No plan to have separate independent Administrator for Chandigarh: MHA
Darpan News Desk IANS, 13 Aug, 2021 10:24 AM
New Delhi, Aug 13 (IANS) The Union Home Ministry on Friday clarified that it has not taken any decision to divest the Punjab Governor of the responsibility of Chandigarh's Administrator and neither was any such proposal under contemplation.
The Home Ministry's response came after the Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal's tweet apprehending that the Centre was planning to appoint a full- fledged Administrator for Chandigarh.
"The apprehension expressed in Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal's tweet that he met and urged the Union Home Minister to review the Union Government's decision to appoint a full-fledged Administrator for Chandigarh by divesting the Governor of Punjab of this charge, is unfounded," the Home Ministry spokesperson said in a tweet.
Badal, in his tweet, had said: "Met & urged Home minister Amit Shah to review the Union govt's decision to appoint a full-fledged administrator for Chandigarh by divesting Punjab governor of this charge. It's another attempt to dilute Punjab's claim to its capital city, which is totally unacceptable".
The Ministry also clarified that Badal has not raised this issue with the Union Home Minister.
In the meeting with Shah on August 11, the SAD chief said that he had noted Chandigarh was an inseparable part of Punjab and should be transferred to it as soon as possible and that there was no reason to appoint a full-fledged Administrator for it from outside the state.
Rejecting all opposition to his elevation, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi appointed Navjot Singh Sidhu as the party's new Punjab unit President along with four Working Presidents.
Calling the reports of alleged snooping on prominent citizens using Israeli Pegasus spyware as "baseless", the ruling BJP on Monday said there is not a single shred of evidence so far that links either the central government or the party to this controversy.
Congress MPs from both Houses had met on Sunday afternoon at Rajya Sabha member Pratap Singh Bajwa's residence to discuss the issues related to Punjab and sought an appointment with Gandhi.
Apart from reviewing the security arrangements in the national capital, the Delhi Police have also strengthened the security in and around the Red Fort ahead of the Independence Day.
Police said acting on a specific information, Budgam Police along with the Army's 53 RR and 43 BN of the CRPF arrested one local terrorist linked with proscribed terror outfit LeT and recovered incriminating materials, arms and ammunition including one Chinese pistol, one magazine, eight live pistol rounds from his possession.
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".
