Pre-poll overdrive: Govt posts for loyalists

Sarbjit Dhaliwal & 

Vishav Bharti

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 25

With the announcement of the Assembly elections imminent, Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has pulled out all stops to set up welfare boards for various castes and accommodate party loyalists. Around 15 boards have sprung up recently. The CM, exercising his executive powers, has appointed 300-odd SAD-BJP workers and leaders on posts of these boards.

The new welfare boards cater to Rai Sikhs, Kambojs, Rajputs, Christians, Muslims, Ramgarhias, Sainis, Dalits, Baazigars, Taprivaas etc. However, the welfare of these communities is already within the ambit of the State SC Commission, Punjab State Backward Classes Commission and the Punjab State Commission for Minorities.

Among the others boards set up are the Punjab Migrant Labour Welfare Board, Punjabi Culture Coordination Board, Punjab State Youth Welfare Board and Punjab Pensioners Welfare Board.

The appointments are taking place almost on a daily basis. Apart from the chairperson of the board concerned, three or four vice-chairpersons are being appointed.

Most of these boards have been given offices in the Forest Complex in Sector 68, Mohali. According to the office staff, board members, chairpersons or vice-chairpersons rarely visit the complex.

Annual bill: Rs 10 crore and counting

The appointments are burning a hole in the exchequer’s pocket. Besides office expenses and employees, each chairperson, senior vice-chairperson and vice-chairperson costs Rs 15-20 lakh annually. The recent appointments will put a burden of at least Rs 10 crore annually on the exchequer.

‘It’s unconstitutional’

The constitution of multiple welfare boards for a religious community or a caste is clearly unconstitutional. It’s a tragedy that the constitutional mandate against discrimination on the ground of religion or caste is being flouted with such impunity in the name of public welfare. — Anupam Gupta, senior advocate, punjab & haryana high court, and expert on constitution.

‘Will review appointments’

On coming to power, we will review all political appointments made by the Badals with an eye on the elections. The regularisation of services of government employees will not be reviewed as our party is committed to providing employment to every family in the state.— Capt Amarinder Singh, ppcc chief

Some of the appointees since November

• Navdeep Singh Brar (Son of former Akali minister Avtar Singh Brar) Chairperson, Pepsu Road Transport Corporation (PRTC)
• Sanjiv Talwar  (BJP leader and political secretary to party’s national vice-president Avinash Rai Khanna)
• Senior Vice-Chairperson, Punjab State Youth Welfare Board
• Sampooran Singh (Akali leader from Jalalabad) Chairperson, Rai Sikh Welfare Board
• Balkish Raj (BJP leader from Dasuya) Vice-Chairperson, Dalit Vikas Board
• Harbans Lal Sharma  (BJP-aligned employee leader) Vice-chairperson, Punjab State Employees Welfare Board
• Nawal Kishore Kamboj (Ex-district president, BJP, Jalandhar) Vice-chairperson, Kamboj Welfare Board
• Sandeep Singh Minhas (Mukerian BJP leader) Vice-chairperson, Punjab Rajput Welfare Board
• Samson Bablu (Amritsar BJP leader) Vice-chairperson, Christian Welfare Board
• Deepak Bali (Secretary, Punjabi Jagriti Manch, Jalandhar) Vice-chairperson, Punjabi Culture Coordination Board
• Rakesh Dhingra (Ex-district BJP president, Muktsar) Vice-chairperson, Punjab Small Traders Board
• Ram Kumar Goel  (Former BJP MLA from Abohar) Vice-chairperson, Punjab Parjapat Welfare Board
• Mohinder Pal Singh (Garhshankar BJP leader) Vice-chairperson, Punjab Ramgarhia Welfare Board
• Kamal Sharma (BJP leader from Jalandhar) Punjab Small Scale Industries Development Board
• Amarjit Singh Panjrath (Special invitee, SAD Working Committee) Senior vice-chairperson, Punjab Water Resource Management & Development Corporation
• Ashwani Passi (SAD leader from Ludhiana) Vice-chairperson, Punjab Water Resource Management & Development Corporation
• Sohan Singh Goga (Akali worker, Ludhiaina) Chairperson, Punjab Ramgarhia Welfare Board
• Bhupinder Singh Cheema (Senior vice-president, All India Youth Akali Dal) Chairperson, Punjab Youth Development Board.
• Rajkumar (Akali leader) Senior vice-chairperson, Vimukat Jaatiyaan Welfare Board
• Gurdeep Singh and Kewal Singh (Akali leaders from Patiala) Chairperson and senior vice-chairperson, Kamboj Welfare Board
• Gurcharan Singh (Akali leader, Patiala) Senior vice-chairperson, Baazigar and Taprivaas Welfare Board