Punjab CM again called to Delhi over cabinet expansion
Darpan News Desk IANS, 24 Sep, 2021 10:26 AM
New Delhi, Sep 24 (IANS) Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has been called to Delhi for the third time on Friday evening after meeting Rahul Gandhi late on Thursday night with the meeting continuing till 2 am.
Sources said that he has been called for last minute fine-tuning of the Punjab cabinet after some state leaders urged the party high command to address their concerns.
Some new faces are likely to be inducted in the state cabinet, but it will not be entirely new and people from all backgrounds will be given chance to serve in the Channi cabinet.
Rahul Gandhi met Channi along with the party's Punjab in-charge Harish Rawat and General Secretary K.C. Venugopal late on Thursday. Before that, Rahul held a separate meeting with Rawat.
The party does not want to drop all the ministers in the past cabinet as it will strengthen former Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's side. These MLAs could be crucial ahead of the Assemby elections in Punjab scheduled next year.
As the Pegasus spyware scandal unravelled within and outside Parliament, he termed it a "shocking assault" on India's democratic polity by the Union government, which had compromised the national security with "this blatantly disgraceful act".
The shocking incident happened on Sunday when the lawyer, Satyadev Joshi and his associate Ankit Tandon had gone to survey a land for a client in Dahisar suburb.
Delhi Social Welfare Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam on Friday urged the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) that the interview board should not be made aware about the caste of candidates before it. His suggestion came amid allegations of caste-based discrimination in UPSC interviews.
Water-logging was reported from chronic spots of Dadar, Parel, Wadala, Sion, besides low-lying areas in Malad, Santacruz, Dahisar. While the suburban services on the Central Railway were hit badly with delays of over 30-minutes due to speed restrictions, Western Railway traffic has not been affected.
Thousands of Congress workers greeted Priyanka at the Chaudhary Charan Singh airport and a long winding convoy of vehicles accompanied her as she headed for the Congress headquarters, covering a distance of about 13 kilometres.
Two men aged 32 and 40 drowned in the swimming pool of a hotel located on the Pataudi-Helimandi Road in Gurugram's Pataudi area on Friday. The police have identified the deceased persons as Rajesh and Sher Singh, both residents of Jatauli village in Pataudi.
