A dispute over the attendance of outsourced employees at the Maluka Nagar Panchayat office in Bathinda district led to a heated exchange between AAP’s Rampura Phul MLA Balkar Singh Sidhu and senior Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader-cum-former minister Sikander Singh Maluka on Tuesday.The police had to intervene to defuse the situation. Supporters of Maluka later raised slogans against the MLA when he was leaving the office.Sidhu had reached the Nagar Panchayat office to check the attendance register following complaints from some outsourced employees that they had been marked absent by the Nagar Panchayat president. According to the MLA, the register was not available at the office. He was reportedly told that the president had taken it to his residence.On learning about the MLA’s visit, Maluka too reached the office along with his supporters. The two sides then entered into a heated argument over the issue.Notably, Maluka Nagar Panchayat is under the control of the SAD.Maluka rejected the MLA’s allegations, saying that no employee had been marked absent. He further said the MLA had no right to interfere in the day-to-day functioning of the Nagar Panchayat.He said if any verification of employees’ attendance was required, the concerned administrative officials could have been called to the spot. He accused the MLA of interfering in the civic body’s functioning and creating an unpleasant situation.The MLA, however, said he had gone to the office to safeguard the interests of the employees. He said the state government was working towards regularising contractual employees and any adverse attendance record could affect the process. He alleged that the employees were being subjected to injustice.Rajnish Kumar, executive officer (EO), Maluka Nagar Panchayat, said, “There was some issue over the attendance register of outsourced employees, which included some sanitation workers and clerks. I have written against the Junior Engineer for failing to produce the register.”