‘Ministry is sewa, will perform with humility’: Tarunpreet Singh Sond

Calling the Cabinet berth assigned to him as sewa (service), new Cabinet Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond has said he would strive hard to perform with all humility and dedication.

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Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) first-timer Sond had scripted history by trouncing the then Industries Minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli from the Congress citadel Khanna, famous for Asia’s largest grain market, in the high-stakes 2022 Punjab Assembly poll.

Inducted in the 30-month-old Bhagwant Mann Cabinet during the fourth expansion held in Chandigarh on Monday, a young businessman, Sond (40), was assigned the portfolios of Industries and Commerce, Investment Promotion, Rural Development and Panchayats, Labour, Tourism and Cultural Affairs and Hospitality.

Speaking to The Tribune on Tuesday, the new minister said he would attract new industry to the state, especially Ludhiana, which is the industrial and business capital of the state, and at the same time, help facilitate the existing industry to prosper by resolving their genuine issues.

“By bringing a legislation against contesting the ensuing panchayat poll on party symbols, I believe that our government has paved the way for electing majority of the sarpanches unanimously and in turn most of the village panchayats will also be formed with mutual agreements,” Sond expressed while hoping that it would ensure the all-round progress of villages by getting additional grants for development.

Sond had joined the AAP in January 2012 and had been active in politics since 2014 after he was inspired by reading AAP supremo Arvind Kejriwal’s book, ‘Swaraj’.

“Traditional parties that had ruled the state since Independence had failed to fulfil aspirations of the public following which voters brought about a change by voting AAP to power in 2022,” the new minister said.

The 12th pass Khanna resident had polled 62,425 votes, which accounted for 48.55 per cent of the total polled votes, while Kotli, grandson of slain Chief Minister Beant Singh and cousin of Union Minister Ravneet Singh Bittu, had even lost his security deposit by failing to get even the minimum required 16.67 per cent vote share. Kotli, who was the lone MLA to win two consecutive elections from Khanna in 2017 and 2012 till 2022, had secured only 20,305 votes, constituting 15.79 per cent vote share.

Sond, who had tasted success in his maiden election, said he was inspired by the anti-corruption movement spearheaded by Anna Hazare, in which Kejriwal also took a prominent part.

“I worked at the grass-roots level before contesting my maiden election and was appalled by the plight of residents in the Khanna segment before contesting the Assembly elections,” Sond asserted.

Having served as in-charge of the party’s industry, trade, transport and BC wing in the Fatehgarh Sahib LS segment, Sond runs a soap and detergent manufacturing industry.

Listing his priorities, the new minister vowed: “The new Cabinet will come up to high expectations of the public while working to resolve and address problems and demands of the public on a priority basis.”

A new face Sond has promised industrial development, investment promotion, and overall development of villages, tourism sector and better facilities for the labour class and infrastructure development to regain the lost glory of Punjab.