Hours after Akali Dal leader Sikandar Singh Maluka's daughter-in-law, and IAS officer Parampal Kaur Sidhu joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday, the Punjab Chief Minister said the administration is yet to accept her resignation as a government employee.
Sidhu joined the saffron party along with her husband in the presence of Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and BJP's national general secretary Vinod Tawde in New Delhi.
After Sidhu resigned, her resignation was sent to the chief minister by the chief secretary for his approval. Sidhu was posted as managing director of the Punjab State Industrial Corporation.
"Parampal Kaur ji's resignation as IAS officer has not been accepted by the Punjab government...Biba ji (Sidhu) was in such a hurry to become an IAS... but there was some procedure to leave. Please understand the procedure for resigning. Otherwise, your entire earnings may be at risk," the Punjab chief minister said in a post on X.
A 2011-batch IAS officer, Sidhu had put in her papers a few days back, amid speculation that she might join the BJP.
Sidhu who was to retire in October this year sought premature retirement. She may be fielded from Bathinda Lok Sabha seat which is currently represented by Akali Dal MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal.
Sidhu is the daughter-in-law of Maluka who is a senior Akali Dal leader and former minister. Maluka is a member of the SAD's manifesto committee formed for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls.