Parampal quits after VRS rejection, allowing her to run for office.

Chandigarh: Days after the state government refused to approve the voluntary retirement request of IAS officer and BJP’s Bathinda candidate Parampal Kaur Sidhu, she has sent her resignation to the Department of Personnel and Training (DoPT), Government of India.

Her resignation has reportedly been okayed by the Centre, which in turn has sought the comments of the state government and a no-objection certificate through a letter sent to the state government late last night.

Sources in the government confirmed that the state government had granted the NOC. The resignation now has to be approved by the DoPT.

This clears the way for the 2011-batch IAS officer and daughter-in-law of Akali Dal leader Sikandar Singh Maluka to contest the Lok Sabha elections, scheduled for June 1.

Talking to The Tribune, Parampal said it was sad at how she had been given a rough time by the incumbent AAP government, just to thwart her chances in the election. “I am told that by submitting my resignation, I will stand to lose my retirement benefits. Earlier governments did not show such vindictiveness towards officers who chose to throw their hat in the political ring, opting to contest elections from opposition parties. Voluntary retirement was given to Kunwar Vijay Pratap by the Congress government, though he contested on the AAP ticket. Earlier, the Akali-BJP government allowed VRS to Kuldeep Singh Vaid, who contested on the Congress ticket. However, since I want to serve the people of Bathinda, I have decided to let go of my life’s savings by submitting my resignation and not going in for the VRS,” she said.

It may be mentioned that Parampal had sought the VRS from the state government on April 1. When she did not hear from the government, she applied for the VRS to the DoPT on April 7, which in turn approved it on April 10. As she joined the BJP on April 11, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann warned her that her VRS application had not been accepted by the state government and that she would lose her retirement benefits. This was rebutted by the Centre, which claimed that it used its residuary powers to approve the VRS. Parampal was declared the BJP candidate from Bathinda on April 16, where she is pitted against incumbent MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian and Jeet Mohinder Singh Sidhu.