Hours after Navjot Singh Sidhu slammed Amarinder Singh for singling him out for the Congress’s “poor performance” in urban areas in the Lok Sabha polls, the Chief Minister divested him of his Local Bodies, Tourism and Culture portfolios.
The portfolio reshuffle took place hours after the first state Cabinet meeting following the Lok Sabha elections. With the Congress government in the state nearing the mid-term mark, Captain Amarinder hoped the exercise would also re-energise his team and bring freshness into the working of the major departments.
Amarinder has changed portfolios of all minister except four. They include Sadhu Singh Dharamsot (Forests, Printing & Stationery, SC/BC Welfare), Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa (Cooperation, Jails), Sunder Sham Arora (Industries & Commerce), and Bharat Bhushan Ashu (Food & Civil Supplies, Consumer Affairs).
Sidhu has instead been given the departments of Power and New and Renewable Energy Sources. His Local Bodies department has been handed to Brahm Mohindra, who was earlier holding the Health and Family Welfare portfolio.
Sidhu’s other portfolio of Tourism and Cultural Affairs went to Charanjit Singh Channi, who retains Technical Education, Industrial Training and Employment General.
Balbir Sidhu has been handed over the Health Department and his portfolio of Animal Husbandry, Fisheries and Dairy has been entrusted to Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, along with Higher Education. Bajwa also retained Rural Development and Panchayats. Bajwa has been given Higher Education and Animal Husbandry because the government intends to give greater priority to these sectors, said a government statement.
However, Bajwa has been divested of Housing and Urban Development. Bajwa is considered close to the Chief Minister and changing his portfolio may cast a reflection on him. Housing and Urban Development has been handed over to Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, in place of Revenue, which goes to Gurpreet Singh Kangar, who is also handling Rehabilitation and Disaster Management.
Manpreet Singh Badal, who continues to take care of Finance, Planning and Programme Implementation but the Chief Minister has decided to take Governance Reforms into his own fold. School Education has been shifted from Om Prakash Soni to Vijay Inder Singla, who retains Public Works but hands over Information Technology to Amarinder.
Source:HT
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