Chandigarh, July 4 The AAP government in Punjab on Thursday inducted newly-elected lawmaker from Ludhiana (West), Sanjeev Arora, in the 16-member Cabinet led by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and allocated him Industry and NRI Affairs portfolios, but dropped one of the senior-most ministers Kuldeep Dhaliwal, who held the portfolio of NRI Affairs.
In a Cabinet reshuffle, Tarunpreet Singh Sond was divested of the Industry portfolio, but he will continue with the Rural Development, Labour and Tourism Departments.
Dhaliwal told the media that he submitted his resignation to the Chief Minister in the morning, ahead of the oath-taking ceremony.
“I have resigned on my own. Punjab comes first for me, the post is not important to me. I was told that someone else would be given a chance, so I said 'yes, definitely a chance should be given', and that is why I have resigned. I am with the party,” he told the media.
“For me, the Cabinet berth is not important; Punjab is important and I would continue to work without taking any break for the betterment of Punjab,” he added.
Significantly, Dhaliwal was given the Administrative Department portfolio in May 2023 during a Cabinet reshuffle when he was relieved of the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare portfolio but retained the NRI Affairs department.
After 20 months, the government notification said the Administrative Reforms Department, earlier allocated to Dhaliwal, is not in existence now.
The Bharatiya Janata Party had hit out at the AAP government with Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri saying, “He was heading a department for 20 months which is 'non-existent'. Such a thing can happen only under the leadership of the AAP government.”
Now with the dropping of Dhaliwal, the total number of ministers in the Cabinet remains 16, with vacancy of two berths.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Arora’s elevation to the Cabinet is in line with a pre-election promise of AAP National Convener Arvind Kejriwal who had publicly assured voters that Arora would be made a minister if elected.
Arora was administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor Gulab Chand Kataria at Punjab Raj Bhawan at a simple ceremony.
His induction was the seventh expansion of the Mann Cabinet in just three years. The last one took place in September last year when five -- Hardeep Singh Mundian, Barinder Kumar Goyal, Tarunpreet Singh Sond, Ravjot Singh and Mohinder Bhagat -- were inducted after dropping four ministers.
At that time the dropped ministers were Balkaur Singh, Anmol Gagan Mann, Chetan Singh Jauramajra and Brahm Shankar Jhimpa.
Businessman-turned-politician Arora won the Ludhiana (West) bypoll on June 23 by defeating his nearest rival by 10,637 votes.
He resigned from the Upper House of Parliament on Tuesday.
Arora, a first-time MP, was elected to the Rajya Sabha from Punjab on April 10, 2022, and his tenure was to end on April 9, 2028.
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