ex-ias-officer-kanwaljeet-singh-cheema-joins-sad

Former IAS officer Kanwaljeet Singh Cheema joined the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Thursday. He joined the party in the presence of its president Sukhbir Singh Badal in Chandigarh.

 

Cheema, a 1993-batch IAS officer of the West Bengal cadre, has held several key positions during his career. He also served as special principal secretary to former Punjab chief minister Parkash Singh Badal on inter-cadre deputation for a significant period. After welcoming him into the party, Badal said Cheema’s entry would further strengthen the SAD.

 

Speaking to the media, Sukhbir Badal said Cheema brings rich administrative experience from both Punjab and West Bengal. He added that Cheema had also worked as special principal secretary to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

 

Sukhbir said during his posting with Parkash Singh Badal, Cheema often accompanied him to ‘Sangat Darshan’ programmes. These visits were aimed at directly addressing and resolving people’s concerns.

 

Targeting the AAP government, Badal claimed that Punjab received only Rs 2,600 crore in investments between 2022 and 2026. He said this was far lower than the Rs 1.50 lakh crore claimed by the Aam Aadmi Party government. He alleged that the government was misleading people with false claims.

 

He also flayed the state government over the law and order situation. Sukhbir alleged that there is 'lawlessness' in the state and claimed that gangsters are 'ruling the roost'.

 

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