The recent elevation of Faridkot MP and Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal’s son Sukhbir Singh Badal to the presidentship of the Shiromani Akali Dal (B), the second oldest party of India, is just another instance of how ,increasingly, it’s all in the family in Punjab politics.

The Punjab ministry itself is quite a kitchen cabinet with four members of the Badal family, starting with CM Badal, his nephew and Finance Minister Manpreet Singh Badal, his son-in-law Adesh Partap Singh Kairon, the IT minister, and his son Sukhbir’s brother-in-law and the youngest minister in the cabinet, Bikram Singh Majithia. Then, there is Parminder Singh Dhindsa, son of S.S. Dhindsa, MP from Sangrur and an Akali stalwart.

But genes aside, most of these New Age leaders also boast formidable CVs and are often credited with an outlook with a difference. A quick look at the son and nephew brigade:

• Manpreet Singh Badal: A St Stephen’s graduate and a Bar-at-Law from London, this 45-year-old finance minister and four-time MLA from Gidderbaha, is seen as the voice of reform in a state trapped in the competitive politics of doles.

• Bikram Singh Majithia: At 32, this gangly, first-time MLA from Majithia is the youngest and most visible face of the Punjab cabinet as its minister for public relations. A St Stephen’s graduate with a business administration degree from the US, Majithia is better-known as the only brother-in-law of Sukhbir Singh Badal.

• Parminder Singh Dhindsa: Son of former Union minister and present Sangrur MP S.S. Dhindsa, this SAD (B) legislator from Sunam and first-time minister is an MBA from Panjab University. He is also said to be an astute businessman.

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