"For me, department is not important but Punjab is": Kuldeep Dhaliwal amid "non-existent" dept row

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], February 23 (ANI): After the Punjab government abolished the Department of Administrative Reforms headed by him, State Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal said that the department's existence is not an agenda for him as Punjab is a higher priority for the government.
"They have now abolished the department. We have all come to save Punjab. For me, the department is not important; Punjab is important. (Whether this department exists or not) is not an agenda for us," Dhaliwal told media.
According to the notification released on February 21, Dhaliwal, who holds the portfolio of the NRI Affairs department, was allocated the charge of the Department of Administrative Reforms, which the Government now says "does not exist".
"In partial modification of Punjab Government Notification No. 2/1/2022-2Cabinet/2230 dated September 23, 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," the notification read.
This led to igniting criticism from the BJP, with several leaders targeting the AAP government in Punjab.
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri did not hold back in his criticism of Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, condemning him for running a "non-existent" department for 20 months under the AAP government's leadership.
Puri criticized Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, saying, "He was heading a department for 20 months which is 'non-existent'. Such a thing can happen only under the leadership of the AAP government."
BJP leader Fatehjung Singh Bajwa said that the Mann government has taken Punjab back by 50 years.
"Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal is one of the most senior leaders of the Cabinet and he was leading a non-existent Department, which means no meeting was ever taken... What kind of administrative reforms are being taken? People are going abroad through dunki routes, and no agent or tout who sent them was ever caught... The biggest industry in Punjab is immigration offices and out of 100, only 10 might have a proper license... This state government has taken Punjab back by 50 years... Punjab used to stand ahead once and now stands at 14th or 15th position because of these 'clowns'," he said.
However, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann defended his government, saying that they changed the department's name and created a new one.
"We changed its name and created a new department. Earlier it was just for the name, there was no staff or office. Now, it has been created to bring reforms, whether it is in bureaucracy or other areas...We are also looking at merging several departments with similar functions into one department," CM Mann said. (ANI)