Chandigarh: The BJP-led Centre on Friday appointed senior Punjab leader Harjit Singh Grewal as the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM).
Besides Grewal, a notification issued by the ministry of minority affairs confirmed the appointments of Munawari Begum as vice-chairperson and Glenn E Souza Ticlo as a member. All three appointments are set for a three-year tenure from the date they assume office, or until further orders.
Grewal, a Jat Sikh, is one of the BJP’s oldest and most recognisable Sikh faces in Punjab, having remained associated with the party for decades. His elevation is widely seen as both a strategic play for the Jat Sikh vote and a reward for a grassroots worker who stood firmly by the party during its most challenging political periods in the state.
The statutory panel’s top post had been vacant since the previous commission, headed by another Punjab BJP leader and parliamentary board member Iqbal Singh Lalpura, completed its tenure.
Grewal’s appointment comes as the BJP attempts to expand its independent political footprint in Punjab following the collapse of its long-standing alliance with the Shiromani Akali Dal. The party recently appointed Kewal Singh Dhillon as its first Jat Sikh state unit president in Punjab.
Both Dhillon and Grewal belong to Barnala district in the politically critical Malwa region. The move carries significant weight because the BJP has struggled to establish a political foothold among Punjab’s rural Sikh electorate and agrarian communities. By placing a Jat Sikh leader at the helm of the national panel, the party hopes to soften resistance and signal stronger regional representation in federal institutions.
{{/usCountry}}Both Dhillon and Grewal belong to Barnala district in the politically critical Malwa region. The move carries significant weight because the BJP has struggled to establish a political foothold among Punjab’s rural Sikh electorate and agrarian communities. By placing a Jat Sikh leader at the helm of the national panel, the party hopes to soften resistance and signal stronger regional representation in federal institutions.
{{/usCountry}}Grewal cemented his standing within the party by defending the Narendra Modi-led government during the prolonged farmers’ agitation from 2020-21—a turbulent period when many local leaders chose to distance themselves from the BJP. Despite the protests and political boycotts across Punjab, Grewal consistently championed the Centre’s position across public forums and media outlets. He previously served as chairman of the Punjab Khadi and Village Industries Board and vice-chairman of the National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation (NACOF). However, his electoral track record is mixed; he contested the 2017 Punjab assembly elections from Rajpura but lost his security deposit.
Constituted under the National Commission for Minorities Act, 1992, the NCM is tasked with safeguarding the rights of notified minority communities, monitoring constitutional protections, investigating discrimination complaints, and advising the Centre on policy.