- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIA’S ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) took a dig at the Indian National Congress for picking Charanjit Singh Channi as the chief minister of Punjab since the man has been accused in the past of sending inappropriate text to a woman administrative officer. However, prime minister Narendra Modi on Monday (20) congratulated Channi after he took over as the new chief minister replacing Captain Amarinder Singh who quit the post on Saturday (19) alleging that he was humiliated.
In a tweet, Modi said his government will continue to work with the Channi government of Punjab for the betterment of the people. Punjab will be heading to assembly elections early next year and while the Congress will be looking to retain power, the BJP will be keen to make inroads into the state even without the support of its former ally Shiromani Akali Dal, a key player in the state.
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“Congratulations to Shri Charanjit Singh Channi Ji on being sworn-in as Punjab’s chief minister. Will continue to work with the Punjab government for the betterment of the people of Punjab,” Modi tweeted soon after Channi, who is also the first Dalit chief minister of Punjab, was sworn in as the state’s 16th chief minister.
Congratulations to Shri Charanjit Singh Channi Ji on being sworn-in as Punjab’s Chief Minister. Will continue to work with the Punjab government for the betterment of the people of Punjab.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 20, 2021
However, on Sunday (19), the BJP mocked the Congress citing the past allegations that he had sent an inappropriate text to a woman Indian Administrative Service officer in 2018. Amit Malviya, national head of the BJP’s information technology department, tweeted, “Congress’s CM pick Charanjit Channi faces action in a 3-year-old MeToo case. He had allegedly sent an inappropriate text to a woman IAS officer in 2018. It was covered up but the case resurfaced when Punjab Women’s Commission sent notice. Well done, Rahul.”
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Congress’s CM pick Charanjit Channi faces action in a 3-year-old #MeToo case. He had allegedly sent an inappropriate text to a woman IAS officer in 2018. It was covered up but the case resurfaced when Punjab Women's Commission sent notice.
Well done, Rahul.https://t.co/5OV70lwjWT— Amit Malviya (@amitmalviya) September 19, 2021
The controversy resurfaced in May this year when the chief of Punjab’s women commission threatened to go on a hunger strike if the state government failed to clarify its stand on the text which Channi had sent within a week’s time. Channi was a minister in the Amarinder Singh government before his elevation.
Manisha Gulati, the chairperson of the panel, said she had written to the state’s chief secretary, seeking the government’s action report on the matter.
Malviya also posted a story that was reported in May saying that the rivals of Singh had accused him of “hounding” them with old cases.
The commission had taken suo motu cognizance of the matter following the 2018 allegation and had sought the government’s stand even then.
Then, Singh had reportedly asked Channi to apologise to the woman officer and had said that the matter had been “resolved” to her satisfaction.
