BJP, SAD Not Seeing Eye To Eye On Scope Of New Panel

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CHANDIGARH – The state BJP has expressed disagreement with Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal over the mandate and scope of the state coordination committee and district-level committees.

The Chief Minister had constituted a six-member panel on Tuesday to “further streamline day-to-day functioning and strengthen cooperation between the alliance partners.” The BJP today said that a coordination committee already existed. Set up in 2007, it was headed by the Chief Minister himself.

“It will be a misnomer to call the new panel a coordination committee. The mandate of the new panel is not to streamline day-to-day functioning but to tackle contentious issues like the spiralling sand and gravel prices, the drug menace and VAT. These were some of the issues that hurt the alliance during the parliamentary elections.

“If the committee had been set up to strengthen cooperation, the Chief Minister, Deputy CM and state BJP president would have been its members,” said Kamal Sharma. Talking to The Tribune, he said the mandate of the new panel was to pinpoint deficiencies and suggest remedial measures.

He said the new panel was constituted following marathon discussions between the Chief Minister and the BJP top brass on June 25. The Akali leaders on the committee are: Ranjit Singh Brahmpura, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa and Balwinder Singh Bhunder. The BJP is represented by Ashwani Sharma, Narottam Dev Ratti and Prof Rajinder Bhandari.