Growing footprint of Arvind Kejriwal in Punjab govt? As shake-up continues, speculation mounts

The rejig had been due since the parliamentary polls but happened finally after Kejriwal came out of jail.

The speculation about Kumar’s appointment started Monday, when Kejriwal met the Punjab Cabinet ministers one-on-one in Delhi, reviewed their performance, and also set them targets for the next year. According to government insiders, the AAP chief told the ministers he would monitor the work himself. That day, two more CMO officials, directors of communication Baltej Singh Pannu and Manpreet Kaur, were removed. On Wednesday, Anurag Verma was replaced by K A P Sinha was appointed Chief Secretary.

The speculation about Kejriwal taking more interest in the party’s affairs in Punjab has been growing as for weeks now there have been steady changes in the government. First came the Cabinet reshuffle on September 23 when the Bhagwant Mann government — the CM’s fourth since taking the reins of the state in 2022 —  removed four ministers and inducted five fresh faces. All four removed were either under the cloud of controversies or were facing anti-incumbency. But the most surprising was the removal of the Officer on Special Duty (OSD) to the CM, Onkar Singh. He is Mann’s friend and was handling his Assembly constituency of Dhuri. Earlier this month, Mann’s Director of Communications Navneet Wadhwa was asked to submit his resignation, with AAP sources terming it “Operation Cleanup” after AAP convener Arvind Kejriwal’s release from prison.

Hitting out at the AAP, Leader of the Opposition Partap Bajwa wrote on X on Wednesday, “As I’ve said before, @ArvindKejriwal takeover of Punjab’s governance is unfolding in plain sight. With Punjab ministers being summoned to Delhi and CM @BhagwantMann sidelined, Kejriwal’s control is now absolute. With two more of Mann’s close aides resigning, it’s evident that Punjab is under siege by Delhi-centric control. But the people of Punjab have never accepted being dictated to by Delhi, and they won’t start now.”

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leader Bikram Singh Majithia also targeted the ruling party, writing on X on Tuesday, “Who is Arvind Kejriwal to give directions to Ministers in absence of Punjab CM? Does this mean @BhagwantMann has been completely sidelined? Constitutional CM Punjab Bhagwant Mann was even unaware that his ministers were in Delhi to report to their boss and he called a meeting of the Cabinet in Jalandhar and had to change venue to Chandigarh and time after learning that the Ministers wouldn’t be able to reach Jalandhar where he himself reached in the evening yesterday. This is the first time history of any state that the CM is waiting for his ministers. What a shameful state of affairs in Punjab. Bhagwant Mann, who is stopping you from plain talking to your boss? You are answerable to Punjabis first and your boss later.”

However, an aide of Mann who did not wish to be named said, “This shake-up has taken place after Bhagwant Mann’s approval. I can vouch that every decision was taken only after taking the CM’s nod. There is no diktat from the top.”