Punjab Cabinet reshuffle on cards, CM Bhagwant Mann proposes to take away 2 key portfolios from Aman Arora

Tribune News Service

Ruchika M Khanna

Chandigarh, March 15

Punjab Chief minister Bhagwant Mann has sought the permission of Governor Banwarilal Purohit for a reshuffle in the portfolios of his Cabinet colleagues.

In the proposed reshuffle, Bhagwant Mann has proposed to take away two key portfolios of Housing and Urban Development and Information and Public Relations from Aman Arora. He is the third senior most minister in the Mann Cabinet, after the CM and Finance Minister Harpal Cheema.

The department of Governance Reforms has been proposed to be taken from Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer and Removal of Grievances from Anmol Gagan Maan.

These two departments are proposed to be been given to Arora. CM Mann has himself given the department of Employment Generation and Training to Arora.

While CM Mann has himself intended tokeep the portfolio of Housing and Urban Development, it is proposed that Chetan Singh Jouramajra be given the charge of Public Relations department.

Though party leaders term this reshuffle as “routine”, the fact that this comes days after the Secretary of Public Relations Department Rahul Bhandari was transferred, has raised eyebrows. The change in minister’s portfolio comes amidst tensions over release of money for advertisements by administrative secretaries of different departments, rather than by the Public Relations department itself.

It may be noted that in the last rejig of the Cabinet in January, when Dr Balbir Singh was inducted in the Cabinet as a replacement for Fauja Singh Sarari, Jouramajra had to let go of Health Department and was given the charge of Defence Services Welfare, Food Processing and Horticulture Departments, in what was then perceived to be a snub by Mann. The department of Food Processing is now proposed to be given to Laljit Singh Bhullar.

Party sources have told The Tribune that the issue was discussed between CM Mann and the Aam Aadmi Party supremo Arvind Kejriwal, during their visit to Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh.

Official sources in the Punjab Raj Bhawan told The Tribune that though they have received the letter from the Chief Minister, for reallocation of portfolios, the Governor has yet to sign the file, following which a notification will be issued.

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