With former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress’ vice-president Rahul Gandhi in attendance, Capt Amarinder Singh on Thursday took oath as the 26th Chief Minister of Punjab in a simple but well-attended ceremony.
Navjot Singh Sidhu was the third to take oath — after Amarinder and Patiala Rural MlA Brahm Mohindra —indicating that the former BJP MP has to satisfy with just a Cabinet berth and not the post of Deputy Chief Minister as was speculated earlier.
Along with Amarinder, who started his second inning as State’s Chief Minister, seven Cabinet Ministers and two Ministers of State took the oath of office and secrecy administered by the Governor VP Singh Badnore at Raj Bhawan.
Former Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s estranged nephew Manpreet Badal was the next to take oath, followed by Nabha MlA Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Fatehgarh Churian MlA Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Kapurthala MlA Rana Gurjit Singh, and Chamkaur Sahib MlA Charanjit Singh Channi.
Two female MlAs — Dinanagar MlA Aruna Choudhary and Malerkotla MlA Razia Sultana — inducted in the Cabinet, were given the Independent charge of Minister of State.
Despite Amarinder’s appeal to keep the ceremony low key, it was well attended by the Congress stalwarts — both national and regional leaders and their supporters making the pandal jam-packed.
As the Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal, now former, conducted the ceremony in Punjabi, Amarinder donning full-sleeve kurta and a black jacket with war medals adorning his chest, took oath in English. His loyalist Rana Gurjit Singh too followed him.
While Brahm Mohindra, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Badal, Charanjit Singh Channi, Sadhu Singh Dharamsot, Razia Sultana took oath in Punjabi, Aruna Choudhary opted for Hindi.
After taking oath, all the Ministers, except Razia Sultana, made it a point to say thanks and seek blessings of Manmohan Singh and Rahul Gandhi, who were sitting in the VVIP enclosure.
Amarinder’s Pakistan friend Aroosa Alam was the centre of attraction. Reaching much before time to attend the swearing-in ceremony along with her sister, Aroosa was seated in the first row of the VVIP enclosure. Almost all the leaders made sure to exchange pleasantries with Chief Minister’s best friend.
Among other who attended the ceremony include Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, Rajasthan’s former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot, Haryana’s former Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda, Punjab’s former Chief Minister Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, along with former Union Ministers Sachin Pilot, Ashwani Kumar, Ajay Maken, Anad Sharma, UP Congress chief Raj Babbar, Haryana Congress chief Ashok Tanwar, among others.
Former Union Minister and Amarinder’s wife Preneet Kaur also attended the ceremony along with her son Raninder Singh, Capt Amarinder’s brother Raja Malvinder Singh, his newly-wed grandson and other family members.