Cong panel to take up issue with CM

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 27

The Congress today constituted an a nine-member committee under the chairmanship of HP Congress Committee chief (HPCC) Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu to apprise Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh of the sentiments and views of party leaders on the issue of fulfilling election promise of granting unemployment allowance to educated jobless youth in the state.

The HPCC today organized a “Janvedna Sammelan” here which was attended by ministers, state party office bearers, block and district Congress committee presidents. Though the issue of demonetization and the inconvenience caused to the common man because of it was discussed at the sammelan it was the issue of fulfillment of all promises made in the election manifesto which was discussed at length.

The committee headed by Sukhu, which includes HPCC vice presidents Harsh Mahajan and Rangila Ram Rao, general secretaries- Ram Lal Thakur, Harbhajan Singh Bhajji, Harshwardhan Chauhan, Naresh Chauhan and Kuldeep Pathania and HP Youth Congress chief Vikramaditya Singh, will meet the Chief Minister tomorrow to convey the opinion of the party.

“The committee will convey the sentiments of the party workers to the Chief Minister so that a way can be found to see how all the promises in the election manifesto, including that of unemployment allowance, can be fulfilled,” said a senior leader.

Virbhadra has already made it amply clear that despite the promise being made in the manifesto, the financial position of the state did not permit the grant of such an allowance. He said instead, skill development allowance was being provided to youth to make them employable.

Even though ministers in the Virbahdra Cabinet Vidya Stokes and Kaul Singh Thakur, while addressing the workers, said considering the financial constraints it was very difficult to give unemployment allowance to the jobless youth way should be found out to see how this promise can be fulfilled.

A majority of the BCC and DCC officer bearers were of the firm opinion that since the unemployment allowance was the highlight of the manifesto during 2012 Assembly elections, the government will have to look for ways to fulfill it.

Many of the leaders also pointed out that the BJP was trying to capitalize on the issue and they could benefit due to non-fulfillment of this promise.