Members raise eyebrows as Punjab Cabinet expansion delays

The aspirants of Punjab Cabinet berth are waiting in the wings. But for them, the wait is getting irritatingly longer as the much-awaited cabinet expansion is deferring over and over again.

Even as the Chief Minister  Amarinder Singh and Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar are ready with their valued “list”, the induction of new Ministers will once again be put on hold with the Congress national president Rahul Gandhi being out of country.

The one after another delay has raised many eyebrows in the political circles with the rival parties believing that the delay, on the part of party high command, was deliberate. Notably, Capt Amarinder Government has been planning mega celebration on completion if its first year in March, and it wanted to inducted more faces in the Cabinet as its part.

With nine cabinet berths to be filled and probability of replacing a few, the hopefuls are waiting with a bated breath for the expansion since November last year. Capt Amarinder initially inducted eight senior MLAs as his Cabinet Ministers, announcing that expansion will be done in the due course of time.

The expansion was first put off for civic body polls in December, and then in February. Capt Amarinder has all along been saying that new ministers will be inducted after Ludhiana municipal corporation elections, that concluded on February 27.

“The expansion was expected in the first week. But with the party chief not in India, it is postponed as of now. The list of suitable names is ready but it needs to be approved by the high command,” a senior party leader told The Pioneer, off the record.The Congress leader added that the meeting would soon be scheduled once Rahul Gandhi returned.Of late, Capt Amarinder, Jakhar and the state party affairs in-charge Asha Kumari held meetings to finalise the names of the candidates for cabinet berths.

With Rahul Gandhi likely to return by March 10, the chances of expansion are low considering the fact that Congress has its plenary session scheduled from March 16, and the party chief may get busy preparing for the same.

That is not all! The chances further become dim as the government is planning to hold its Budget session in the third week, and the decision for the same would be taken in Wednesday’s cabinet meeting.It has been learnt that the Government has, as of now, decided to call the session on March 19.

“It is quite funny situation...we become anxious whether we would fund our name in the list or not at one point of time, and on the other, it was told that it won’t happen now...It’s becoming hide and seek game,” an aspirant, who is quite confident of making it to the cabinet, said.The similar was situation of many other hopefuls for the ministerial berths.Notably, soon after the Ludhiana civic body polls, Jakhar has been camping in Delhi for likely expansion.

Things are become more and more worrying for Capt Amarinder as he was under pressure, not only from his rivals but also from within his own party to perform and fulfil tall promises the party made before coming to power.In the recent pre-budget meeting with the party representatives, the MPs and MLAs take on their own government for its failure to fulfil the promises and controlling mafia system.