Haryana’s new CM Nayab Singh Saini balances caste equation, retains experience

Pradeep Sharma

Chandigarh, March 12

Haryana’s new Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini has retained experience while balancing caste equations in the new Council of Ministers.

While only five ministers — Kanwar Pal Gujjar, Moolchand Sharma, Ranjit Singh, JP Dalal and Banwari — who were also part of the 14-member Manohar Lal Khattar-led Cabinet, have been retained, eight ministers have been dropped. These included three from the JJP — Dushyant Chautala, Devender Singh Babli and Anoop Dhanak. Among the BJP ministers shown the door are Anil Vij, Kamal Gupta, Om Prakash Yadav, Kamlesh Dhanda and Sandeep Singh.

The omission of senior-most BJP MLA and Home Minister Anil Vij in the new Cabinet has surprised many observers, who felt that Vij’s repeated tiffs with Khattar and his unpredictable behaviour seem to have cost him his post. The new Cabinet has perfect caste combination, having one Gujjar, two Jats, one Brahmin and a member of the SC community besides Saini, who is the Other Backward Class (OBC) face of the BJP.

Sources said the Cabinet could be expanded in the days to come to give representations to all castes and communities. Besides, a woman could be inducted in the Cabinet like the previous Cabinet in which Kamlesh Dhanda was the only woman minister.

In fact, with six Independent MLAs and one legislator from the Haryana Lokhit Party (HLP) extending support to the government, the representation of these MLA in the upcoming expansion is a foregone conclusion. Currently, only one Independent MLA Ranjit Singh is represented in the Cabinet.