Chandigarh, January 17: The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today while welcoming the Punjab and Haryana high court’s decision to set aside the appointment of the chief minister’s chief principal secretary Suresh Kumar, said the decision had put a question mark on all cabinet decisions as the officers presence in the cabinet meetings was illegal.
In a statement here, former minister and SAD spokesman Dr Daljit Singh Cheema said the very fact that the officer had knowledge of all cabinet decisions and even had a role in influencing them had made the said decisions illegal. “All these decisions should be reviewed now”, he added.
The Akali leader said Suresh Kumar should also be asked to refund the entire money he has taken as pay as well as money spent on maintaining his office and perks enjoyed by him immediately.
He said the Congress government should also tell Punjabis why it was indulging in constitutional violations. “Despite objections from all right thinking quarters that a retired officer like Suresh Kumar could not enjoy the powers of a cadre officer, the government bulldozed all opposition and appointed him to the post of chief principal secretary and gave him the pay scale of a Union cabinet secretary. This was unprecedented in the history of the State and has been rightly struck down”.
Dr Cheema said it was known to everyone that Suresh Kumar was the chief minister’s blue eyed boy and all powers were concentrated in his hands. “Now the government should review all decisions taken by the officer immediately. The chief minster’ office should also be reconstituted immediately as per constitutional norms”, he added.