Amidst the standoff between the Council of Ministers and the Chief Secretary, lobbying has already begun for the post of Chief Secretary. At least three senior officers of Punjab cadre (1987 batch) are being considered.
However, before the spat, it was expected that the Punjab government would extend service tenure of Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, who will retire on August 31, 2020. Now, under the pressure of the cabinet ministers, the government would appoint new Chief Secy.
But, who will be the next Chief Secretary of Punjab?
As per the information acquired from sources, 3 senior officers are being considered for this post-- Special Chief Secretary Karanbir Singh Sidhu, Additional Chief Secretary Vishavjit Khanna, and Additional Chief Secretary Vinnie Mahajan.
Interestingly, Special Chief Secy Karanbir Singh Sidhu has already been a contender for this post, however, after Captain-led government came to power, Karan Avtar Singh was appointed as Chief Secy. Karanbir Singh Sidhu will retire on July 31, 2021. Presently, Sidhu is playing an active role in the fight against COVID-19 pandemic and can be seen active on social media too.
Additional Chief Secretary Vishavjit Khanna is scheduled to retire on January 21, 2021. Khanna had done a great amount of work during crop procurement. He is also considered to have an amicable relationship with SAD President and former Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal. Even though Khanna is in the race, he will still be behind Karanbir Singh Sidhu.
Additional Chief Secretary Vinnie Mahajan is due to retire on October 31, 2024. Dealing with novel coronavirus pandemic, Mahajan has played a significant role in preparing the medical system. Also, she is quite active on social media and is handling the pandemic situation efficiently.
Mahajan has also worked in the Prime Minister's Office during the rule of former PM Manmohan Singh's government. She is considered as an upright officer. Vinnie Mahajan's husband--Dinkar Gupta is serving as Punjab's Director General of Police. This couple is also known as the power couple of Punjab. Therefore, being an upright officer, Vinnie Mahajan has strong chances of being elected as Chief Secretary as her tenure is also longer than others.
The IAS lobby has also come up with the name of Home Secretary Satish Chandra. He can be seen on the post of Chief Secy for a short time as Chandra is scheduled to retire on September 20, 2020, which may prove as a negative point. But, chances of Satish Chandra being elected as Chief Secy for a short period still prevails.
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According to the sources, ministers are forming up pressure on CM Capt Amarinder Singh to replace Chief Secy Karan Avtar Singh. However, the ministers in the cabinet meeting on Monday have already asked the CM to find a solution to this problem. The ministers can also approach the Congress high command seeking the removal of Chief Secy.
It has also been learnt that the Captain's view on the issue gained momentum by the fact that Finance Minister Manpreet Badal who usually stays distant from controversies and have a calm disposition, has launched a protest against the Chief Secretary Karan Avtar Singh, which is a great matter of concern for the CM and the Congress high command.
On the other hand, Congress legislator/ Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring has fired photoshots at the bureaucrat on Twitter questioning the Chief Secretary regarding "the involvement of his son in running a distillery in Kapurthala as a partner with a top liquor contractor."
After his allegations, the position of Karan Avtar Singh has deteriorated a bit. Political experts say that if the CM Capt Amarinder removes the Chief Secretary, it will be considered his defeat as some Congress leaders have been targetting Captain's special officers for quite a long now.
Interestingly, the Chief Secretary is the Secretary to Cabinet, according to Rules of Business, Government of Punjab, and it is unprecedented that a unanimous decision was taken by the cabinet against the custodian of all records of the cabinet.