PATIALA: Congress MLAs who belong to other backward classes (OBC) and are from Malwa and Doaba regions of Punjab, are hoping for a berth in the Punjab ministerial cabinet after Navjot Singh Sidhu quit the power minister’s post last week.
This is the second time in 70 years that there’s no OBC leader in the state cabinet, even as the ruling party has many MLAs from the category. When the SAD-BJP alliance was in power, the cabinet did not have an OBC minister because no leader from these communities was elected to the legislature.
Sources in Punjab Congress said leaders were trying to persuade chief minister Amarinder Singh to strike a caste and religion balance in the cabinet. Some leaders are contending that by not having an OBC leader in the cabinet, the Congress might alienate a community which comprises 24% of the electorate.
All 11 OBC MLAs in Punjab — Hardial Kamboj, Madan Lal, Rajinder Singh, Surjit Dhiman, Sanjay Talwar, Harjot Kamal, Angad Saini, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Rajneesh, Darshan Lal and Amarjit Singh Sandoa — are in the Congress. Sandoa had defected from AAP to the Congress in March this year. Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, who resigned after the sand mining auction row in January 2018, and Amritsar West MLA Raj Kumar Verka are also in contention for the cabinet berth. Both leaders have, so far, said they had not been asked for the job.
Rana is said to be lobbying with central leaders of the Congress as the CM reportedly has a soft corner for him. However, apart from the mining auction row, an Enforcement Directorate probe faced by his son Rana Inder Partap Singh brings down the chances of his being included in the cabinet. He is accused of floating global depository receipts for a family-owned company, allegedly without the mandatory permission of the Reserve Bank of India.
When contacted, Rana Gurjeet refuted the claim that he approached party leaders for the ministerial berth, asserting he was only working to strengthen the party and would continue to do so. He said his political rivals had been dragging his name into controversies and there was nothing against him of his family.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the CM might postpone appointing a new minister till the byelections for Jalalabad and Phagwara assembly seats.
This is the second time in 70 years that there’s no OBC leader in the state cabinet, even as the ruling party has many MLAs from the category. When the SAD-BJP alliance was in power, the cabinet did not have an OBC minister because no leader from these communities was elected to the legislature.
Sources in Punjab Congress said leaders were trying to persuade chief minister Amarinder Singh to strike a caste and religion balance in the cabinet. Some leaders are contending that by not having an OBC leader in the cabinet, the Congress might alienate a community which comprises 24% of the electorate.
All 11 OBC MLAs in Punjab — Hardial Kamboj, Madan Lal, Rajinder Singh, Surjit Dhiman, Sanjay Talwar, Harjot Kamal, Angad Saini, Sangat Singh Gilzian, Rajneesh, Darshan Lal and Amarjit Singh Sandoa — are in the Congress. Sandoa had defected from AAP to the Congress in March this year. Kapurthala MLA Rana Gurjeet Singh, who resigned after the sand mining auction row in January 2018, and Amritsar West MLA Raj Kumar Verka are also in contention for the cabinet berth. Both leaders have, so far, said they had not been asked for the job.
Rana is said to be lobbying with central leaders of the Congress as the CM reportedly has a soft corner for him. However, apart from the mining auction row, an Enforcement Directorate probe faced by his son Rana Inder Partap Singh brings down the chances of his being included in the cabinet. He is accused of floating global depository receipts for a family-owned company, allegedly without the mandatory permission of the Reserve Bank of India.
When contacted, Rana Gurjeet refuted the claim that he approached party leaders for the ministerial berth, asserting he was only working to strengthen the party and would continue to do so. He said his political rivals had been dragging his name into controversies and there was nothing against him of his family.
Meanwhile, it is learnt that the CM might postpone appointing a new minister till the byelections for Jalalabad and Phagwara assembly seats.
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