Need at least Class 10 to be a minister in Punjab Cong regime
New criterion has baffled many ministers eyeing cabinet posts
CHANDIGARH: Captain Amarinder Singh’s Punjab government seems to have decided to start practising what it preaches, viz the ‘Padho Punjab, Padhao Punjab’ (Read and Teach Punjab) campaign.
Nine new ministers who were inducted on Saturday have studied at least up to Class 10 and in Dalit-dominated Doaba, there is anger that Sangat Singh Gilzian lost out on a cabinet berth purely on account of his educational qualifications, or lack thereof, if Congress leaders familiar with the logic of the cabinet expansion are to be believed.
Gilzian, who has won the Urmur seat three times, hails from the Lubana community, classified as BC, which holds considerable political clout in the belt.
“Gilzian was in the race. But Congress president Rahul Gandhi did not want to accommodate those who are not even matriculates. So Gilzian, who has studied till Class 8, was dropped,” disclosed a senior leader who was involved in the choice of the inductees.
The selection was made by a panel comprising the chief minister, state Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, state affairs in-charge Asha Kumari and co-incharge Harish Chaudhary.
Gilzian, HT learns, is not amused that two-time MLA, Sham Sunder Arora, a realtor, also from Doaba, and who has completed Class 10, has made it to the cabinet and is the state’s new industry and commerce minister. Gilzian’s phone remained switched off on Monday, but a leader close to him said he is unhappy over Arora being chosen over him.
State Congress president Sunil Jakhar merely said, “The portfolios have been given entirely on the basis of capabilities of the ministers, and educational qualification was also taken into consideration.”
Of the nine ministers, four have completed either Class 10 or Class 12. Five others are graduates.
Sports minister Rana Gurmeet Singh Sodhi dropped out after Class 12, and animal husbandry and labour minister Balbir Sidhu dropped out of college.
According to a report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 38% of MLAs in the present assembly have declared their education qualification to be between Class 5 and 12, while 60% are graduate or above.
The other new ministers, Gurpreet Singh Kangar, Sukhjinder Randhawa, Bharat Bhushan Ashu and Sukhbinder Singh Sarkaria, are graduates. The highest educational qualification is of the state’s new PWD minister, Vijay Inder Singla, who is a computer engineer.
Interestingly, the state’s new education minister OP Soni, the first mayor of Amritsar (and a five-time assembly election winner) has just completed Class 12.
Still, while education seems to be a necessary condition, it doesn’t appear to have been a sufficient one. Kuljit Singh Nagra, considered a front runner for a cabinet post, didn’t get one; he has an MA and LLB.
In the cabinet of 18 ministers, one minister is still adding degrees. Technical education minister Charanjit Singh Channi, who has degrees in law, business management and political science, wants to pursue PhD in political science with the Indian National Congress as a subject. But the degrees have not helped him bag a plum portfolio.