Cabinet rejig: Khudian gets agri, Balkar local govt; Dhaliwal loses key portfolios

CHANDIGARH: Two newly inducted ministers – Gurmeet Singh Khudian and Balkar Singh – were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Punjab governor Banwarilal Purohit on Wednesday, following which chief minister Bhagwant Mann announced reallocation of portfolios, taking away key departments from Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal.
While Dhaliwal’s portfolio of agriculture and farmers’ welfare goes to Khudian, Balkar Singh has been given local government and parliamentary affairs, two departments held by Inderbir Singh Nijjar, who resigned on the eve of cabinet expansion. With elections of four civic bodies expected to be announced in the state soon, Balkar will have to play a crucial role. Transport minister Laljit Singh Bhullar has got Dhaliwal’s other important charge of rural development and panchayats.
Khudian has also been allocated animal husbandry, fisheries and dairy farming and food processing, which were earlier with Bhullar. Dhaliwal, who holds the charge of NRI affairs, has been compensated with the department of administrative reforms, earlier with Nijjar. Similarly, conservation of land and water department, a portfolio held by Nijjar, now goes to water resources, mines and geology minister Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer.
Apart from acting as a troubleshooter for the party to negotiate with protesting groups, Dhaliwal had been supervising finalisation of the agriculture policy and running a campaign to reclaim encroached panchayat land.
The downsizing of Dhaliwal’s portfolios and Nijjar’s exit on “personal grounds” come in the backdrop of remarks by the two leaders that seemed to be out of turn and put the state government in an embarrassing position. Nijjar sought to defend the editor in chief of a Punjabi newspaper, who was summoned by the vigilance bureau in connection with an ongoing probe related to the alleged misuse of funds during the execution of the Rs 315-crore Jang-E-Azadi Memorial. On the other hand, Dhaliwal had stated that he would speak to the chief minister to include IELTS in the curricula of colleges and universities.
Reacting to Dhaliwal’s statement, leader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa had recently taken a jibe at AAP, saying this was in contradiction to CM’s assurance to stop the brain drain from Punjab.
An official, meanwhile, said with the expansion, the total strength of the cabinet had increased to 16, including the CM. The reallocation of portfolios was tweeted by Mann.
Earlier in the day, at a brief ceremony in the Raj Bhawan, chief secretary Vijay Kumar Janjua conducted the proceedings with the permission of the governor. Mann was also present on the occasion. After being sworn in, Khudian and Balkar Singh signed the oath, which was countersigned by the governor.