SAD asks CM to order case in 'illegal' appointment of Punjab minister's advisor

SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also asked the chief minister to recover the loss caused to the state exchequer as a result of the appointment. "The professional advisor has been appointed illegally by the Cooperation minister without taking the required cabinet approval and has been given a salary of Rs 2.60 lakh per month which was unprecedented in the history of the state.

Opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Friday asked Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to order registration of a criminal case and probe into the "illegal" appointment of a professional advisor by Cooperation minister Sukhjinder Randhawa. SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia also asked the chief minister to recover the loss caused to the state exchequer as a result of the appointment.

"The professional advisor has been appointed illegally by the Cooperation minister without taking the required cabinet approval and has been given a salary of Rs 2.60 lakh per month which was unprecedented in the history of the state. "This salary is even more than that of the chief minister and the chief secretary," Majithia claimed.

He also asked the Congress government to explain how the Cooperation Department had benefitted from this appointment which took place in March last year. Alleging that the appointment had been done with doubtful intention, the SAD leader said, "The controversial officer had worked for insurance companies before he was appointed advisor in the Cooperation Department and did not have any work experience with regard to Cooperatives".

Majithia also flayed the state government's decision to buy 17 SUVs for Rs 5 crore. He said the government should not indulge in such "wasteful" expenditure during present difficulties caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.