New Delhi: When the council of ministers finally takes oath in Haryana on Tuesday, it will mark the longest gap – 16 days – between the swearing-in of the chief minister and other members of his ministry in the state. While Manohar Lal Khattar of the BJP was sworn in as CM on October 27 and Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) leader Dushyant Chautala also took oath as his deputy, no other minister has been inducted till date.
The delay in the appointment of ministers has almost paralysed the government in the state. It may be recalled that at the height of the air pollution crisis, Chautala said he could not act earlier as he had not been deputed to look into the matter.
It has now also come to light that while the state had procured enough happy seeder machines to ensure that there was no stubble burning and all the leftover straw was buried by the farmers, the absence of proper direction and planning meant that the machines could not be used and farm fires were reported in many places.
Khattar breaks Hooda’s dubious record
Prior to this, such a situation was also witnessed in the state in 2009, when the Congress had also fallen short of a full majority and had to take outside support to form a government. Then, Bhupinder Singh Hooda took oath as the CM on October 25 but the other ministers had to wait for 13 days, until November 7, to be sworn in.
The present situation in the state is another indicator of the struggles and tribulations that lie ahead for the Khattar government.
The BJP, which won a complete majority in the state for the first time in 2014, when it won 47 seats in the 90-member Assembly, fell short this time and managed just 40. However, with the support of the JJP’s 10 legislators and seven independent candidates, it managed to form the government.
Home minister Amit Shah, BJP working president J.P. Nadda, Haryana chief minister M.L. Khattar, Anurag Thakur and JJP leader Dushyant Chautala at a press conference. Photo: PTI Photo/Kamal Singh
JJP may get more berths
Dushyant Chautala, the great-grandson of former deputy prime minister and Lok Dal founder Devi Lal, has from day one been seeking his pound of flesh. The JJP demanded the deputy CM’s post and got it. From the delay in the swearing-in of other ministers, it is clear that the BJP has been under pressure to accommodate the independent MLAs in the council of ministers.
After the post-poll alliance was formed, Amit Shah announced that the JJP would get the deputy CM post. However, nothing was said about other berths it may have been seeking. It is now learnt that the JJP has been seeking some important portfolios.
Some of the leaders who may find a place in the Council of Ministers include Ram Kumar Gautam, Ishwar Singh and Anoop Dhanak. The names of some Independents like Ranjit Chautala and Balraj Kundu may also be considered for ministerial berths.
Names finalised at Shah’s residence, more ministers to be sworn in on Tuesday
A detailed meeting on the issue was held between Shah and Khattar at the former’s residence in New Delhi on Sunday. Following this meeting, party sources said, the other ministers would be sworn in on Tuesday, which also happens to be an auspicious full moon day and marks the 550th birth anniversary of the founder of the Sikh faith, Guru Nanak Dev.
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In the elections, eight BJP ministers lost and the party is now expected to give a prominent role to six-time MLA Anil Vij, who was the only minister barring Khattar to win. Its former speaker Kanwar Pal, who retained his seat after trailing for a significant part of the day, may also find a place in the cabinet.
Other prominent party leaders whose names have been considered for ministerial berths include Seema Trikha, Mahipal Dhanda, Deepak Mangla and Ganshyam Saraf.
For residents of the state, it has been a long wait to have a functional government. While polling for the elections took place on October 21 and results were declared on October 24, it will be nearly three weeks hence with most departments functioning without a regular head.
Haryana’s new deputy chief minister Dushyant Chautala with father Ajay after taking oath during the swearing-in ceremony, in Chandigarh on October 27, 2019. Photo: PTI
‘Legal lapse as notification on empowering CM not issued’
A lawyer, Hemant Kumar, also pointed out that in a major administrative lapse, the state government failed to issue a notification under the Haryana Government (Allocation) Rules, 1974, stating that all administrative departments were vested with the chief minister after his swearing-in on October 27.
In the absence of this necessity, he said, functioning was legally impacted. “Mere swearing-in does not automatically vest all departments with the chief minister. A separate notification is a legal requirement.”
Meanwhile, Khattar has stated that the new government will work on the principles of the common minimum programme which has been formulated with the JJP. Chautala had earlier insisted that his party would go with any party willing to abide by some key demands it had raised during the polls: the most significant among them being 75% reservation in jobs for local youth.