Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa

Early life

His father's name is Sardar Gurcbachan Singh Bajwa. His father Late Sardar Gurbachan Singh Bajwa BALLB was MLA pre-partition Punjab from Sialkot Rural 1946/47 Punjab assembly and subsequently represented Batala, Sri Hagobindpur and Qadian as MLA. His father was contemporary of Punjab Stalwarts like Sardar Partap Singh Kairon, Sardar Swaran Singh ex Foreign Minister and other great leaders of that time who laid foundations of present day Punjab.

Gurbachan Singh Bajwa was a cabinet minister in Gopi Chand Bhargava, Bhim Sen Sachar and Sardar Partap Singh Kairon Cabinets and held portfolios such as PWD, Education and Chandigarh capital project.

Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa comes from a military family, his family has served for more than three generations in Kashmir Army and were known as family of Kumedans ( Commandants) and hails from Kotli Bajwa, Narrowal . His grandfather Lt Col Ishari Singh commanded 1st Kashmir Infantry and participated in capture of Jerusalem in WW1; for this action, he was awarded Order of British Indian (OBI). Lt Col Ishari Singh was also CO of Kashmir Infantry battalions Raghupartap and Rudher Shibhnabh ( refer History of J and K Rifles by Maj Dr. Brahma Singh) . Tripat Bajwa's late cousin Capt Baldev Singh Bajwa in 1948 Indo Pak war served in 6 Kashmir Rifles and was posted at Bunji cantonment near Gilgit POK and was captured fighting Gilgit scouts and Kashmir army mutineers ( Refer Memoirs of Maj William Brown Gilgit Scouts) . Capt Baldev Singh Bajwa was held as POW at Attock fort along with Skardu hero Lt Col Thapa and was repatriated in 1950. Capt Baldev Singh retired as Col from J and K rifles and was ADC to Maharaja Karan Singh of J&K. Tripat Bajwa’s younger brother also retired as Col from Indian Army.

Political career

Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa started his career from grass root level, became general secretary of Youth Congress, he was elected as Qadian Municipal council member, then became president of Qadian municipality and Chairman of local Market Committee. Tripat Bajwa first fought election in 1977 from Qadian, 1980 from Sri Hargobindpur. Bajwa first successfully contested for Punjab Legislative Assembly from Qadian in 1992 and won again in 2002. In March 2003, he was made Minister of Forest. However, he had to resign in August 2004 after being caught in a bribery case. This Tehelka news is false and cannot be verified, no court case has been made in this regard. The reasons he resigned were due to different matter related to cabinet rejig. Tripat Rajinder Singh like his father is known to be honest upright politician and die hard Congress leader. Later, he was appointed chairman of Punjab Pollution Control Board. In 2012, he was elected from Fatehgarh Churian. He was one of the 42 INC MLAs who submitted their resignation in protest of a decision of the Supreme Court of India ruling Punjab's termination of the Sutlej-Yamuna Link (SYL) water canal unconstitutional. Tripat Rajinder Singh Bajwa was relected from Fatehgarh Churian in 2017 and was inducted as Cabinet Minister in Capt Amarinder SIngh ministry with portfolio of Rural development and panchayats, water supply & sanitation minister.