A major change happened on Wednesday as the BJP for the first time gave a seat to a Sikh leader in its parliamentary board.
Iqbal Singh Lalpura is a well-known name in Punjab. He is an ex-IPS office and after his retirement, Lalpura joined BJP in 2012. He is currently the Chairman of the National Commission for Minorities.
It would not be wrong to say that the appointment of Iqbal Singh Lalpura in the Parliamentary Board by the BJP is significant in various ways.
He is the second leader from Punjab who has been selected for such a high post. Earlier, former state minister Vijay Sampala was made the chairman of the National Scheduled Castes Commission.
Why has he been chosen over other renowned leaders?
Iqbal Singh Lalpura is one of the greatest leaders and scholars. He is the first Sikh to be chosen by BJP for its parliamentary board.
Iqbal Singh Lalpura is a great scholar and writer. He has written 14 books so far. His books are taught in the University of Lahore. The books that he has written unites people of all religion as one.
He was also part of the three-member team formed to arrest Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale. He played an important role in the negotiations with Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale on behalf of the government and his arrest.
Iqbal Singh Lalpura has received many honors for his work in the field of police and literature. President's Police Medal, Shiromani Sikh Literary Award and Sikh Scholar Award are prominent.
As he has contributed immensely to the working of government and especially intelligence, it is a great decision to give him a seat in the Parliamentary Board of BJP.
Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and Madhya Pradesh chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan have been dropped from the reconstituted BJP Parliamentary Board.
Eleven members of the reconstituted Parliamentary Board are party President Nadda, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Ministers Rajnath Singh, Amit Shah and Sarbananda Sonowal, former Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, OBC Morcha National President K Laxman, Iqbal Singh Lalpura, Sudha Yadav, Satyanarayan Jatia and national general secretary (organization) B L Santhosh.