After Bali, now HPCC differs with Virbhadra

Tribune News Service

Shimla, February 23

Even as Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh remains firm on his decision of not fulfilling the election manifesto commitment of providing unemployment allowance to jobless youth, the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) has decided to seek the opinion of all state office bearers, district and block presidents on the crucial issue.

The HPCC will convene a meeting of all the PCC office-bearers, district and block chiefs here on February 27 to deliberate on the issue of unemployment allowance, which was the highlight of the Congress manifesto in the 2012 Assembly polls. With the state heading for Assembly polls later this year in November, many leaders, including ministers, are of the opinion that since the promise had been made in the Congress election manifesto before 2012 the promise must be fulfilled.

“Since the election manifesto of the Congress has been adopted as a policy document, the promise must be fulfilled irrespective of who is the Chief Minister”, said Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu, HPCC president. He said the opinion of all the leaders will be sought on the issue so that the government acts accordingly. As such the February 27 meeting of the HPCC is being considered crucial.

Even though other issues like effect of demonetization and chalking out the election strategy are likely to be discussed at the meeting it is the issue of grant of unemployment figure which could become contentious. Transport Minister GS Bali has openly demanded that the Congress regime must honour the commitment it made to the youth of the state while seeking their votes during the 2012 Assembly polls.

With the budget session of the Assembly commencing on March 1, there is a possibility that the Chief Minister might make some announcement in this regard. Though, in the past Virbhadra made it amply clear that the financial position of the state did not permit grant of unemployment allowance to youth and providing them a Skill Development Allowance was a better option to make them employable, a majority of the ministers and senior Congress leaders strongly feel that such a hard stand will only damage the party’s poll prospects.

The stand adopted by the HPCC on the issue of unemployment allowance could further widen the rift between Virbhadra and Sukhu. The Chief Minister during the last one week has hit out at Sukhu by stating that many of the office-bearers of the Congress were not even known in their neighbourhood leave aside in the state, district or block.