Chandigarh, November 13
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Punjab MLAs and Leader of Opposition Harpal Singh Cheema were detained by the police while they were going to gherao the official residence of Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi in Chandigarh against the rampant unemployment in the state. The AAP MLAs, who were going to gherao the Chief Minister’s residence on Saturday under the leadership of Harpal Singh Cheema, were detained from the gate of the MLA Hostel in Sector 4 and taken to Sector 3 police station. They were released about 2 hours later in the afternoon.
The MLAs included Deputy Leader of Opposition Saravjit Kaur Manuke, Kultar Singh Sandhwan, Meet Hayer, Kulwant Singh Pandori, Manjit Singh Bilaspur and Jai Singh Rodi. The AAP MLAs were to gather from the MLA hostel to move towards the front of the Chief Minister’s residence; but the police had already barricaded both the gates of the MLA hostel and deployed heavy force. While the AAP MLAs were trying to move forward, a heated argument ensued with the police administration. Later, Harpal Singh Cheema along with all the MLAs were taken to the police station in a bus.
Addressing the media on the occasion, Harpal Singh Cheema said that in 2017, the Congress had filled ‘Ghar-Ghar Rozgar’ guarantee cards, but in over four-and-a-half-years, not even 5,500 youths from 55 lakh families were given jobs. If anyone has got the job, it is the grandson of former Chief Minister Beant Singh, brother of Cabinet Minister Gurkirat Singh Kotli and brother of MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, son-in-law of Cabinet Minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa, son-in-law of former Cabinet Minister Gurpreet Singh Kangar and MLA Rakesh Pandey’s son. While MLA Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa’s son and MP Pratap Singh Bajwa’s nephew was also included in the list but due to public opposition; the Bajwa family had to sacrifice their son’s officership.
Cheema said that instead of the sons and daughters of ordinary households, the Congress had given jobs to their sons and sons-in-law. He said that innumerable future issues of Punjab have been pending for years. The AAP had to raise all future issues in the session, which the Channi government ran away from; like earlier the Badals used to do the same during the SAD-BJP government. He said that the party was gheraoing the residence of Chief Minister Channi to wake up the government.
Harpal Singh Cheema said that the AAP, as the Opposition, have the same questions to the government as the youth of Punjab have. “What has the Congress government done in the last over four-and-a-half-years on the promise of ‘Ghar-Ghar Rozgar? Isn’t this a betrayal with the youth of Punjab? Will the Congress, especially Chief Minister Channi, apologize to the lakhs of youth who are struggling on the streets for jobs? Will the government issue a white paper regarding its claim of providing jobs on the basis of villages and departments? Chief Minister Channi, Home Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa and all the Congressmen should explain why the Congress government continued the practice of the Badals; of recruiting personnel from Punjab, Bihar, Jharkhand, Bengal and other states in Punjab police. Why the government has not yet formulated any concrete policy to bar candidates from outside states in government jobs of Punjab. Why is there no state reservation policy for private sector jobs?”
The AAP leader further alleged how careless Captain-Congress and Channi are for the unemployed in the state like the Badals can be gauged from the fact that no authentic survey has been conducted for the last 20-25 years on how many are unemployed in Punjab. It is estimated that more than 20 lakh qualified youth are unemployed in the state. The number of semi-unemployed people is more than 50 lakhs, who are limited to two-time meal; while 1.5 lakh children go abroad every year, he added. Cheema said that by not resolving the future issues of Punjab, the Congress government has betrayed the state and the people of Punjab will surely punish the Congress party in the 2022 Assembly elections.
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