Blantyre: Over 3,000 people have signed a petition opposing a planned statue of Mahatma Gandhi in Malawi's commercial capital Blantyre, saying the Indian independence hero had done nothing for the southern African country.

Work on the statue began two months ago along a road named after Gandhi. The Malawi government says it is being erected as part of a deal that will see New Delhi construct a USD 10 million (8.6-million-euro) convention centre in Blantyre.

"Mahatma Gandhi has never contributed anything to Malawi's struggle for independence and freedom," a statement from the "Gandhi Must Fall" group said.

"We therefore, feel that the statue is being forced upon the people of Malawi and is the work of a foreign power aiming at promoting its image and dominion on the unsuspecting people of Malawi."

The petitioners claim that Gandhi, who early in his career practised in South Africa and fought against apartheid-era segregation laws, was racist.

"We are not comfortable with imperialistic and neo-colonial ideologies that seek to impose... foreign influence which deprives us of honour," Wonderful Mkutche, a member of the group told AFP on Saturday.

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Chandigarh (PTI): Punjab Cabinet Minister Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal was told he is left with only NRI Affairs portfolio as the administrative reforms department he was holding for the past nearly 21 months did not exist, according to a government notification.

No staff was given to the minister for the Administrative Reforms department and no meeting related to it was held, sources said.

Opposition BJP leaders said this showed the seriousness of Bhagwant Mann's government in the state.

A government notification issued on Friday read, "In partial modification of Punjab Government Notification No. 21/1/2022-2 Cabinet/2230 dated 23.09.24, regarding allocation of portfolios among ministers, the department of Administrative Reforms earlier allocated to Kuldeep Singh Dhaliwal, Cabinet Minister, is not in existence as on date."

Therefore, on the advice of the CM, the governor is pleased to make the amendment effective from February 2, 2025, it said.

Dhaliwal was given the administrative department portfolio in May 2023 during a cabinet reshuffle when he was relieved of the Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare portfolio but retained the NRI Affairs department. The portfolio of Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare had been given to Gurmeet Singh Khuddian.

Meanwhile, opposition parties on Saturday took a jibe at the AAP government, saying this shows how much the AAP government was serious about governance.

Punjab BJP general secretary Subhash Sharma said, "It shows the government's mental bankruptcy that a department, which is not in existence, has been allocated. Neither those who allotted it, nor those who had been allotted the department was aware of the fact that this department was not in existence," said Sharma.

SAD leader and Bathinda MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal also took a jibe at the AAP government.

"Governance @AAPPunjab style. Allocate non-existent departments to ministers who themselves are ignorant of the portfolios they hold. All this is happening because ministers have no role in governance as the government is being run with remote control from Delhi," said Badal in a post on X.

Punjab Congress chief and Ludhiana MP Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also took a swipe at the government in a post. Sharing a newspaper clipping on the matter, he wrote "What a 'Badlaav'!"