Capt to expand cabinet ahead of budget session
NEW DELHI: Punjab chief minister Captain Amarinder Singh will expand his cabinet ahead of the budget session in June.
Amarinder, who took oath on March 16 along with nine other ministers, can have a total of 17 ministers in his cabinet.
“We will have a full cabinet in place before the budget session in June when all the ministers will be in place,” he told PTI.
The state cabinet cannot exceed 15% of the total number of Vidhan Sabha seats.
Speculation is rife over new inductions in the Punjab cabinet and hectic lobbying has begun within the party. Amarinder has also decided to shed his dual responsibility of holding the post of Punjab Congress president in keeping with the “one man, one post” formula of the party.
Amarinder said he has requested Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi to take the responsibility from him and find his replacement to head the state Congress.
“I have requested the party vice-president to take away this responsibility as I have a lot of other responsibilities to fulfil as chief minister,” he said, adding that the party should remain vibrant even after the government formation and its work should not suffer.
He replied in the negative when asked if he has suggested any names to the party leadership for the state Congress chief’s post.
He said names will come up for discussion only when the issue is taken up with the party leadership.
Amarinder took oath along with cabinet ministers Brahm Mohindra, Navjot Singh Sidhu, Manpreet Singh Badal, Sadhu Singh Dharmsot, Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa, Rana Gurjit Singh and Charanjit Singh Channi, besides two women Aruna Chaudhary and Razia Sultana, who are ministers of state, on March 16, five days after election results.
AMARINDER SAYS HE HAS REQUESTED RAHUL GANDHI TO FIND HIS REPLACEMENT TO HEAD PUNJAB CONGRESS