Punjab minister flips coin to decide posting

Chandigarh: In a weird incident, Punjab technical education minister Charanjit Channi took to flipping a coin to decided the “right” candidate for the post of a lecturer in Morinda Polytechnic College, where two candidates were adamant to be posted.

The minister had called 37 newly-recruited candidates along with their appointment letters to his office in Chandigarh to decide their postings. During the meeting, two candidates stuck to their guns, preferring a posting in Morinda Polytechnic College. However, Mr Channi found a way out and took out a coin from his pocket and flipped it into the air. The candidate who won the toss was given the posting in Morinda. The video of Mr Channi tossing the coin has also gone viral on social media.

This is not for the first time Mr Channi has courted such a controversy. Known for his superstitious beliefs, Mr Channi had earlier rode an elephant in the courtyard of his house in Kharar on the advice of his astrologer, purportedly to get a plum post in Capt. Amarinder Singh’s Cabinet. Similarly, on becoming a minister, he had constructed a road in the middle of a park just in front of his official residence.

Meanwhile, a spokesperson of the Punjab government defended Mr Channi’s move. Stating that both the candidates were vying for the same post, he said, “One of them said his scores were better than the other candidate, while the other one said he was more experienced.