February 23, 2025: Punjab Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal has brushed aside the controversy surrounding the abolition of the Department of Administrative Reforms, stating that the department’s existence is not a priority for him, but the welfare of Punjab is.

Addressing the media, Mr. Dhaliwal said, "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."

The controversy erupted after a government notification on February 21 clarified that the Department of Administrative Reforms, earlier allocated to Mr. Dhaliwal, “does not exist.” This department had been assigned to him in September 2024 along with the NRI Affairs portfolio.

The opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wasted no time in targeting the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Punjab government over the issue. Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri took a jibe at Mr. Dhaliwal, stating, "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 also lashed out at the Mann government, accusing it of administrative failure and claiming that Punjab has regressed by 50 years under its leadership. "Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal is one of the most senior leaders of the Cabinet, yet he was leading a non-existent department. This means no meetings were ever held, and no administrative reforms took place," Bajwa remarked.

In response, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann defended his government, clarifying that the department was not abolished but renamed and restructured. "We changed its name and created a new department. Earlier, it was just for the name, with no staff or office. Now, it has been created to bring real reforms, whether in bureaucracy or other areas," Mann explained.

He further added that the government is working on merging several departments with overlapping functions to improve governance efficiency.

While the opposition continues to criticize the state government, the AAP administration remains firm on its stand, asserting that the restructuring aims to streamline governance rather than create unnecessary bureaucratic divisions.