Synopsis
The AAP government in Punjab faced embarrassment as NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was found managing a non-existent department for 20 months. The Chief Secretary's notification confirmed the department's absence, leading to criticism from the opposition BJP and revealing deeper issues within the government.Key Takeaways
- AAP government in Punjab is facing embarrassment.
- NRI Affairs Minister Dhaliwal managed a non-existent department.
- The Chief Secretary's notification confirmed the lack of existence.
- Opposition BJP criticized the government over the situation.
- Critics call this the 'Kejriwal Model' of governance.
Chandigarh, Feb 22 (NationPress) - In a turn of events that has left the AAP government in Punjab feeling embarrassed, NRI Affairs Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was found to be leading a department that has been merely a formality for nearly 20 months, lacking any staff allocation.
This revelation emerged from a gazette notification released by the Chief Secretary on Friday, which confirmed that the Department of Administrative Reforms, previously assigned to Dhaliwal, was effectively nonexistent.
Henceforth, Dhaliwal will only oversee the NRI Affairs Department.
According to the notification, the adjustment of Dhaliwal's portfolio was made under the directive of Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and was implemented on February 7, 2025.
Initially, Dhaliwal had been responsible for the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare portfolio.
During a Cabinet reshuffle in May 2023, he was given the Administrative Reforms Department, yet in another reshuffle in September 2024, he continued to be associated with the “non-existent” department.
The Opposition BJP criticized the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government, referring to this decision as a representation of the “Kejriwal Model.”
Journalist Kanchan Gupta mocked the situation on X, stating, “Punjab had a Minister for Administrative Reforms but no Ministry of Administrative Reforms. The AAP government led by CM Bhagwant Mann was blissfully unaware of this until it removed the title of Minister for Administrative Reforms. This is the Kejriwal Model.”
BJP's IT Cell chief Amit Malviya described AAP chief Arvind Kejriwal as a “charlatan who should be removed from public life.”
“Consider the chaos in the Punjab government if it took almost 20 months to realize that a department assigned to one of its key ministers never existed,” he commented on X.
Former Union Minister and Akali Dal leader Harsimrat Kaur Badal remarked, “Such occurrences are happening in Punjab as it is being controlled remotely from Delhi.”
