Mann Cabinet expansion

WHEN 10 ministers took oath to be a part of Bhagwant Mann’s Cabinet on March 19, three days after he himself was sworn in as Punjab’s Chief Minister, a sense of rare achievement and can-do spirit ran through the Aam Aadmi Party rank and file. Seven berths remained to be filled, but for a ruling party brimming with first-time MLAs and giant-killers, aspirations seemed easily manageable. The first Cabinet expansion — which still leaves three slots vacant — comes after over three months of governance, but in vastly changed circumstances as the government fire-fights on several fronts and comes to grips with the setback of losing the Sangrur Lok Sabha seat that Mann himself won twice. As the Opposition flags charges of interference in the day-to-day functioning by the party bosses, keeping the halo shining after the resounding victory in the Assembly elections is a relentless, grinding test of the leadership’s astuteness and acumen.

It’s been a mixed journey so far for the AAP government. Law and order issues and singer Moosewala’s murder have been dark spots, but it is actively pursuing its core promise of taking on the corrupt, sacking its own minister in the process, though it is too early for a calibrated assessment on the overall impact. The campaign on freeing land from encroachers has gained steam, free power is now operational and the scheme of mohalla clinics is in the works.

The timing can be mere coincidence, but the induction of five ministers comes after the surprise political developments in Maharashtra, which are mired in allegations of horsetrading and subjugation of MLAs and the media by the buying power of the political juggernauts. They are also a wake-up call to keep the flock together and address concerns. Filling the ministerial positions reflects the AAP leadership’s decision to push forward the governance agenda. Eight of the ministers in the Cabinet are from Malwa, and only one from Doaba. For the ministers, the majority of them untested and inexperienced, the task ahead promises to be a challenging one.