Has Kejriwal Left Punjab To Mann Or, Will AAP Chief Script His Own Entry Into State Sooner Than Later?

Initially, Punjab Congress leaders were enamoured when Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was ostensibly left “alone” to expand his Cabinet. No one from the AAP Delhi high command supervised the inductions of 10 ministers. Former PCC chief Sunil Jhakhar tweeted: “Seems Mann has come of age already much to the chagrin of AAP bosses in Delhi. That explains the absence of even the two regents, what to talk of Supremo himself at the oath ceremony. It’s good, as Punjab deserves a CM who is an authority unto himself (rather) than a remote controlled one.” When five Rajya Sabha picks — Cricketer Harbhajan Singh , Delhi IIT Assistant Prof Sandeep Pathak, Delhi AAP MLA Raghav Chadha,  Lovely University founder Ashok Mittal and Ludhiana businessman Sanjeev Arora who is into cancer care — were announced and, as the new ministers settled in, it became apparent the hands off approach was only a facade. What is at work is Arvind Kejriwal’s Delhi Model in Punjab. Though Kejriwal did not attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new ministers, he web chatted with them online the same day. Every minister has an AAP worker from Delhi attached to them. It is said that Kejriwal tries to be like Modi without the apparent wherewithal. Buzz in political circles also revolves around Kejriwal likely to ease out Mann sooner than later to assume control of a full state himself.