Chandigarh: Contrary to the expectation about possible induction of an MP from Haryana as minister in Wednesday’s Cabinet rejig, nobody from the state could find a berth in the Union government. The state even lone berth in the Union government with the resignation of Rattan Lal Kataria, Ambala MP and Union minister of state for jal shakti and social justice and empowerment.
According to reliable sources, one of the two bureaucrats-turned-MPs from Haryana — Sunita Duggal, former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer and Sirsa (reserved) MP and Hisar MP and former IAS Brijendra Singh — was expected to be inducted in the Union Cabinet from Haryana.
Duggal was frontrunner and her name was all over on the social media among those who may take oath in Wednesday’s Cabinet extension. Even the resignation of Kataria on Wednesday, hours before the swearing in ceremony, had strengthened speculations about her possible induction. The former IRS officer, who joined the saffron party in 2014, was among the frontrunners for being young, educated and only woman MP from Haryana. Kataria’s resignation was also seen as the way cleared for her induction from the scheduled caster quota as both (Duggal and Kataria) belonged to SC category.
There were also strong possibilities about the induction of Hisar MP and bureaucrat-turned-politician Brijendra Singh in the Cabinet. Brijendra is the son of former Union minister Birendra Singh. There were reports that the BJP may induct him to woo farmers, especially the Jat voters of Haryana, as Brijendra is from the Haryana hinterland and great-grandson of peasant leader Chhotu Ram. Brijendra, 49, who had left the coveted IAS post to join BJP just before the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, is also considered close to Union home minister Amit Shah. Even, Shah had announced that Brijendra is his personal candidate and he himself has nominated him for Lok Sabha elections. Shah had made this statement while addressing an election rally in Hisar district for Brijendra before the 2019 parliamentary polls. At that time there were speculations that the saffron party may induct the young leader from Haryana into the Cabinet to get the benefit of his two decades experience as bureaucrat.
However, as the picture was cleared by Wednesday evening, the representation of the state into the union cabinet was reduced from three to two ministers. Now, Rao Inderjeet Singh, MP from Gurugram, and Krishan Pal Gujjar, Faridabad MP, represent the state in the central government as ministers.
