New Delhi: Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal on Sunday responded to the raging row revolving around the abolition of the Department of Administrative Reforms, which he was previously heading. The state government had clarified that the department “is not in existence as of now”.
Dhaliwal was quoted as saying by ANI: “They have now abolished the department. We have all come to save Punjab. For me, the department is not important; Punjab is important. (Whether this department exists or not) is not an agenda for us.”
What the govt notification said
On February 21, a notification was issued which confirmed that the department, which Dhaliwal was allotted along with NRI Affairs, “does not exist”.
The government notification said: “In partial modification of Punjab Government Notification No. 2/1/2022-2Cabinet/2230 dated September 23, 2024, regarding allocation of portfolios amongst the Ministers, the Department of Administrative Reforms earlier allotted to Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Cabinet Minister, is not in existence as on date.”
In May 2023, during a Cabinet rejig, Dhaliwal was assigned the administrative department portfolio. He was relieved of the Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare portfolio. However, he retained the NRI Affairs department. The portfolio of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare had been handed over to Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.
How BJP reacted
Following the move, the Bharatiya Janata Party slammed the Bhagwant Mann-led AAP government in Punjab. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, “He was heading a department for 20 months that is ‘non-existent’.” Puri added that such a situation can only occur under the leadership of the AAP government.
BJP leader Fatehjung Singh Bajwa also came down heavily on the Mann government and said it had taken Punjab back by 50 years.
Bajwa was quoted as saying by ANI: “Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal is one of the most senior leaders of the Cabinet and he was leading a non-existent Department, which means no meeting was ever taken… What kind of administrative reforms are being taken? People are going abroad through dunki routes, and no agent or tout who sent them was ever caught.”
Punjab CM’s response
In a stout defense, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann pointed out that the department was merged with another for better governance. “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, whether it is in bureaucracy or other areas,” Mann said. “We are also looking at merging several departments with similar functions into one department,” he added.
