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Sukhbir Badal

 

 

SUKHBIR SINGH BADAL SWORN-IN AS DEPUTY CHIEF MINISTER PUNJAB

CHANDIGARH, AUGUST 10, 2009

The Punjab Governor, General (Retd.) Dr. S.F. Rodrigues, PVSM VSM, administered the oath of office and secrecy to Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal as Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab at a brief but impressive ceremony held at Punjab Raj Bhavan, here today.

Earlier, the Chief Secretary Mr. S.C. Agrawal sought the permission of the Governor to start the swearing in ceremony. Soon after being sworn in Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal, signed the oath, counter signed by the Governor.

Mrs. Jean Rodrigues, Punjab Chief Minister, Shri Parkash Singh Badal his Cabinet Colleagues, wife of Chief Minister, Mrs Surinder Kaur Badal, Members of Parliament including Mrs. Harsimrat Kaur Badal, Mr. Naresh Gujral, Mr. Tarlochan Singh and Mr. Navjot Sidhu, MLAs, senior leaders of different political parties including National General Secretary BJP and Incharge Punjab Affairs, Mr. Balbir Punj, BJP President, Mr. Rajinder Bhandari, Financial Commissioners and Principal Secretaries, DGP, Punjab, Sh. P.S. Gill, SGPC Members, senior civil and police officers, Editors of news papers, members of the journalists fraternity and the invitees from all over the State attended the ceremony.

The family members, friends and well wishers of Shri Sukhbir Singh Badal also attended the ceremony.
Earlier, Mr. D.S. Guru, Principal Secretary to Chief Minister, Mr. M.P. Singh, Secretary to Governor and Additional Principal Secretary, Mr. Gagandeep Singh Brar personally supervised all the arrangements for the function.

The Swearing-in-Ceremony ended with the National Anthem played by the Police Band. High-Tea was also served to the guests at the Punjab Raj Bhavan after the ceremony.

Sukhbir Badal resigns as Punjab deputy chief minister

CHANDIGARH, July, 01: Sukhbir Singh Badal resigned as Punjab deputy chief minister Wednesday, less than six months after being sworn in as second in command to his father Parkash Singh Badal.

Sukhbir Badal Sworn In as Deputy CM of Punjab
Amritsar, Jan, 21, 2009
Gurmit Sandhu/Gary Singh

 

On Wednesday, Jan 21, Sukhbir Singh Badal, 47, US-educated son of Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, sworn in as Deputy Chief Minister of Punjab. Governor S F Rodrigues administered the oath of office and ceremony was attended by:

  • Top leaders of ally BJP- including president Rajnath Singh and Vasundra Raje Scindia
  • Chief Rajinder Bhandari and Minister Manoranjan Kalia
  • INLD president Om Parkash Chautala, National Conference president Farook Abdula and Lok Sabha Speaker Charanjeet Singh Atwal
  • JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav and Amritsar MP Navjot Singh Sidhu.
  • Manpreet Singh Badal and Adesh Partap Singh Kairon

 

Click for: More Photos

Amritsar was chosen as venue for his swearing, ininsetad of Chandigarh, Sukhbir said:

  • Iit is Guru Ki Nagri (holy city). With the blessings of Guru Maharaj (Almighty), I want to embark on the mission to serve the people of Punjab.
  • He bent down to touch his father, Parkash Singh Badal's feet while his mother Surinder Kaur, wife Harsimrat Kaur and other members of the Badal family were present there.

Sukhbir Singh Badal was born in Faridkot, Punjab and has a son and two daughters.

  • He has a Master's degree in Business Administration from California, and an alumnus of Panjab University, Chandigarh
  • He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1996 and then in 1998 from Faridkot
  • . He was elected for the third time to Lok Sabha in 2004 after a nearly four-year stint in Rajya Sabha from 2001.
  • He was a Minister of State of Industry in the Vajyaee government from 1998 to 1999
  • He beccme President of the SAD on Jan 31, 2008

There are 13 ministers, including the Chief Minister, belong to SAD and remaining five to BJP. The Badal ministry had 18 members out of 117-member Assembly. SAD had won 49 seats, BJP had bagged 19 in 2007 Assembly elections and ousted the Congress government.

After answering the questions of media that if BJP had been sidelined as it had been demanding the Deputy Chief Minister's post, he said:

  • The ties with the saffron party were "strong as ever" and above "any bargaining
  • This is no issue. Our (SAD) ties with BJP are old and strong as ever and they have never been election-related
  • We are like a family and there is no bargaining or give or take between us and our ties are above these things
  • He also rejected suggestions that he was the 'Chief Minister in-waiting' or that he would act as "Super CM" saying as deputy chief minister, he would work to fulfil the "big responsibility" he has been entrusted with at a "young age
  • Sukhbir vowed to bring in "accountability" in the admnistration and raise the issue of state autonomy more "effectively
  • He claimed that there is no room for vendetta in a democracy. "But if anyone has broken the law, then law itself is strong enough to take care of that
  • He warned that those who do not perform to fulfill "the people's aspirations or are found to be less than honest should be ready to face the consequences.
  • My mission will be to serve you. I seek people's support and the youth, who comprise 70-75 per cent of the state's population," he said.
  • He would work to weed out corruption, step up administrative reforms, accelerate infrastructure development and declare war on drugs as a large number of youth from the state had fallen prey to this evil.
  • He said that Rs 4000 crore would be spent on revamping irrigation system and Rs 400 crore on education. Besides, focus would also be to make the civil and police administration more accountable.
  • We have created an environment and you will see that these are not just political statements that I am making, but visible difference and results will be seen on the ground. over the next three years," he said, adding the aim was also to make Punjab a power surplus state over the next few years.
  • His emphasis would be to woo investors. To a question, he said he hoped that NDA government comes to power at the Centre after the next polls, so that issues like transfer of Chandigarh to Punjab will be resolved.

Mohinder Singh Kaypee (congress) said:

  • The Chief Minister's move vindicates the party's stand that Sukhbir is the "State's de-facto Chief Minister.
  • The decision vindicates what we have been saying all along that Sukhbir has been functioning as the de-facto CM of Punjab. Now, they are going to only legalise that by making him Deputy CM.