From Corridors of Power: When Satluj swept, TN Seshan of Punjab and Warring’s Churi bomb, jeevan-daan to Khuddian

4 min readChandigarhJul 12, 2026 02:43 PM IST

Punjab Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian has gained a political lease on life as the Akal Takht's censure of CM Bhagwant Mann makes dropping the cabinet's only Sikh with a flowing beard too risky. (FIle)

They say politics has a strange way of writing scripts overnight and changing fortunes. The Akal Takht’s censure of Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and its decision to summon AAP legislators over the anti-sacrilege law have had an unexpected beneficiary in the form of the Agriculture Minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian. The only Sikh in the Punjab cabinet, sporting a flowing beard, Khuddian had reportedly fallen out of favour with the party’s top leadership after a showdown with senior AAP leader Manish Sisodia during a meeting. Till recently, political circles were convinced his days in the cabinet were numbered. However, a new lease of life arrived. With the highest temporal seat of the Sikhs pulling up the Chief Minister, dropping the cabinet’s only Sikh with a flowing beard is no longer seen as an easy option. The whispers about his possible ouster have changed. “The Akal Takht has given a jeevan-daan (new lease life) to Khuddian,” is the catchline. The minister who looked politically vulnerable a few days ago is suddenly being spoken of as the one man nobody would want to touch. At least for now.

TN Seshan of Punjab?

Punjab’s Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Anindita Mitra is fast earning the reputation of being the state’s own TN Seshan. And not without reason. With the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in full swing, the message from her office is simple: election work comes before everything else. A Deputy Commissioner learnt that the hard way. Holidaying abroad, he suddenly found his leave cancelled and was asked to catch the next available flight home to attend a crucial SIR review meeting. Another Deputy Commissioner, also on sanctioned leave, met the same fate and had to report back to duty. In the bureaucracy, these two leave cancellations are the top stories, having travelled faster than official circulars. Officers are joking that while holidays can be planned, they are best enjoyed only after checking whether the CEO has other plans. Under Mitra’s watch, even leave seems subject to the Election Commission’s approval and not the Chief Secretary’s.

When Satluj swept

Just when the Aam Aadmi Party thought it had found the perfect political script with the launch of the Maawan Dhiyan Satkar Yojana, another script has begun worrying its leaders. The release of Satluj has sparked quiet conversations within the ruling party, with some fearing that the film could strike an emotional chord with young Sikhs and revive interest in Amritpal Singh’s Waris Punjab De. In the Assembly corridors, two AAP MLAs were heard making a wry comparison. “Last year it was the Ravi floods. This year it’s the Satluj,” one quipped, suggesting that while the Ravi washed away fields, Satluj threatened to wash away the political gains from the government’s Rs 1,400-crore already distributed to women as a financial assistance scheme. For now, the biopic seems to have overpowered the welfare politics.

Warring’s Churi bomb

Amid the rumblings of rebellion in the Punjab Congress, PPCC chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring found an unusual way to send a political message-with a bowl of churi (a traditional Punjabi comfort food made by crumbling fresh rotis and mixing them with ghee and sugar). Even as a dissident group led by former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi met Punjab affairs in-charge Bhupesh Baghel, sans Warring, he chose to dominate television screens, seated in his car and cheerfully relishing churi. With a smile, he declared it had been prepared by his nani. The symbolism was hard to miss. Having just been retained as the state unit chief despite weeks of speculation over his future, Warring appeared keen to project that he was unruffled by the rebellion and firmly in the saddle. Sometimes, comfort food serves as the most effective political messaging.

Kanchan Vasdev is a Senior Assistant Editor in The Indian Express’ Punjab bureau. She is a highly experienced journalist with 22 years of expertise covering high-stakes politics, governance, and social issues in Northern India.

Professional Background

Role: Primary reporter covering the Punjab Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), government policies, and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leadership in the state.

Experience: She previously worked with The Tribune and has played a key role in launching various city editions.

Special Projects:

Abandoned Brides: Authored a monograph on brides abandoned by NRIs as part of the Prabha Dutt Memorial Fellowship.

Environment: Worked as a Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) fellow, focusing on the pollution levels in the Satluj river.

Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)

Her recent reporting focuses on the legislative strategies and political maneuvers of the Bhagwant Mann-led Punjab government:

1. Legislative & Governance Standoffs

"Punjab govt advances special Assembly session to pass resolution against VB-G RAM G Bill" (Dec 20, 2025): Reporting on the state's move to block the Centre's "Viksit Bharat" mission, which the state claims will undermine MGNREGA.

"Punjab govt doubles down on special sessions, sixth in January" (Dec 19, 2025): Detailing the AAP government's use of special sessions as a legislative tool amid tensions with the Governor.

"Punjab asks 'VIP teachers' working near Chandigarh to go back to border districts" (Dec 16, 2025): Reporting on CM Mann's move to end the practice of influential teachers avoiding postings in remote areas.

2. Political Analysis & Rural Polls

"Punjab rural polls: Why Akalis are likened to dinosaurs in Punjab" (Dec 19, 2025): Analyzing CM Bhagwant Mann's rhetoric against the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) following local body elections.

"AAP claims win in 78% Punjab zila parishads as counting continues" (Dec 18, 2025): Breaking down the results of the 2025 rural elections.

"Rahul Gandhi and Sidhu alike, says Bhagwant Mann" (Dec 13, 2025): Covering the CM's critique of the Congress leadership.

3. Law Enforcement & Bureaucracy

"Suspended Punjab IPS officer Ravjot Kaur Grewal awaits reinstatement" (Dec 10, 2025): Investigative reporting on the bureaucratic red tape involving the Election Commission and the state government.

"Punjab declines to give parole to Amritpal Singh" (Nov 27, 2025): Detailing the state government's refusal to grant parole to the radical preacher and sitting MP.

4. Welfare & Economy

"Punjab government's plan to add more freebies to 'atta-dal' scheme hits funds roadblock" (Dec 4, 2024): An analysis of the fiscal challenges facing the state's flagship food security program.

"Mann leads Punjab delegation to Japan and South Korea for investor outreach" (Dec 2, 2025).

Signature Beat

Kanchan Vasdev is known for her insider access to Punjab's political executive. Her writing provides deep insights into how state policies are formulated and the friction points between the state government and central authorities. Her dual expertise in environment and law allows her to report on complex issues like the "Farmhouse Policy" (Dec 18, 2025) and river pollution with a unique policy-oriented lens.

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