Sirsa Joins Delhi Cabinet; Canada’s Liberal Party Suspends Bansal

Manjinder Singh Sirsa’s recent appointment to the Delhi Cabinet has stirred politics in Panjab. Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders claim it signals greater Sikh representation and could boost the party’s fortunes ahead of the 2027 assembly polls in Panjab. Sirsa had won as a Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) candidate from Rajouri Garden in 2013 but lost the seat to Aam Aadmi Party’s (AAP) Jarnail Singh in 2015. In 2017, Jarnail Singh resigned from Rajouri Garden in order to contest from Lambi constituency in Panjab against Parkash Singh Badal. In the consequent by-poll held in Rajouri Garden in 2017, Sirsa won. He had contested on the BJP symbol despite being in the SAD, as part of an alliance agreement between the two parties. He formally joined BJP in 2021. He was elected as the president of the Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee in 2013, 2017, and again in 2021. Soon after Sirsa’s appointment, Panjab Indian National Congress (INC) MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira took to X, 'If BJP can give representation to a Sikh as Minister, I urge Arvind Kejriwal to clarify why he did not induct a Sikh as Minister during the 10 years of his government.' Meanwhile, the INC has initiated a major shake-up in Panjab by assigning former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel as All India Congress Committee general secretary in charge of Panjab. Panjab INC chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring announced that 60-70 new faces would stand for the 2027 state elections. Meanwhile, in Ontario, Canada, the Liberal Party suspended Oshawa candidate Viresh Bansal after he posted inflammatory X comments referencing the 2023 murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was allegedly killed by Indian agents for his advocacy of Khalistan. Bansal’s remarks, including homophobic language toward Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, provoked an outcry from New Democratic Party candidates, the World Sikh Organization, and fellow Liberals.