Opinion Punjab CM does well to weed out a colleague under cloud but he needs to do more spadework — off camera

Newly elected Chief Minister of Punjab Bhagwant Mann has sacked a minister with a high-profile portfolio following allegations of corruption. There is much that is refreshing in this. Corruption is an old scourge of governance which, for the most part, only breeds cynicism and pessimism. In Punjab, however, corruption-as-usual contributed to a groundswell of popular alienation from the political class that helped relative newcomer AAP romp to a sweeping electoral victory. Acting decisively on corruption, or corruption allegations, within its ministry, therefore, helps the new AAP government send out the message of a much-needed break from a congealed past. Given the AAP’s own backstory — it emerged from the Anna Hazare-led movement against corruption — it also helps it reaffirm its own positioning in a political field in which it is still trying to achieve a more secure footing. But the sacking of Vijay Singla, minister of Health and Family Welfare and Medical Education and Research, allegedly for demanding a 1 per cent commission for awarding government contracts to private vendors, also raises questions.

Punjab’s new chief minister must not merely congratulate himself on taking a bold step against one of his own, he must also ask how someone who is seen as tainted so soon after taking charge was given a crucial portfolio, any portfolio, in the first place. Going forward, if it is not to be seen as selective or merely opportune, Singla’s sacking also sets the bar challengingly high for action against corruption by the Mann government. In reality, beyond the spectacular sacking, “zero tolerance on corruption” — that the AAP lays claim to — can only be achieved by examining and reforming the procedures and processes that help the system turn a blind eye to, even give a leg-up to, the corrupt. The question in Punjab, then, is: Can the AAP do the quieter, more patient labour needed for a larger clean-up? Can the Mann government deliver on its promise to weed out corruption in ways that may not have an immediate pay-off, and that require a longer follow-through? An aspect of AAP’s politics has been a distinct preference for the performative and the gestural — an overreliance on instant audios, stings, videos, helplines — alongside its more substantive work on the ground on health and education.

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It is good for a chief minister to go to the people, to communicate and engage widely on the government’s decisions, policies and issues. But Chief Minister Mann must strike a careful balance. A large governance agenda awaits, away from his lit up social media screen, in a state that has vested in his party a very hopeful mandate for change. Sacking a minister under a corruption cloud may play well to the gallery but it also raises the bar for governance that is quiet and effective.

This editorial first appeared in the print edition on May 26, 2022 under the title ‘Sacking a minister’.