Punjab unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not giving up on its candidates who lost the last Assembly polls.
Some of the senior BJP leaders, who tasted defeat in 2012 State Assembly polls or stand marginalised otherwise, are expected to be accommodated by the party’s State leadership as the heads of various Government undertakings in the State. Sources said that among the leaders whose names have been sent for the appointment as chairmen of various boards and corporations are former Cabinet Minister Tikshan Sud, party’s former State president Rajinder Bhandari, Amritsar former Mayor Shawet Malik, and others.
The list, presently in New Delhi, with the party high command was finalised after many hiccups, fearing dissension. State BP president Kamal Sharma was also camping in the national capital, and returned on Friday. However, he refused to divulge any detail regarding high command’s decision on the list.
Even as BJP’s alliance partner - Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) has already completed the process of appointing its men on the top posts of various government boards and corporations including Punjab Mandi Board, the BJP is lagging behind in the same while finalizing the names with kid gloves. BJP’s share of boards and corporations are to be provided with new chairmen after the previous incumbents were sacked on September 30, 2012.
Besides Sud, Bhandari and Malik, the saffron party has trusted “tested and tried” - Vijay Sampla, Dr Baldev Raj Chawla, Harjit Singh Grewal, Narrottam Das Ratti - who have earlier also served as the chairmen of board or corporation. While party’s State vice-president Sampla has served as Khadi and Village Industries Board chairman, party’s senior leader and former Minister Dr Baldev Raj Chawla was the former chairman of the Punjab Water Supply and Sewerage Board.
Party’s another senior leader Harjit Singh Grewal was once the chairman of Punjab Infotech, while BJP state vice-president Narottam Ratti had been the chairman of Traders’ Board. Apart from them, the names of party’s Industry Cell’s national convener Neeraj Tayal, state BJP’s former vice-president Vinod Sharma, and former Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha state president Rajesh Honey. Honey, who secured his second consecutive victory in Amritsar Municipal Corporation in recent elections, has the backing of party’s lone MP Navjot Singh Sidhu, who himself is currently facing criticism from almost all quarters.
His “possible” appointment on one of the post is seen as party’s attempt to persuade “sulking” Sidhu. Having sound political backing, Honey was also the contender for BJP ticket from Amritsar (East) assembly constituency, but made way for Sidhu’s wife - Dr Navjot Kaur Sidhu - who has been elevated as chief parliamentary secretary in the current SAD-BJP government.
It is believed that the BJP wanted to have in its share the Khadi Board, Punjab State Industrial Export Corporation, Punjab InfoTech, Water and Sewerage Board, the Gau Sewa Board (Cow Welfare Board). Punjab Forest Corporation, Women and Child and Social Welfare Board and certain improvement trusts, market committees besides other organisations.
It has been learnt that while the BJP has proposed Sampla’s name for the chairmanship of Forest Development Corporation, Tayal’s name has been recommended for the Punjab Khadi and Village Industries Board. Vinod Sharma’s name has been advocated for Water Supply and Sewerage Board, Narottam Ratti’s for Traders’ Board, and Rajesh Honey’s name for Punjab State Youth Development Board. In all, the “cash strapped” Punjab Government has a total of 62 boards and corporations. Out of these, Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal heads five boards, while of them are headed by political appointees, the rest 12 have bureaucrats as chairpersons.