No plan to have separate independent Administrator for Chandigarh: MHA

New Delhi: The Union Home Ministry on Friday clarified that it has not taken any decision to divest the Punjab Governor of the responsibility of Chandigarh's Administrator and neither was any such proposal under contemplation.

The Home Ministry's response came after the Shiromani Akali Dal President Sukhbir Singh Badal's tweet apprehending that the Centre was planning to appoint a full- fledged Administrator for Chandigarh.

"The apprehension expressed in Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal's tweet that he met and urged the Union Home Minister to review the Union Government's decision to appoint a full-fledged Administrator for Chandigarh by divesting the Governor of Punjab of this charge, is unfounded," the Home Ministry spokesperson said in a tweet.

Badal, in his tweet, had said: "Met & urged Home minister Amit Shah to review the Union govt's decision to appoint a full-fledged administrator for Chandigarh by divesting Punjab governor of this charge. It's another attempt to dilute Punjab's claim to its capital city, which is totally unacceptable".

The Ministry also clarified that Badal has not raised this issue with the Union Home Minister.

In the meeting with Shah on August 11, the SAD chief said that he had noted Chandigarh was an inseparable part of Punjab and should be transferred to it as soon as possible and that there was no reason to appoint a full-fledged Administrator for it from outside the state.