AAP minister in Punjab managed a department that didn’t exist for 20 months, BJP questions ‘governance’

Punjab minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal (Image: X)

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) criticised the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government after it was revealed that a state cabinet minister had been overseeing a non-existent department for nearly 20 months.

Punjab minister and AAP leader Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was overseeing two departments, but there was a catch—one of them wasn’t real. The Punjab government, in a gazette notification, announced that the Department of Administrative Reforms, held by Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, is no longer operational. Dhaliwal will now continue as the minister for NRI Affairs in the state cabinet.

“In partial modification of Punjab Government Notification No. 2/1/2022-2Cabinet/2230 dated 23.09.2024, regarding allocation of portfolios amongst the Ministers, the Department of Administrative Reforms earlier allotted to Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Cabinet Minister is not in existence as on date," read the notification.

Initially overseeing the Agriculture and Farmers Welfare Department, Dhaliwal was relieved of this role during a cabinet reshuffle in May 2023, according to reports. He continued to hold the NRI Affairs portfolio while also being assigned the Administrative Reforms Department -- which he again retained in a September 2024 cabinet reshuffle.

BJP attacks AAP govt in Punjab

The BJP took aim at the AAP-led Punjab government, raising concerns over how a minister held charge of a non-existent department for nearly two years.

"AAP has made Governance in Punjab a joke! The AAP Minister ran a department for 20 months that never existed! Imagine for 20 months, the CM did not even know that a minister was running a "NON EXISTENT DEPARTMENT",” BJP leader Pradeep Bhandari said.

Aap has made Governance in Punjab a joke!The AAP Minister ran a department for 20 Months which never existed!Imagine for 20 months the CM did not even knew that a minister was running a " NON EXISTENT DEPARMENT"https://t.co/HR7LXm0qNg

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Pradeep Bhandari( ) (@pradip103) February 22, 2025

“You can imagine the crisis in Punjab government if it took nearly 20 months to realise that a department assigned to one of its prominent ministers never actually existed. Arvind Kejriwal is a charlatan who must be banished from public life," said BJP IT Department In-charge Amit Malviya.

Meanwhile, Shiromani Akali Dal’s Harsimrat Kaur Badal also attacked the ruling AAP government over the situation. “Governance @AAPPunjab style. Allocate non existent departments to ministers who themselves are ignorant of the portfolios they hold. All this is happening because ministers have no role in governance as the govt is being run in remote control from Delhi,” she said.

Dhaliwal has been in the spotlight as Punjab’s NRI Affairs minister, particularly following the deportation of illegal Indian migrants from the US, who arrived in Amritsar bound in chains and shackles on February 5.