Organisations oppose govt ‘decision’ on providing jobs to wards of MLAs

Harshraj Singh

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, June 3

After the state government has reportedly considering to give government jobs to sons of Congress MLAs on compassionate grounds, some organisations have opposed the move and demanded from CM Capt Amarinder Singh to provide jobs to unemployed and needy youth instead of offering jobs to the kin of any MLA or MP.

An organisation, Inquilab Zindabad Lehar, has raised questions over the government’s move to give jobs to the sons of MLAs Rakesh Pandey and Fateh Jung Singh Bajwa as tehsildar and Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), respectively, on compassionate grounds. Notably, the father of Pandey and the father of Bajwa were killed in separate terrorists’ attacks. Sources said the government was also considering to provide jobs to sons of two other MLAs.

Staging a protest in Ludhiana on Thursday, members of the Inquilab Zindabad Lehar claimed that the decision of the state government to provide government jobs to the sons of these MLAs was wrong. Sukhwinder Singh Halwara, along with his aides of the organisation, sent a memorandum to the Chief Minister, via the Deputy Commissioner, Ludhiana, demanding that jobs should be provided to the unemployed youth instead of providing jobs to the kin of MLAs or MPs.

He said: “Many youngsters lost their jobs amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Many of the young boys and girls are forced to hold protests as they are not being provided jobs. Before the Assembly elections, the Congress had promised to provide jobs to the unemployed under the ‘Ghar Ghar Rozgar Yojana’ campaign. Now, the government should provide jobs to the unemployed and needy youth of the state on a priority basis instead of giving jobs to the sons of MLAs or MPs, who are already well settled.”

Keemti Rawal of the Mahatar Sathi Jagriti Manch said, “I am a voter of the Ludhiana North constituency. The government is going to provide a job to the sons of a few MLAs by flouting the norms. I have sent a memorandum to the Punjab Governor to direct the government to provide jobs to the unemployed youth of the state. There is no need to provide a job to any MLA’s son on compassionate grounds. Many people were killed by terrorists in Punjab but the government had not provided jobs to the next kin of the victims to date. Many youngsters are unemployed in the state. Then, why are jobs being offered to the sons of MLAs? No job should be offered to son of any MLA or MP. I will move the court against the government’s decision.”