Chandigarh, June 7: Senior leader and retired IAS officer Dr Jagmohan Singh Raju has stepped down from his position as general secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Party Punjab unit. The decision surfaces amid ongoing structural transitions following the recent appointment of Kewal Singh Dhillon to the state party presidency, a top spot for which Raju was considered a leading contender.
The resignation was formalized through a letter dated June 5, which Raju shared on his social media account on Sunday morning. Addressed to State Organization Secretary Manthri Srinivasulu, with a copy forwarded to Dhillon, the communication notes Raju’s request to be relieved of major organizational responsibilities that demand full-time dedication.
Raju, an academic who serves as a Visiting Fellow at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School and a Visiting Professor at Panjab University, stated that his decision is rooted in a desire to focus heavily on long-term public causes. He declared his intention to launch extensive public outreach, research, and legal initiatives concerning the rights of Scheduled Castes, the protection of the Punjabi language, and historical regional issues, including water rights and the status of Chandigarh.
The organizational change takes place as senior leadership prepares for the upcoming 2027 Punjab Assembly elections. The timing follows recent public reservations voiced by former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh regarding the state leadership transition, adding to the changing political dynamics within the state unit.
In his communication, Raju maintained that his four-year tenure serving as the party’s vice president and general secretary stood out as a highly valuable phase of his political career.
“These issues are of immense long-term importance to Punjab and the nation,” Raju asserted in his letter. “Therefore, I propose to devote myself more extensively to these and related issues.”
The former bureaucrat further affirmed that balancing his commitment to grass-roots causes with the heavy expectations of a high-profile party post would be impractical.
“I would, therefore, be grateful if, for the present, I may kindly be spared any major organisational responsibility that demands my full time,” Raju stated.
