Has declined govt job offer to son: Congress MLA

Under fire from some party colleagues and the Opposition, Congress MLA Fatehjang Singh Bajwa on Thursday broke his silence, saying he has declined the government job offer for his son.

The Punjab cabinet last week had approved a proposal to appoint Bajwa's son Arjun Partap Singh Bajwa as an inspector in the Punjab Police and Ludhiana MLA Rakesh Pandey's son Bhisham Pandey as a naib tehsildar in the Revenue Department on the ''compassionate'' grounds. Apart from the Opposition, several Congress leaders, including state party president Sunil Jakhar, had questioned the government decision.

Five ministers–Sukhjinder Randhawa, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Razia Sultana, Charanjit Singh Channi and Sukhbinder Sarkaria--had also opposed the move in a cabinet meeting.

The Qadian legislator said his son Arjun Partap Singh Bajwa has set a ''precedent'' by giving up the job offer and slammed the Opposition and his party colleagues for criticising the government decision.

Talking to the media on Thursday, Bajwa said after the kind of ''petty'' politics was played over the issue, his family decided not to accept this job offer.

He said before the cabinet meeting that was held last week, he had requested Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to withdraw the agenda of job offer as he did not want it for his son. The MLA said he was also aware that some of the party colleagues had planned to object to the job offer in the cabinet meeting, apparently referring to the five ministers. Bajwa said he gave a letter on giving up the job offer to Amarinder Singh, who showed it to the three-member committee formed to end factionalism in the state unit.

''Arjun has set a precedent by giving up the job offer,'' said Bajwa while asking Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Sukhbinder Sarkaria and Sunil Jakhar to follow the same precedent. He said Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa's son is the Gurdaspur zila parishad chairman, Sarkaria's nephew is the chairman of the Amritsar zila parishad and Jakhar's nephew is the chief of the Punjab State Farmers' Commission.

He said Jakhar had even written to Congress president Sonia Gandhi about the job offer and had even called him up on this issue.

When asked why the CM brought the agenda in the cabinet meeting when he had already declined the job offer, Bajwa said it was only Amarinder Singh who could reply.

Bajwa also slammed Shiromani Akali Dal chief Sukhbir Singh Badal for criticising the state government's decision.

The MLA's son Arjun Partap Singh Bajwa said he thanked the CM for offering him the job but he was pained at the ''petty'' politics being played over this issue.

''The whole issue has been blown out of proportion,'' said Arjun who accompanied his father.

The 27-year-old said, ''It would have been a tribute to my late grandfather. I think life has better things to offer me,'' said Arjun who is into acting. ''I have many ways to serve the people of Punjab,'' he added.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)