To ease the deadlock between the government and liquor contractors in Punjab, who have refused to open liquor vends citing losses, Punjab government had decided to hold a cabinet meeting on Saturday. However, the meeting did not go well. Objecting to the alleged remarks by the Chief Secretary, Finance Minister Manpreet Badal was the first to walk out of the meeting.
The meeting was called to discuss the new liquor policy, before it was to be approved in the Cabinet meeting scheduled for Saturday evening.
As per reports, a heated discussion took place between a minister and a bureaucrat after which ministers opted to walk out of the meeting.
The situation became tense when during the discussion, the bureaucrat made observations about the non-viability of certain suggestions put forth by the ministers. Certain remarks reportedly made by the bureaucrat were objected to by the Finance Minister, who stood up and left the meeting.
Later, Cooperation Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa also reportedly made certain observations against the functioning of the Excise Department.
Though the senior officials tried to persuade the ministers, they had started leaving the venue. The meeting was to be followed by lunch before the Cabinet meeting. But after the disagreement, the Cabinet meeting was postponed till Monday.
The ministers suggested a government department taking control of the unsold vends and certain other changes in the excise policy.
The other ministers present at the meeting were Tript Rajinder Bajwa, Balbir Sidhu, Vijay Inder Singla and OP Soni.
Before leaving, the ministers reportedly expressed anguish over the delay in finalizing the excise policy and bureaucracy calling the shots in decision-making in the government.
Ever since the Covid-19 lockdown began, some of the ministers have been reported to be angry over being ignored in decision-making and the bureaucrats running the show.