According to the number of MLAs in Punjab, only 18 including the Chief Minister can become ministers. But, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) expanded the cabinet 7 times and got 24 MLAs the post of minister. Currently there are 16 ministers including CM Bhagwant Mann. At the same time, the chair of 8 MLAs who were made ministers has been snatched.
Among these, 2 were also accused of corruption, but now there is talk of them getting a clean chit. However, formally the government or the police did not say anything about this. At the same time, the 9th minister Gurmeet Meet Hayer had to leave the chair after being elected MP.
In the year 2022, AAP won 92 out of 117 seats in the Punjab Assembly elections. Since then, the AAP government has now made the ministerial post a formula to win the by-elections. AAP’s bet of making Mohinder Bhagat a minister after winning first in Jalandhar and now Sanjeev Arora in Ludhiana proved to be correct.
Recently, Tarn Taran MLA Kashmir Singh has passed away. In such a situation, 2 ministerial posts are vacant in the Punjab cabinet which has 16 ministers instead of 18. AAP can use the same formula there too.
This discussion of distributing ministerial posts is increasing after recently making Sanjeev Arora a minister and removing Kuldeep Dhaliwal from the ministerial post. When AAP formed the government for the first time, it had made only 10 ministers including the CM. Now know about the changes in the AAP cabinet and which leaders were removed from the ministerial post…
Reason: While being the Health Minister, Dr. Vijay Singla was accused of demanding 1% commission in contracting cases. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took the matter seriously and immediately dismissed him from the cabinet. This action was taken under the Aam Aadmi Party’s “zero tolerance” policy towards corruption.
Result: Dr. Singla was also arrested by the Vigilance Bureau. This was the first major action taken in such a sharp and public manner in a corruption case in a current government, giving a clear message to the government that it will not back down from taking action even against its own ministers. This decision was seen as an example of political ethics in the state. However, now the police has given a clean chit to Vijay Singla in this case.
Reason: Fauja Singh Sarari, who was the minister of Scheduled Caste Welfare and Food Processing Department, came under controversy due to an alleged audio clip that went viral on social media. In this audio, he was heard talking to a person, in which he was discussing the strategy to implicate political opponents in false cases. Although he denied the audio, the opposition parties attacked the government fiercely and demanded action on the basis of morality.
Result: Amid the ever-increasing controversy and public pressure, Sarari resigned on 7 January 2023. Even though he outrightly rejected the allegations against him, by resigning he made the matter deeper. The government also made it clear by appointing a new minister in his place that the government will not tolerate any kind of negligence regarding image and purity. This matter came to the fore as an example of political ethics versus crisis management within the ruling party.
Reason: Inderbir Singh Nijjar, who was handling important departments like Municipal Bodies and Parliamentary Affairs, resigned from the post of minister on 31 May 2023 citing personal reasons. There was no public controversy, administrative lapse or allegation of corruption before his resignation. Because of this, his decision was seen as a sudden and peaceful change in political circles. There was no comment from the government or the party leadership regarding his resignation, which made it clear that the matter was completely related to internal consensus.
Result: After resigning, it was indicated that Nijjar can now play an organizational role in the party, especially in the direction of strengthening the party in his area. Although he did not announce any active post, political analysts believe that this resignation could be a link to the internal balance and administrative restructuring of the party. This development was considered an example of a decent and dignified resignation within the party.
Reason: Brahm Shankar Jimpa, who was handling important departments like Revenue, Rehabilitation and Water Supply, was removed from the post of minister on 23 September 2024 as part of a cabinet reshuffle. Although no official reason was made public by the government, there was talk in political circles that there was dissatisfaction over the functioning of his departments and the government could not get the expected results from them. Criticism had been coming up regarding his leadership, especially in the field of water supply schemes and revenue reforms.
Result: Despite being removed from the post of minister, Jimpa did not make any public statement or disagreement and he is still active in the party as an MLA. His behavior was considered disciplined and dedicated to the organization in political circles. Some analysts believe that he may get some responsibility in the party organization in future. This change was also considered a sign of efficiency-based evaluation and performance-focused cabinet policy by the government.
Reason: Chetan Singh Joda Majra was inducted into the cabinet in July 2022 and was given the portfolio of Health and Family Welfare. As a minister, he raided several hospitals and health institutions, one of which became quite controversial.
