BJP shocker: No Cabinet berth for 5 Independent MLAs, Gopal Kanda

Pradeep Sharma

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Chandigarh, March 19

The expansion of the Nayab Singh Saini ministry today has brought nothing to five Independent MLAs and the lone MLA of the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP), Gopal Kanda, who are supporting the BJP government in Haryana.

Will be suitably rewarded

Independent MLAs’ support to the BJP government is ‘unconditional’. While some of the Independent MLAs are already chairmen of boards and corporations, the rest would also be suitably rewarded in due course of time for their support. — A senior BJP functionary

Contrary to their expectations, the Independent MLAs and Kanda failed to find a Cabinet berth, with the BJP reposing its trust in the party MLAs. All eight Cabinet slots went to the party MLAs, with CM Saini trying to strike a balance on the caste and regional lines. Currently, Rania MLA Ranjit Singh is the only Independent MLA who has been retained in the Cabinet.

The five Independent MLAs—Randhir Singh Golan (Pundri), Dharam Pasl Gonder (Nilokheri), Sombir Singh (Dadri), Rakesh Daultabad (Badshahpur) and Nayan Pal Rawat (Prithla) — and Kanda (Sirsa) had thrown in their lot with the Saini government during the recent trust vote. Though it was “unconditional support”, the MLAs were lobbying for at least one Cabinet berth in the expansion.

However, with no threat to the government in the backdrop of the five breakaway JJP MLAs cosying up to the BJP government, the saffron party virtually decided to take Independent MLAs and Kanda for a ride by not offering them any ministerial berth.

Instead, the party decided to give exposure to seven new faces in the BJP as ministers of state (independent charge) while retaining experienced Hisar MLA Kamal Gupta as Cabinet minister to boost the morale of the party cadre in the run-up to the elections.

Sources claimed that Independent MLAs’ support to the BJP government was “unconditional”. While some Independent MLAs were already chairmen of boards and corporations, the rest would be “suitably rewarded” in due course of time for their support, a senior BJP functionary said.