Chandigarh: The opposition AAP today accused the ruling Congress of ignoring the representation of Scheduled Caste and Backward Classes in the Punjab Cabinet and alleged that the list of newly appointed ministers reflected the "feudal mindset" of Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.  

AAP MLA from Kotkapura Kultar Singh Sandhwan rubbished the claim of the chief minister that seniority was the parameter for the appointment as ministers, and said if seniority was the criteria then Sangat Singh Gilzian, Raj Kumar Verka and Pargat Singh would have been inducted in the state cabinet.  

He said neither the ministers appointed earlier nor does the list released yesterday carried the name of even a single person from backward classes that has a large chunk of population in state.  

The list of newly appointed ministers showed the "feudal mindset" of Amarinder Singh as he "failed" to induct any minster from backward classes or scheduled caste communities, Sandhwan was quoted as saying in a release. 

"The act shows that Congress party does not care for the rights of backward classes and schedule castes. As per the 2011 census, backward classes population has reached up to more than 22 per cent of total population in the state, but not even a single representative was inducted in the Punjab cabinet," he said.  

"There is no difference between the SAD-BJP and the Congress when it comes to the welfare and representation of backward classes in the affairs of state. The previous SAD-BJP government had no minister from backward classes and now Amarinder Singh has followed the footsteps of the Badals by choosing no minister from backward classes," Sandhwan alleged.  

In the first Cabinet expansion of the Congress government in Punjab, nine new ministers were sworn in at a ceremony held in Raj Bhavan today. PTI