Panthic Move
Bluestar DC is Badal’s choice replacing man who blocked SYL
S P Singh
Such distinctly supreme wisdom surrounds Punjab's Chief Minister Prakash Singh Badal now that he couldn't find anyone who could be made a Minister of State. Every single one of the 18 ministers had to given a Cabinet minister rank. And with the experience that only a four-time CM can be capable of, the key portfolio of Agriculture could not have been entrusted to a man of lesser intellectual rigours than Sardar Sucha Singh Ji Langah.
A leader shows is deep insight and understanding of the problems at the grassroots level with such crucial decisions.
As for the rest, the portfolio division has gone off smoothly. The alliance between the Akali Dal and the BJP is essentially an alliance between the BJP and Badal. And the portfolios show that the alliance has gained further stability. Real power has come to be concentrated between the Badals and the BJP, and since power corrupts, the rest will remain relatively uncorrupted.
The Vigilance Department was so well equipped already to check corruption in the government that there was no need to a Punjab State Vigilance Commission. The very first meeting of the Cabinet did not have to mull over the issue for more than 10 minutes to reach this conclusion. So the Vigilance Commission stays scrapped. But so important is the Vigilance Department that no one else but the Chief Minister himself would be in charge. He sure has some first hand experience also which has helped him understand the finer points of the functioning of this department.
In any case, the CM's portfolio bouquet is pretty rich in colour: Personnel, General Administration, Home Affairs and Justice, Housing and Urban Development, Excise and Taxation, Power, Employment, Legal and Legislative Affairs, NRI affairs and anything you might notice as left over.
Nephew Manpreet Singh Badal gets Finance, son-in-law Adesh Pratap Singh has been entrusted with Food and Civil Supply, son Sukhbir Singh Badal's brother-in-law Bikram Singh Majithia will ensure Water Supply and Sanitation, Information and Public Relations etc while Janmeja Singh Sekhon is incharge of irrigation. Anything important left over is with one or the other BJP friends, be it Local Government, Industry, Commerce, Parliamentary Affairs, Medical Education, Forests, Labour, Health, Transport, Technical Education...you name it, they've got it.
Captain Kanwaljit Singh is expected to co-operate and behave like a pensioner. He got Cooperation and Pensioner Welfare. Hira Singh Gabria, one of the few real mass leaders in the party, is supposed to be elated at becoming incharge of the Jails wing of Home Department, Tourism and Cultural Affairs, Printing and Stationery. Gulzar Singh Ranike, the sole Akali dalit minister (the party has 18 dalit MLAs, the state has 30 percent dalit population) was dished out Animal Husbandry and Fisheries, Dairy Development, Welfare of SCs and BCs, Sports and Youth Services.
Heavyweight Ranjit Singh Brahmpura did marginally better with Rural Development and Panchayat alongside Elections, but even he no more fancies himself as the king of Majha. Dr Upinderjit Kaur fared not so badly with Education and Civil Aviation, just as Ajit Singh Kohar's image got him Revenue.
In the name of giving prominence to the younger generation, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa's progeny has done well. Parminder Singh Dhindsa got PWD (B and R), the department often called the most lucrative, though one really does not understand how public work can be not lucrative. After all one earns so much goodwill through working for the public.
But perhaps the real story of how the Akali leaders are treated lay wrapped in a dry comment Nirmal Singh Kahlon made to one of his supporters. Dejected at his leader not being made the minister, Kahlon told him he will get something much much bigger: "I am getting Speaker-ship. Ministry is nothing. Even ministers will need my permission before they can say a word, while I can always speak, because I am the Speaker."
Why just ministers, Sir? Even the Chief Minister! But please let Gabria ji also speak sometimes. Don't just ask him to bring his speech in print and get some stationery for you. We all need a charade to survive.
March 7, 2007