Summary:
CHANDIGARH: Ending months of speculation, the Congress finally announced on Friday that it will include nine more ministers in Captain Amarinder Singh’s government in Punjab. Portfolios will be announced after the swearingin at the Raj Bhawan in Chandigarh at 6 pm.The list bears a stamp of Amarinder’s choices with his close confidants – Rana Sodhi, Sukh Sarkaria and Soni sailing through. But it is still surprising that the party has decided to drop its prominent Dalit face ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections and at a time when the issue of SC/ ST Atrocities Act has been gathering steam,” said a party leader. “But they are all experienced grassroots leaders, having won several elections over the years,” said Amarinder, adding they were selected keeping in view their seniority.In a statement, Amarinder said it had also been decided to elevate ministers of state Razia Sultana and Aruna Chaudhary to cabinet rank and they too would take fresh oath at Saturday’s swearing-in. Singla, on the other hand, has a good equation with the high command.Among the surprise addi tions, 58-year-old Sunder Shyam Arora managed to make it as the lone face from the Doaba region, an area earlier represented by former minister Rana Gurjit Singh Indian Youth Congress (IYC) president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring (Giddarbaha), prominent Dalit face of the party, Raj Kumar Verka (Amritsar West), and Ludhiana North MLA Rakesh Kumar Pandey failed to make it despite their strong claims for a berth.“Where it was choice between Soni and Verka for the party, the former’s proximity to Amarinder seems to have has paid off..