Mann govt makes 31 appointments: Kejriwal aide named pollution board chief, Pathak’s former PA to head industry board

Gupta, an AAP national spokesperson considered close to Kejriwal, succeeds Adarsh Pal Vig who was a noted environment scientist from Amritsar’s Guru Nanak Dev University.

Vig’s three-year tenure had ended in July 2024 but he had continued on the post as the government had not been able to find his successor.

Gupta, a lawyer who was working with the World Bank before quitting in 2011 to join the anti corruption movement of Anna Hazare, was also an advisor to the Environment Minister of Delhi and was later nominated as member of the State Level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA) by the Government of Delhi.

She launched a campaign Yudh Pardushan Virudh in Delhi to fight Delhi’s air pollution.

Gupta’s name along with that of 30 others office bearers of various corporations and government organisations was announced by Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann.

The Chief Minister named Deepak Chouhan as chairperson of Punjab Large Industrial Development Board.

Chouhan is an aide of AAP national organisation secretary and Rajya Sabha member Dr Sandeep Pathak and belongs to Uttar Pradesh.

Prabhvir Brar, a close aide of Delhi’s former deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia, has been appointed chairperson of PUNSUP.

Brar belongs to Punjab and has been associated with Sisodia in AAP government’s recent campaign to “revolutionise state’s education sector”.

This is not for the first time that AAP has appointed an aide of Kejriwal from Delhi in a Punjab government body.

Kamal Bansal was appointed chairperson of Tirath Yatra Samiti of Punjab recently. He was earlier heading the Delhi pilgrimage panel.

A Delhi IAS officer Satya Gopal was appointed as the chairman of the Real Estate Regulatory Authority.

He had later resigned.

Congress leader Sukhpal Singh Khaira termed the appointments of Chouhan and Gupta as “double blunder” and an insult to the AAP volunteers from Punjab.

“It shows that AAP is so bankrupt of leadership that they couldn’t find suitable persons from Punjab,” said Khaira in a post on his official handle on X.

“This is nothing but loot of Punjab’s resources by outsiders who have no respect or love for the state. Both appointments clearly show Kejriwal wants to control the industry of Punjab through his henchmen. I demand an explanation from Bhagwant Mann as to why he’s surrendering Punjab to outsiders. These blatantly wrong appointments should be scrapped immediately and eminent Punjabis should be appointed to these vital positions,” said Khaira.

Leader of Opposition in Punjab Assembly, Partap Singh Bajwa referred to the twin appointments as a “masterstroke” by Mann.

In comments posted on X, Bajwa alleged that Chouhan — “an ex-PA to AAP backroom boss Sandeep Pathak — had no industrial experience, was not a Punjabi, and his selection personified loyalty over merit.

“Meanwhile, Gupta, another non-Punjabi and former Delhi SEIAA member, is now chairperson of Punjab Pollution Control Board. Nepotism? No no… it’s called Badlav,” wrote Bajwa in his post.

Jalandhar MLA Pargat Singh too condemned the appointments and accused the AAP government of having first, through amendments to the Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, given a free hand to polluters poisoning Punjab’s waters, and mow, the key post of PPCB has been handed to Gupta.

“This blatant imposition of Delhi’s rejected advisors on Punjab’s top environmental post is a betrayal of Punjab’s people and sovereignty,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Mann government, while announcing the appointments, also accommodated former SAD leader Pawan Kumar Tinu as chairperson of Punjab State Cooperative Agriculture Development Bank.

The bank was in news lately for not being able to recover the loan lent to the farmers. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had chaired a meeting of the bank.

Besides, the AAP has tried to placate the original volunteers of the party, who were not actively participating in party programmes recently.

A volunteer, Tejpal Singh Gill, who had unsuccessfully contested Lok Sabha election in 2019 from Ludhiana, has been appointed as chairman of PUNGRAIN.

Another volunteer from Ludhiana, Deepak Bansal has been appointed Vice-Chairman of Punjab Gau Sewa Commission.

Sources said that he was not seen at party’s programmes for a long time now. With the ruling AAP facing a contest in Ludhiana West byelection, the move is aimed at placating all volunteers so that the party can put up a fight.

Others who have been accommodated include Harjinder Singh Ghangha as chairman of market committee Panje Ke Uttar, Anu Babbar and Aman Kumar Mittal as directors of Punjab Water Resources Management and Development Corporation Limited, Nayan Chabhra as Vice Chairman of Punjab Youth Development Board, Prabhjeet Singh and Amardeep Kaur as directors of PUNBUS, Daljit Singh Miadian, Lakhbir Singh Aujla and Jagsir Singh as directors of Punjab Dairy Development Board, Roby Kang as director of Infotech and Jasbeer Singh Dhanjal as director Punjab State Backward Classes and Land Development Corporation.