Punjab Newspaper

Harcharan Bains was today appointed as Media Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister Mr. Parkash SIngh Badal. He has been given the rank of a Minister of State. This is Mr. Bains’ third term on the post, having served in the same capacity during two previous Akali governments in Punjab.

And immediately after receiving the orders, Bains professed gratitude to his “new masters”, not Sukhbir Singh Badal, but also Sukhbir’s wife and Sukhbir’s wife’s brother as well.

Orders of Mr. Bains’ appointment were to have been issued on the day the SAD-BJP government was sworn in but were with-held at his request in view of the election to the Beas Vidhan Sabha seat.
He is expected to take over as Media Adviser to CM on Monday. “Gratefully accepting the assignment”,Mr. Bains today thanked Mr. Badal, Mr. Sukhbir Badal and Mrs. Harsimrat Sukhbir Badal for the “deep affection and trust” showered on him by them. Re-iterating that he held himself personally responsible for the defeat of the Badal government in the February 2002 election and its painful aftermath, Mr. Bains in a statement here said that he would try to wipe off that blot by carrying the government’s work to the people in the next five years.
He said that winning the trust of the media would be for him a barometer of his perfromance.He said that with ‘an exceptionally bright, energtic and young Minister Mr. Bikramjit SIngh Majithia at the head of the government’s PR team, his role would become a lot more effective than during his previous tenure.
A well known political columnist and an old-time associate of Mr. Badal, Mr. Bains has served as professor in the Department of Languages and Journalism in the Punjab Agricultural University. He was placed under suspension from university service after an open spat with then Media Adviser during the Amarinder Singh regime for taking part in political activities and helping Mr. Badal in the mangament of his media campaign.
He was re-instated after he took the case to the Punjab and Haryana Court. He had subsequently resigned from his post about two years ago to actively help Mr. Badal in his fight against the then Congress government but was subsequently asked to proceed on pre-mature retirement.
Considered a key member of the SAD’s core and crack media and political management team, Mr. Bains worked closely with Mr. Sukhbir Badal in the party’s aggressive and pro-active campaign during the just concluded elections. He has been a national level Lawn Tennis player, an international television and radio cricket commentator and a newspaper and magazine editor. He has been with Mr. Badal since 1982.