The lunch-time entry of the new Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on the first day of the three-day Commonwealth Parliamentary Association workshop on the ‘Role of Parliamentary Agriculture Committees’ in Chandigarh on Wednesday clearly upset the Punjab Chief Minster Parkash Singh Badal.
According to sources present at the lunch, when Mr Khattar arrived at the venue escorted by the Punjab Assembly Speaker, Charanjit Singh Atwal, Mr Badal did not greet him.
Mr. Khattar is Haryana’s first Punjabi CM and a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party, an alliance partner of the ruling Shiromani Akali Dal in Punjab.
While Mr Badal remained busy talking to various delegates, Mr Khattar was swamped by BJP leaders from Punjab.
The Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Sunil Jakhar remarked on the “cold wave” between the two but senior BJP leader and a Minister in the Punjab government, Madan Mohan Mittal, said there would be “an appropriate photo session” immediately after lunch, ostensibly to prove that all was well with the alliance.
However, Mr Badal abruptly left the venue without greeting anyone.
