Bhattal speaks to reporters on Amarinder

CHANDIGARH: Punjab agriculture minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal on Saturday said it was "too early" to say anything about change in the attitude and functioning of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh.
Speaking to reporters after adjournment of the case against her at a local court here, Bhattal said she was happy that the truth was coming out now.
"Though he (Amarinder) has admitted that there were some mistakes in the past, let us see how he changes himself, let us see," she said.
At the same time Bhattal lambasted the political advisers of the chief minister and some officers in the CM office for working against her.
"There are certain elements close to the chief minister who want to scuttle the truth and create differences between me and the chief minister and are trying to mislead him. They should be isolated," she said.
When asked as to what will happen to such officers Bhattal said, "They will go home."
She claimed that she had accepted the post of deputy chief minister only after the party president Sonia Gandhi asked her to do so. “We (the dissidents) never asked for any post.
We demanded a change, but keeping in view the possibility of early Lok Sabha elections, we have now decided to rededicate ourselves and work to make the Congress successful in these elections," the agriculture minister said.
"Making me deputy CM was a part of the package and there is more to come," Bhattal said hinting at the possibility of her supporters being accommodated with ministerial births.
On the charges of misappropriation of funds from the chief minister''s fund, she said "He and his lawyer P N Lekhi have cooked up lies. The code of conduct was not in operation on that day and the amount was given to need persons and institutions. The CM in his/her capacity is authorised to withdraw the amount and it is his/her discretion where to use it."
Bhattal was referring to the complaint by Balwant Singh Dhillon that the amount had been misappropriated and withdrawn on the day when the model code of conduct was in operation.