minister Amarinder Singh turned his party’s manifesto promise on ‘Ghar Ghar Naukri’ into ‘Do Ghar Naukri’. Jobs meant for deserving youth from average or poor families have gone to those who by themselves possess the means to offer jobs of such financial scale to the needy,” he told ThePrint.
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