It took 10 long years for Ahluwalia to be inducted in the Council of Ministers again. He has been appointed MoS of Agriculture & Farmers’ Welfare and Parliamentary Affairs.
He is known for taking stand, which at times is contrary to the party’s position.
As a minister in the Rao government, he had openly attacked the then Congress chief Sitaram Kesri for the way he had handled the party affairs. During a discussion in the Lok Sabha on a Bill to amend the Negotiable Instruments Act, he spoke against the measure moved by Finance Minister Arun Jaitley.
Ahluwalia is known for expertise in parliamentary rules and often called an “encyclopedia” on legislative issues. “I can’t call myself so, but people may call it considering my 24 years of knowledge in the Rajya Sabha. I have learnt a bit of it and when it requires I will use my knowledge and help the government,” Ahluwalia said.
The senior leader added, “Many Bills are pending. I urge all parties to cooperate with the government and pass them. If it requires, we will sit together and find out a solution.”
He added: “This is the first opportunity for me to work for Modiji and we will try to serve the nation collectively.”
Ahluwalia has been named the chairman of the Privileges Committee of the Lok Sabha.
Also, as the chairman of the Joint Parliamentary Committee on the contentious Land Bill, the Asansol born politician has ensured that the political divide in the panel does not disrupt the proceedings.
Ahluwalia is also known for his fluency in various languages such as Bengali, Bhojpuri, Hindi, Assamese, English and of course Punjabi. He did his schooling from St. Joseph School, Asansol, and graduated from the Burdwan University in South Bengal and also from the Calcutta University.
Being an MP from West Bengal, political observers feel that it is the right opportunity for PM Modi to regularise his schemes in Darjeeling and strengthen the political base in the state.
Recently the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal seemed to oppose the Centre over relaxing Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) in various important sectors, but the party has expressed its support to the contentious GST Bill to the Modi-led NDA government at the Centre.
“Our main objective is to regularise the schemes of PM Modi in Darjeeling too. The government’s main mantra is ‘development’ and as a Minister of States my priority is both – the entire nation and the place where I belong to,” Ahluwalia said.
The 65-year-old added, “During elections, everybody follows his/her own respective agenda. But now people know the result and Mamata Banerjee has been elected as the Chief Minister once again. So, if we need her cooperation for the country’s development, we are ready to take her opinion.”
Ahluwalia was also the Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha till 2012 when he lost his seat from Jharkhand. Irrespective of caste category, he brings with him a vast experience of administration and is someone who knows what goes on behind the scene in the corridors of power and manages the floor.