The Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP)-led government was so confident of returning to power that it had asked departments to prepare an agenda for first 100 days of the new regime. Thirteen departments had given presentations to Chief Secretary Ajoy Mehta a day before the State went to polls on October 21.
On Wednesday, when the former chief minister’s office along with those of cabinet ministers were sealed, the presentations were thrown into a bin while teary-eyed staff bid goodbye to each other following imposition of President’s Rule.
“The departments were asked to draw up a 100-day plan for the new government, including work on extension of the ongoing programmes carried out in the last five years. In the middle of the presentation, several officials had even raised objections that what would happen if the ruling government was not voted back to power? It looks like a wasteful exercise now in hindsight,” a bureaucrat said.
With imposition of President’s Rule, the powers of the ministers will likely pass onto the department secretaries, while the Governor will run the administration with the help of an advisor.
When President’s Rule was imposed in 2014, the Centre had appointed Anil Baijal — presently Lieutenant Governor of Delhi — at a salary of ₹80,000 as an advisor. The rule had lasted 33 days from September 28 to October 31.
But this time, the Governor has so far not recommended an advisor. “It all depends on his discretion and need be he (Governor) may recommend even more than one advisor,” an official said.
Officials in the Law and Judiciary department said no major policy decisions could be taken during the time. Provisions for any natural calamity would come from the consolidated funds. If the rule stretches till the Budget, Parliament could pass an appropriation Bill, also known as supply Bill or spending Bill, as the law authorises the expenditure of government funds in the State.
Sources said the former ministers including the CM also get 15 days to vacate their official bungalows. Many have already started the process of vacating offices and bungalows.
