Chandigarh: Chief Minister Beant Singh, last week secured resignations of all his ministerial colleagues to pave the way for reconstitution of the State Minis try. But the going will be tough for the chief minister’s plans. His aim evidently was to deprive Harcharan Singh Brar of his department of irrigation and power, if not to drop him from the ministry.
In the meantime, a storm has been created by the B.K.U. which is spearheading the peasantry’s movement against resumption of work on the S.Y.L. Canal
Intelligence agencies have reported to the center that the B.K.U. movement would lead to the revival of the militant movement. Presumable due to this assessment, the prime minister has asked the chief minister to go slow on the cabinet reshuffle,
The center wants the SY.L. Canal to be completed but is afraid of its likely political consequences, the chief minister wanted to make changes in the Cabinet because the irrigation and power minister is opposed to the canal proposal but Beant Singh is determined to carry Out the Center’s orders.
The prime ministers caught in a cobweb on the multimillion dollar bribe issue and wants the chief minister to proceed with caution. That is why the reconstruction of the ministry has been delayed.
Article extracted from this publication >> July 9, 1993
