Charanjit Channi's midnight sand mining raid, PM Modi's early wish, file routing to CBI

Corridors of power: Former CM Charanjit Singh Channi's midnight riverbank tours against illegal mining have drawn scrutiny over past allegations involving his tenure and relatives. PM Modi's birthday wish to Bhagwant Mann, and the chief minister's prompt public reply before addressing Arvind Kejriwal, sparked chatter.

Controversies of yore have a way of catching up with today's crusaders. Former Punjab chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who has taken to midnight activism by touring riverbeds to expose alleged illegal mining, may have reason to remember his own stint in government.

In March 2018, then chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh spotted suspected illegal mining along the Sutlej during a helicopter sortie and ordered a crackdown. The episode soon took on a political edge when Sukhpal Singh Khaira, then an AAP leader, accused Channi of links to illegal sand mining through his nephew. Channi denied the allegations.

Now in the Opposition, Channi is back on the riverbanks, training his guns on the Mann government over mining allegedly carried out under cover of darkness. Is he merely holding the government accountable, or has the crusader forgotten that illegal mining once put him on the defensive too?

PM Modi's wish to CM Mann

Birthday wishes come with their own protocol of friendships, slights and carefully observed silences. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's birthday offered a glimpse of Punjab's political equations, with the timing of greetings and the order of thank-you notes drawing attention.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday wish came at 8 am, while Arvind Kejriwal's arrived at 11.47 am. Mann thanked the PM first on X, followed by Kejriwal exactly seven minutes later, addressing him as his "big brother". Manish Sisodia, Sanjay Singh, Aman Arora and others followed.

Mann was probably catching up on social media after landing in Paris. Meanwhile, AAP's IT cell pointed out that no Opposition leader from Punjab had wished him. It also highlighted that Sukhbir Singh Badal had not invited Mann to his daughter's wedding, though other Punjab leaders were invited.

Anurag Verma's leaves

Senior IAS officer and former chief Secretary Anurag Verma's leave has become the buzz of the week in the corridors of power. Soon after his transfer from Financial Commissioner Revenue to Financial Commissioner Development, along with the Transport portfolio, the senior IAS officer has opted for earned leave from October 19 to 30, with the adjoining gazetted holidays also sanctioned.

Whether the timing is coincidental or not, the move has certainly set tongues wagging in the bureaucracy.

During his absence, Arshdeep Singh Thind will look after the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department, while Varun Roojam will handle Transport, in addition to their existing assignments.

The arrangements ensure that the two departments do not remain unattended, but the timing of Verma's leave has fuelled curiosity about how the latest reshuffle has been received within the administrative establishment. Sometimes, even routine leave orders can become the subject of much speculation when they follow a major transfer.

CBI seeks records

The CBI's demand for government records in the alleged cash-for-transfers case involving Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann's former OSD Rajbir Singh Ghuman has set the Punjab Personnel Department on a paper chase. First, it wrote to the administrative secretaries concerned, asking them to furnish the relevant records.

Then the department sent a follow-up message with new instructions. The communication said the concerned administrative departments would send the records to the Personnel Department, with Special Secretary Gautam Jain serving as the contact point. Staff from the administrative departments would assist him and his branch. The change of route has not gone unnoticed in the government.

After all, when an investigating agency seeks files, the difference between sending them directly and routing them through the government's own personnel machinery can become a talking point. Is it tighter control, or simply making the process easier by routing the files through official channels?