How AAP defends Punjab minister heading 'non-existent' dept for 21 months

Chandigarh: The AAP government in Punjab came under attack from the opposition parties on Saturday after it came to light that Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal had been for 21 months holding the charge of an administrative reforms department that "did not exist".

Also read: Mann’s cocktail of comedy and governance; minister Dhaliwal heads non-existent ministry

A government notification issued on Friday said the administrative reforms department, earlier allocated to Dhaliwal, is not in existence now. Dhaliwal is now in charge of the NRI Affairs department only.

Seeking to downplay the issue, Dhaliwal said his aim is to serve Punjab and not to be in charge of any department.

"We are into saving Punjab and putting the state back on track. Departments have no meaning for me. It is up to the chief minister to get us done whatever work he wants," he told reporters in Jalandhar.

Sources said no staffer was given to the minister for the administrative reforms department and no meeting related to it was held.

The government notification read, "In partial modification of Punjab Government Notification No. 21/1/2022-2 Cabinet/2230 dated 23.09.24, regarding allocation of portfolios among ministers, the Department of Administrative Reforms earlier allocated to Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Cabinet Minister, is not in existence as on date." Therefore, on the advice of the chief minister, the governor is pleased to make the amendment effective from February 2, 2025, it said.

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. The portfolio of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare had been given to Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.

Asked about the opposition raising questions over the "non-existent" department, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann said the name of the department had been changed.

"We changed its name and created a new department. Earlier, it was just for the name. There was no staff or office. Now, it has been created to bring reforms in the bureaucracy. There are two departments, one is with minister Aman Arora," he said, adding that his government was looking to merge some departments which have the same function.

Hitting back at the opposition parties, AAP accused them of unnecessarily creating an issue.

Punjab AAP leader and party spokesperson Neel Garg said the administrative department was started in 1994. "In 2018, this department was under the then chief minister Amarinder Singh. Therefore, claims that this department never existed are completely baseless and false," he said.

Both central and state governments dissolved various departments multiple times in the past, Garg said.

"For example, during the BJP government, there used to be a 'Disinvestment Ministry' which the UPA government later dissolved because they did not feel the need for it at that time.

"Similarly, the Mann government has issued a notification dissolving the Administrative Reforms Department, as its work is being handled by the 'Governance Reforms Department.' Hence, the government no longer requires this department," said Garg in a statement.

Hitting out at the AAP government over the issue, BJP leaders said this showed the seriousness of the Mann dispensation in the state.

BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh launched a scathing attack on the Mann government, alleging a "complete collapse in governance, bringing shame to the state".

"The shocking revelation of Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal heading a 'non-existent' Department of Administrative Reforms for 20 months has exposed the utter incompetence and disorder in Bhagwant Mann's government," he said.

"This government has turned into an absolute circus. When a state is run by irresponsible and clueless leaders, this is the kind of disaster that follows," the BJP leader said in a statement.

Senior Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa ridiculed the AAP government and asked whether this was the "'badlav'" (change) that was promised.

"'Badlav'! The cabinet minister of the Aam Aadmi Party government of Punjab @KuldeepSinghAAP did not know that no file had been received from his administrative reforms department... Finally, the department has been abolished," said Bajwa in a post on X.

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia said the very fact that Dhaliwal did not know that the administrative reforms department allotted to him for the last 20 months did not exist, speaks volumes about the state of governance under the Aam Aadmi Party.

He said it was shocking that the anomaly came to light after the governor restored this department.

"Dhaliwal owes an explanation to Punjabis as to why he was oblivious to this fact even though the department was allocated to him 20 months ago. This only proves that he did not call a meeting of the department for 20 months nor did he carry out any administrative reforms in the state," the SAD leader said.

SAD leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also took a jibe at the AAP government.

"Governance @AAPPunjab style. Allocate non-existent departments to ministers who themselves are ignorant of the portfolios they hold. All this is happening because ministers have no role in governance as the government is being run by remote control from Delhi," she in a post on X.