High-profile MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal Gets Second Stint as Food Processing Minister

New Delhi: Member of Parliament from Bathinda Harsimrat Kaur Badal has retained the Food Processing Ministry.

The two-time parliamentarian is part of a family that traces its lineage back to 18th-century royalty.

Born on July 25, 1966, in New Delhi, Harsimrat Kaur is married to Sukhbir Singh Badal who is the president of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). He was the deputy chief minister of Punjab and his father, Parkash Singh Badal, is a four-time chief minister.

Harsimrat Kaur, among the high-profile MPs in this cabinet, is called ‘Biba ji’ and has reportedly brought “unprecedented” development to the constituency.

During her campaign, she raised the 1984 anti-Sikh riots, Operation Bluestar and the unkept poll promises of the Congress government. She had sternly responded to Congress leader Sam Pitroda’s “hua toh hua” remarks where he had reportedly dismissed the anti-Sikh riots in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi’s assassination.

What gave a further push to her political aspirations was the launch of Nanhi Chhaan, a non-profit organisation that works on social issues like gender, skills, environment and harmony. As a patron of the outfit, she has assured that she will purse the objectives of development and secularism. Harsimrat Kaur holds a degree in textile design and is a mother to three children.

After her appointment as food processing minister in the previous cabinet, Harsimrat Kaur had to deal with issues of consumer safety after a controversy erupted over the presence of lead content in Nestle’s Maggi noodles in 2015.

The year had other challenges for Akali Dal after reported incidents of “sacrilege” of the Guru Granth Sahib. The consequences were grave as it led to violence and rioting across Punjab. Parkash Singh Badal, her father-in-law, and Sukhbir Singh Badal also faced allegations of corruption.

Harsimrat Kaur won the Lok Sabha elections by an impressive margin, defeating Amrinder Singh Raja Warring of the Congress by a margin of 21,772 votes. This was an improvement from her 2014 tally, where she had won by 19,395 votes.