Capt Amarinder Singh led Congress Government means business. The day one saw not just major administrative shakeup, but also tough decisions and austerity measures by the newly elected ministers.
Capt Amarinder wasted no time and take over the charge, hours after he sworn in, for the second time, as the Chief Minister. Soon after, Punjab’s new “captain” made it clear that it would keep its promise with the people of Punjab by implementing each and every assurance the party doled out in its election manifesto.
Two of the Cabinet Ministers even gave a clear signal to the people of Punjab that they were one of them by foregoing the red beacon, while one of them asked the officers concerned to brief him about his department.
On the very first day, a total of 32 IAS and as many as 41 IPS officers were transferred with the appointment of Karan Avtar Singh as new chief secretary, senior advocate Atul Nanda as Advocate General, among others.
Assuring to fulfill all the promises made in the Congress manifesto for Punjab’s development, Capt Amarinder said that he will work on programmes mentioned in the manifesto from Monday and he will take up most of the issues in the first Cabinet meeting on Saturday.
Capt Amarinder reiterated his promise to constitute a Special Task Force (STF) to wipe out the drugs menace from the state within four weeks, as promised in the Congress poll manifesto.
“Farm loan waiver, industrial revival and employment are some of the other programmes high my government’s agenda, which I would take up on priority,” he added.
Second-time Minister, Manpreet Singh Badal, led by example and refused to accept the Government security and a Government vehicle.
The ‘ministerial car' and a team of security personnel allotted to all the Ministers to be sworn in, as per the arrangement, was sent to Manpreet’s residence, who declined to have both.
Manpreet has all along been made pressing against the VVIP culture, and maintaining that he would not use red beacon over his vehicle if come to power, with slogan of ‘ending the VVIP culture’.
“We are also committed to ending the VIP culture,” Manpreet told The Pioneer, while adding that the Congress government is also committed to eliminating the drug menace in the state.
Following the suit, Channi is also said to have refused to use the red beacon. “I will not have a red beacon on my official car,” he said.
Manpreet, who once again got the finance portfolio, maintained that Congress government’s priority would be to restore Punjab’s “lost glory”.
“We will work for Punjab’s lost glory…We are committed to bring the state back on the path of growth and development,” said the estranged nephew of former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal.
Manpreet had served as the finance minister in the SAD-BJP government in 2007 but was ousted from the cabinet and also the party for supporting Congress led Centre’s Government’s loan waiver which was opposed by his government.
“Our main focus would be to bring the state's economy, which has been completely devastated under the SAD-BJP regime, back on track,” he said, een before he was officially allotted the finance portfolio.
He added that the new government would “undo” many “lopsided” policies of the previous SAD-BJP government. “Education, health, improving the lot of farmers, getting investments for the state, urban development to improve the infrastructure, are some of the areas which will be immediate focus areas of the present government,” he said adding that we are committed to improve the per capita income of our people and generate new avenues of employment.
The first-time MlA and the first-time Minister, the cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu, who has to satisfy with the post of Cabinet Minister as the Chief Minister Capt Amarinder opted to go without his deputy, took to work on the first day.
Allotted the local Government Department along with Tourism, Sidhu has asked the officers concerned to brief him. “He has asked the officers to brief him about the department and give his complete presentation,” said Sidhu’s close aide.
FIRST-TIMER CABINET
Other than Capt Amarinder and Manpreet Badal, all the member of the Cabinet are the first-timers.
Brahm Mohindra is the senior-most MlA, entering Vidhan Sabha for the sixth time. While Rana Gurjit is the richest, Sidhu is the highest earner among them all.
The two women ministers — Aruna Choudhary and Razia Sultana — has been given the Minister of State (independent charge).
GOT MAJITHIA’S VEIHClE: RANA
When asked about portfolio after swearing-in, Rana Gurjit Singh quipped that he was unaware about that. “But I have got the vehicle which was earlier with Bikram Majithia,” he said.
Rana Gurjit was known for his infamous altercation with the former Minister Majithia inside the Punjab Vidhan Assembly/