Chahal rejoins, dissidents mum

Three months after he was virtually thrown out from the corridors of power in the wake of dissidence, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh’s offic...

Three months after he was virtually thrown out from the corridors of power in the wake of dissidence, Punjab CM Amarinder Singh’s official adviser and unofficial Man Friday Bharat Inder Singh Chahal has rejoined office.

And in the same post — as media advisor to the CM — after Amarinder had gone on record to say that Chahal might not return in the same capacity and would be given some other responsibility.

Asked if there was any opposition within the Congress to his rejoining, Chahal said he was not aware of any. ‘‘All I know is that I had gone on leave for three months and I joined yesterday,’’ Chahal told The Indian Express. Deputy CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, who is known to be a Chahal baiter, remained unavailable for comment. But sources close to her said she was not going to rake up the issue lest she is accused of marring poll prospects.

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Chahal’s exit had come just days before Amarinder was forced by the dissidents in December last year to remove Principal Secretary Home, Sanjit K. Sinha, from his job as Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister.

Bhattal had later maintained that her elevation to the rank of Deputy CM was only part of a compromise formula, the other components of which included removal of the army of advisors, political secretaries and OSDs to CM besides a Cabinet expansion. Neither happened. And a marginalised Bhattal has since stopped pushing the line.

Bhattal did not take any stand even on the controversial selection of Chahal’s son Bikramjit Inder Singh as a DSP under the sports quota. Chahal survived the row to come back into reckoning, though insiders say he was never out of it.

With Chahal’s rejoining, the CMO seems fast adopting the look that it had to shun in the wake of dissidence which even threatened the government. Vigilance Bureau chief A.P. Pandey, who was shunted out is back and sources said Sinha and Chahal continue to call the shots. Sources said MLAs led by Minister Partap Singh Bajwa are not happy with Chahal’s return but is maintaining a tactical silence.