Once counted among the most powerful ministers in Punjab’s Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Government, Ajnala MLA Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was dropped from the state Cabinet on Thursday. While no official reason has been cited for his removal, Dhaliwal’s exit comes just weeks after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) accused him of shielding drug smugglers — a charge that appears to have played a decisive role in the Chief Minister’s decision to show him the door during the Cabinet reshuffle that inducted Ludhiana West MLA and industrialist Sanjeev Arora.
His fall from favour, however, had begun long before the reshuffle, marked by controversy, administrative sidelining, and a gradual erosion of trust within AAP’s top ranks. Dhaliwal gradually saw his influence eroded — first through the withdrawal of critical departments and later by being assigned a defunct ministry that existed only on paper.
And the final blow came with the BJP accusing him of attempting to shield two alleged drug peddlers — an allegation that, though denied by Dhaliwal, cast a shadow over his credibility, especially at a time when the AAP Government is running its ambitious ‘Yudh Nashiyaan Virudh’ campaign.
As the controversy gained traction and internal discontent simmered over his independent style, and political assertiveness, AAP leadership appeared to have lost confidence. His removal, orchestrated quietly under the pretext of “giving others a chance”, was as much a result of damaged optics as it was of strategic recalibration within the AAP Government.
Despite controversies, Dhaliwal remains respected for initiatives like the “Online Milni” platform connecting NRIs with the Punjab Government and his aggressive push for land reforms. However, insiders maintained that his independent style, friction with bureaucratic channels, and diminishing political value post-portfolio withdrawals led to his isolation.
Dhaliwal was one of the early faces of governance in Bhagwant Mann’s Cabinet after the 2022 assembly victory, holding important portfolios like Agriculture, Rural Development, and NRI Affairs. Known for his public activism and seen as close to CM Mann, Dhaliwal often represented the Government at high-level forums.
But his decline was equally swift. By mid-2023, Dhaliwal was stripped of Agriculture and Rural Development and handed a non-functional ‘Administrative Reforms Department’ — a Ministry that had technically ceased to exist in 2012 and was never revived. For 20 months, he held charge of a department with no staff, no office, and no budget. In February 2025, the department was officially scrapped, leaving him with only the NRI Affairs portfolio.
Controversy Over Drug Smuggler Allegations
Dhaliwal’s ouster, however, seems to have been triggered by a politically-explosive charge during the Ludhiana West bypoll. BJP state general secretary Anil Sareen released a video purportedly showing Dhaliwal at Ajnala Police Station trying to secure the release of two youths — Karmveer Singh and Sahajpreet Singh — caught with 50 grams of heroin, a quantity classified under “commercial” offence under NDPS Act. “The visuals triggered an uproar during the bypoll campaign, with opposition parties accusing AAP of double standards in its anti-drug stance. Both arrested youth were said to be close to Dhaliwal. The BJP claimed that he was trying to misuse his position to shield drug traffickers. Dhaliwal responded via social media, claiming that he had instructed the police to send the boys to a de-addiction centre instead of jail, arguing that they were addicts, not smugglers. “I believed they needed treatment, not punishment,” he had said. But political opponents questioned his legal authority and intent.
Reformist Moves Undone by Politics
Despite his fall, Dhaliwal's ministerial record includes a major crackdown on illegal land encroachments. In his early days as Rural Development Minister, he reclaimed over 11,000 acres of panchayat land, including large tracts in Mohali and Kapurthala districts. While the public appreciated the effort, sources suggested that it earned him enemies within the political and bureaucratic establishment. Ironically, he was divested of the Panchayat portfolio just as the campaign gained momentum. He also pioneered “Online NRI Milnis” — video conferences connecting diaspora Punjabis directly with government officials. The initiative was praised as a bridge between overseas citizens and local governance. Despite his removal, Dhaliwal has chosen to take the high road, calling his stint as minister a chapter of “meaningful public service”.
“No Regrets”: Dhaliwal After Exit
A day after his resignation, Dhaliwal visited Sri Harmandir Sahib (Golden Temple) in Amritsar, offering prayers and calling his tenure “a privilege of public service”. He maintained that he had stepped down at CM Mann’s request and held no grudge. “I never lobbied for power. I’m a simple man who returned from the US to serve Punjab. I will now dedicate myself to my constituency,” he told reporters. Dhaliwal insisted that he had never taken a holiday in 10 years and had given 100 percent to his work. “People gave me their vote. I will work at the grassroots to make Ajnala the number one constituency in Punjab,” he added.
