Politics

Punjab is new Kingdom of Kejriwal as CM Mann plays host but Delhi AAP takes over power corridors

May 31, 2025

In March this year, during an interaction with the media in Amritsar, Kejriwal laid all speculations to rest about the possibility of his taking over as the new chief minister of Punjab, saying that CM Mann will continue to remain at the helm for the full five-year term, hinting that his presence in Punjab is merely nominal. 

However, it is not his presence in public ceremonies alone that is raising eyebrows. Arvind Kejriwal’s growing control over the Punjab administration has led to the Opposition terming him the “de facto chief minister” now.

On X, Congress MLA Pargat Singh said that it was now “routine for ministers, officers, and the entire machinery to treat @ArvindKejriwal as the de facto chief minister”.

Senior Akali leader Bikram Singh Majithia wrote on X that the recent appointments made by the Punjab government to various boards and corporations have filled the posts with the Delhi AAP team members, which, he said, illustrated that Arvind Kejriwal rules Punjab.

Within the government too, it is widely believed that there has been a palpable increase in Kejriwal’s interest in what is happening in Punjab at the micro-administrative level.

Apart from CM Mann, senior-most officers are purportedly reporting to Kejriwal, who, simultaneously, has been appointing men loyal to him in key positions, increasing his footprint in Punjab.

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CM Mann no longer the frontman  

On Tuesday, Arvind Kejriwal, along with CM Mann, launched a pilot project in Mohali on “easy registration” of sale deeds, streamlining the process to reduce corruption in the tehsils. Kejriwal walked through the tehsil office with CM Mann, speaking to the public to gather first-hand information from the ground, posing for selfies with people and shaking their hands. Punjab Chief Secretary K.A.P. Sinha and ex-chief secretary and current Additional Chief Secretary of Revenue Anurag Verma accompanied them during the walk.

As Kejriwal and CM Mann headed to the stage to address the media, Kejriwal and Verma caught up with each other, with the former seemingly issuing a series instructions to the latter. Just when CM Mann began his address, Sinha walked up to Kejriwal, seeking his permission to leave. Bowing his head and shaking hands, he exited the stage, without waiting for the CM to end his address.

K.A.P. Sinha and Anurag Verma—known for their rivalry within the administrative circles in Punjab—are considered confidantes of Kejriwal. Anurag Verma, the former chief secretary, was removed in an administrative reshuffle at the top level last year, paving the way for K.A.P. Sinha to occupy the position. Their appointments have also come after an explicit nod from the ex-Delhi CM.

Multiple government officials ThePrint spoke to said that Kejriwal now vets nearly every significant decision taken by the chief secretary—be it about transfers of officers, state finances and possible sources of revenue, governance reforms, and Punjab-Centre relations, among other issues.

Kejriwal, it is said, was consulted before the latest series of administrative reshuffles of the IAS and Provincial Civil Service (PCS) officers, including 43 officers in one go.

Once considered the blue-eyed man of Preneet Kaur, the wife of ex-CM Captain Amarinder Singh, K.A.P. Sinha purportedly grew close to Kejriwal after Sinha became the excise commissioner of Punjab. Sinha was among the three officers quizzed by the Enforcement Directorate (ED)—at least twice—during the investigation of the ‘liquor scam’ case, for which Kejriwal went to jail briefly.

While seeking Arvind Kejriwal’s remand, the ED alleged that Punjab officials “arm-twisted” wholesalers in the national capital after they refused to pay bribes in connection with the now-scrapped Delhi excise policy 2021-22.

According to sources in the Punjab government, Kejriwal has also been monitoring the workings of the chief minister’s office, and some officers have been staying in touch with the controversial private assistant to Kejriwal, Bibhav Kumar.

Swati Maliwal, an erstwhile staunch AAP supporter who earlier brought assault charges against Bibhav Kumar, wrote on X Wednesday that she sought information under the Right to Information (RTI) Act about the exact role Kumar was playing in Punjab, including information about the facilities provided to him, if any. However, she said on X, 30 days later, she is yet to receive a response. 

The contention that Kejriwal is taking the spotlight away from CM Mann was also apparent Saturday when the two laid the foundation stone of the Maharaja Agrasen Smarak in Nabha, Patiala, in an event organised by the Aggarwal community.

While the name Arvind Kejriwal prominently featured on the plaque in large bold font, CM Mann’s name, written in a tiny font, remained nearly lost in the rest of the text. 

Later, the two addressed the audience, and during his speech, Kejriwal highlighted his “bania” credentials, even saying that he would ensure there was never a dearth of funds in Punjab since he was the son of a “bania”. 

Despite his frequent visits, Arvind Kejriwal so far does not have a permanent residence in Punjab. During his visit to Amritsar in March this year, he stayed with former AAP minister Inderbir Singh Nijjar at his house.

During his visit to Mohali last week, Kejriwal stayed at the palatial residence of Mohali MLA Kulwant Singh.

Sources in the government said that a section of a government guest house in Mohali underwent renovation to accommodate Kejriwal during his future visits.

Kejriwal’s control over vigilance

In police administration, according to sources, DGP Gaurav Yadav has so far had a free hand when dealing with law and order. “However, the Delhi team has a huge interest in vigilance and intelligence, both of which have seen major upheavals ever since Kejriwal focused his entire attention on Punjab,” said a top police officer.

In barely two months, the vigilance bureau chief in Punjab has changed three times. The last vigilance chief, S.P.S. Parmar, was suspended last month, allegedly for inaction. Sources in the police department said Arvind Kejriwal called Parmar to Delhi and issued specific instructions on tackling corruption. However, a week later, the ex-Delhi CM gave the nod to Parmar’s suspension after Parmar failed to meet Kejriwal’s expectations. 

After Parmar’s suspension, 1994-batch IPS officer P.K. Sinha—made the state intelligence chief earlier after the AAP government transferred intelligence chief R.K. Jaiswal—was also given the additional charge of the vigilance bureau.

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Prominent Delhi faces in Punjab

Manish Sisodia—formerly Delhi’s deputy CM and currently Punjab’s AAP in-charge—has also been guiding Punjab education department officials on improving school education, according to government sources. Punjab AAP co-incharge Satyender Jain is doing the same in the health department. Both operate from the government housing complex in Sector 39, Chandigarh.

“AAP’s Delhi team members are using at least 10 houses—if not more—assigned to Punjab ministers or chairmen of boards and corporations,” said an officer who did not wish to be named.

Jain’s right-hand man and former officer on special duty, Shaleen Mitra, recently joined the health department in Punjab to coordinate it’s activities.

Mitra, whose LinkedIn profile claims he worked as the “manager of Ayushman in Punjab”, is widely believed to be monitoring the ‘Yudh Nasha Virudh (war on drugs)’ government initiative. As part of the campaign, Shaleen Mitra, along with Punjab Health Minister Balbir Singh and other senior officers, often conducts meetings on health and drugs.

The health department already had Anurag Kundu, a former Delhi government child rights commissioner. In November 2023, he also became a member of Punjab Development Commission. He has, since that year, been monitoring the activities of both the health and education departments in Punjab.

Since the September 2023 launch of the Punjab Development Commission, a think tank to guide the Punjab government, it has had no AAP members from Punjab—except CM Mann, the panel chairperson. Seema Bansal is its vice-chairman, and Shoikat Roy, Anurag Kundu, and Vaibhav Maheshwari are the other members, all from outside Punjab.

On 13 May this year, Kundu, a management graduate, coordinated a meeting of civil surgeons, setting the agenda, addressing the gathering at length, and seeking reports. According to sources in the health department, Kundu has been conducting such meetings with civil surgeons and other officers for many months now.

When contacted through WhatsApp messages, Anurag Kundu said he did not have anything to say on the set of questions posed by ThePrint.

Similarly, Shaleen Mitra did not respond to questions from ThePrint. 

Adil, another Delhi team member, now holds centre stage in media management for AAP Punjab. He is the key person dealing with journalists, handling advertisements with media houses, and monitoring the release of orders for content production.

When contacted with a set of questions, Adil also did not respond to ThePrint. 

Nawal Agrawal, the lead governance fellow in the Department of Good Governance and Information Technology, Punjab, quit last month. A former vice-chairman of Delhi’s Dialogue Development Commission, Jasmine Shah, it is said, replaced him.

Nawal Agrawal courted controversy in 2023 when his presence in meetings of senior government officers raised questions, with the then-governor, Banwari Lal Purohit, voicing them. When contacted, Jasmine Shah, who has also authored a book on the Delhi model of governance, did not respond to queries from ThePrint. 

Reena Gupta, an AAP national spokesperson widely considered close to Kejriwal, has become the chairperson of the Punjab Pollution Control Board, replacing Adarsh Pal Vig, a noted environmental scientist from Guru Nanak Dev University, Amritsar.

Deepak Chouhan, an aide of AAP national organisation secretary and Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) Dr Sandeep Pathak, has become the chairperson of the Punjab Large Industrial Development Board.

Kamal Bansal has become the chairperson of the Tirth Yatra Samiti of Punjab. Earlier, he headed the Delhi pilgrimage panel. 

Opposition questions appointments

Punjab Leader of Opposition Partap Singh Bajwa has termed these appointments as a clear case of nepotism, sarcastically also calling the phenomenon ‘badlav (change)’. 

Shiromani Akali Dal president Sukhbir Singh Badal wrote on X: “Never before in the history of the State have outsiders been handed all important posts. The intention is clear. The @AamAadmiParty leadership in Delhi wants to loot Punjab’s industry & fill its coffers. Bhagwant Mann has become a willing tool in this systematic policy of plunder.”

Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira wrote on X that Kejriwal wanted to control Punjab’s industry through these appointments.

“My sympathies for the @AAPPunjab workers, who have been sidelined and marginalised, to accommodate and rehabilitate outsiders,” Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee President Amarinder Singh Raja Warring posted on X.

ThePrint could not reach Punjab AAP spokesperson Neel Garg, despite calling him several times and messaging him on WhatsApp.

(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)

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