Dhaliwal: Punjab Matters, Not the Department
Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal dismissed concerns over the abolition of the Department of Administrative Reforms, which he previously headed. He said Punjab’s welfare is the real priority, not the existence of any department.
“The government abolished the department, and that’s fine. We are here to serve Punjab, not hold onto departments. This was never an agenda for us,” Kuldeep Dhaliwal told the media.
A government notification on February 21 stated that the department no longer exists. Dhaliwal, who also handles NRI Affairs, had been assigned the department earlier, but now it has been removed.
Opposition Slams AAP Government
The decision sparked sharp criticism from the BJP, which accused the AAP government of mismanagement.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri targeted Dhaliwal, questioning how he led a “non-existent” department for 20 months.
“Only under AAP’s leadership can a minister run a department that does not exist,” Puri remarked.
BJP leader Fatehjung Singh Bajwa also slammed the government, saying Punjab has regressed by 50 years under CM Bhagwant Mann.
“Dhaliwal is a senior minister, yet he led a department that never functioned. No meetings, no reforms. Meanwhile, illegal immigration is rising, and most immigration offices operate without licenses. Punjab was once ahead, but today, it ranks 14th or 15th because of these ‘clowns’,” Bajwa said.
CM Mann Defends the Move
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government, saying the department wasn’t scrapped but restructured.
“We didn’t remove it. We renamed it and created a new department with real functions. Earlier, it existed only on paper—no staff, no office. Now, we are merging similar departments to make governance more efficient,” Mann explained.
Despite the controversy, the Punjab government maintains that administrative reforms will continue under the new structure.
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