India, July 17 -- The BJP-led Centre on Friday appointed senior Punjab leader Harjit Singh Grewal as the chairperson of the National Commission for Minorities (NCM).

Besides Grewal, a notification issued by the ministry of minority affairs confirmed the appointments of Munawari Begum as vice-chairperson and Glenn E Souza Ticlo as a member. All three appointments are set for a three-year tenure from the date they assume office, or until further orders.

Grewal, a Jat Sikh, is one of the BJP's oldest and most recognisable Sikh faces in Punjab, having remained associated with the party for decades. His elevation is widely seen as both a strategic play for the Jat Sikh vote and a reward for a grassroots worker who stood firmly by the party d...