Opposition parties in Punjab on Sunday criticised the Punjab government for replacing the chief minister as the chairman of the urban development authorities with the chief secretary, accusing AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal of assuming the role of “de facto chief minister of Punjab, reducing Mann to a mere puppet”. On Saturday, the Punjab Cabinet gave powers of the chairman of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Board (PRTPD) to the chief secretary. With this development, the chief minister will no longer be the head of this board, and the chief secretary will approve projects initiated by various development authorities in the state. Leading the charge, Punjab leader of the Opposition and Congress leader Partap Singh Bajwa condemned the Cabinet's decision as “a direct assault on Punjab's self-respect”. “Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann hasn't just mortgaged Punjab's authority to Delhi's whims - he has sold his soul for the perks and privileges of power. The @CsPunjab takes orders from the Punjab Development Commission controlled by Delhiwalas, reducing the elected chief minister of Punjab to a mere puppet. This is a de facto coup of Punjab's democratic mandate,” Bajwa posted on X. Reacting to the decision, Punjab Congress Committee president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said, “AAP has been blatantly trying to weaken the institution of the chief minister by replacing him with an in-service bureaucrat to head various development boards, which will make them completely unaccountable to the public”. The PCC chief said no excuse could justify replacing the chief minister with the chief secretary. “Where will this all stop?” he asked, referring to “undermining and eroding the authority of the constitutional position of the chief minister, who is the constitutional head of the government and is always accountable and answerable to the legislature and people, unlike a bureaucrat”. “Being in Opposition we do have numerous differences with the chief minister on various issues, but we do not approve undermining and taking away his authority,” the PCC president said, adding: “The CM is the elected head of the government, chosen by people of Punjab, while the chief secretary is only an appointed official by the chief minister.” BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh slammed the state government's move as a “blatant bureaucratic coup executed to hand Punjab's assets to Kejriwal's coterie”. The move is an open assault on democratic governance and an insult to Punjab's elected leadership, Chugh alleged in a statement. “Will Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and his Cabinet now report to a bureaucrat? Has Punjab's Cabinet been reduced to a puppet show run by Kejriwal's inner circle?” he questioned." Congress MLA from Bholath Sukhpal Singh Khaira said the decision marks a “historic and alarming erosion of democratic principles, as it effectively sidelines the elected chief minister and hands over critical governance functions to a bureaucrat”. “For the first time in 75 years of India’s independence, an elected leader, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, has been replaced by a bureaucrat in such a vital role. This is a blatant assault on Punjab’s democratic fabric and a clear indication that Arvind Kejriwal has assumed the role of de facto chief minister of Punjab. Mann has been reduced to a mere puppet, an ornamental figurehead who is being controlled by Kejriwal and his Delhi-based coterie,” he said. Pointing to Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema's justification that the move is aimed “to accommodate Mann’s busy schedule,” Khaira said, “It's a flimsy excuse to mask Kejriwal’s growing control over Punjab’s governance. This is not about schedules; this is about power. Kejriwal’s takeover of Punjab is now complete, with Mann’s authority systematically dismantled. The people of Punjab voted for a change, not for a Delhi-ruled colony.” “The people of Punjab elected Mann, not an unelected chief secretary or Arvind Kejriwal. By allowing Kejriwal to pull the strings, Mann has surrendered Punjab’s pride and autonomy. This is a dangerous precedent that undermines the will of the people and the sanctity of elected representation,” the Congress MLA said. The Congress leader further criticised the AAP for betraying the trust of Punjab’s electorate, who chose Mann as their chief minister in 2022. He also asked Mann to clarify his position and explain why he has allowed Punjab’s governance to be “outsourced” to Delhi. “If Mann cannot stand up for Punjab, he should step aside and let someone with the courage to protect our state’s interests take charge,” Khaira stated. Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal also condemned the AAP government's decision. “This move is the final proof that Punjab is now being directly controlled by non-Punjabis and even the pretence of ruling through Bhagwant Mann has ended," he alleged. Badal also alleged that it is common knowledge that Punjab's bureaucrats report directly to Kejriwal and his non-Punjabi associates. “By appointing the chief secretary as chairman of all urban planning and development authorities in Punjab, including PUDA, GMADA, GLADA, JDA, BDA, ADA, PDA, and others, @BhagwantMann's meek and unabashed surrender to @ArvindKejriwal is now complete. He has handed over control of Punjab's lands and development funds to his Delhi boss through a bureaucrat, who is a close aide of Kejriwal,” Sukhbir posted on X. “Never in Punjab's history has a bureaucrat been appointed chairman of any authority in which the chief minister and his ministers are ex-officio members. Will the chief minister and his Cabinet colleagues now attend meetings chaired by their subordinate officers?” he asked. “As president of Punjab's only regional party, Shiromani Akali Dal, I assure all Punjabis that we will strongly resist forcible acquisition by this non-Punjabi lobby through brazen abuse of govt power,” he said in the post. Punjab Cabinet minister Harbhajan Singh hit back at the opposition parties, accusing them of making “baseless and misleading” statements to confuse the public for political gains. Harbhajan Singh said appointing the chief secretary as the chairman of all the local development authorities will accelerate the approval process for development-related matters and directly benefit the common people. He also said this decision will facilitate swift action on development matters involving key institutions such as the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), and Punjab Urban Development Authority (PUDA), thereby benefiting the people of the state.
