Punjab Assembly elections | Amarinder flays Congress over Ajay Maken’s appointment
The Hindu
He was appointed as chairman of the screening committee for Punjab polls
Former Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Tuesday hit out at the Congress “high command” for appointing Ajay Maken as the screening committee chairman for shortlisting candidates for the upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab.
Capt. Amarinder said Mr. Maken was the nephew of late Lalit Maken, who was one of the accused of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots in Delhi. “The Congress could not have nominated a worst person than Mr. Maken, for the job as while on the one hand, the Central Government is moving ahead with prosecution of another culprit, Sajjan Kumar, while the Congress is rewarding the Makens and that too in Punjab, thus rubbing salt into Punjabis’ wounds,” he said in a statement.
“The Congress party should have avoided naming someone like Mr. Maken. Mr. Maken was not qualified enough to head the Screening Committee with veteran leaders like Ambika Soni and Sunil Jakhar being kept under him,” he added.
More than 2.6 lakh village and ward volunteers in Andhra Pradesh, once celebrated as the government’s grassroots champions for their crucial role in implementing welfare schemes, are now in a dilemma after learning that their tenure has not been renewed after August 2023 even though they have been paid honoraria till June 2024. Disowned by both YSRCP, which was in power when they were appointed, and the current ruling TDP, which made a poll promise to double their pay, these former volunteers are ruing the day they signed up for the role which they don’t know if even still exists