The issue which catapulted the SAD-BJP regime into power for the consecutive term, would now be exploited by the Opposition Congress - unemployment.
Coming to the rescue of the “educated unemployed” Punjabi youth, Congress is all set to launch a statewide drive to get them registered with the employment exchanges across the state. This is not all! The party would also raise the issue in the corridors of justice.
Setting a two-month deadline to cover all the 117 assembly constituencies of the state, Punjab Congress chief Partap Singh Bajwa has asked all the legislators and the contesting candidates of the 2012 assembly polls to get the names of unemployed in their constituency registered in the district employment exchanges.
The drive would be launched after the Gram Panchayat polls, scheduled for July 3, and is expected to finish by August.
“On an average, we would enroll 1000 unemployed youth in every constituency in local employment exchanges, that would approximately add up to 1.17 lakh. This is our first step. Once registered, we would take up their case in the courts,” said Bajwa.
Blaming the SAD-BJP regime for “misguiding” the Punjabi youth with Rs 1000 “unemployment allowance”, Bajwa said that the promise was made in the party election manifesto for 2012 assembly elections, and not fulfilling it would amount to “betrayal of trust” even after being 15 months in power.
“Just like delimitation of wards, we would also take up the issue of lakhs of unemployed youth in the High Court. We will fight people’s fight. After getting their names registered, the government cannot deny them what they promised as they have kept this as a condition for allowance,” he added.
The go-ahead to this initiative was given by Congress national vice-president Rahul Gandhi when Congress legislative Party leader Sunil Kumar Jakhar raised the issue with him. In fact, Jakhar also took up the issue on Sunday during the meeting chaired by new in-charge for party affairs in Punjab Shakeel Ahmed. However, Bajwa tried to hog all the limelight by briefing the media about the same.
Jakhar had also raised this issue in the Vidhan Sabha. Responding, deputy chief minister Sukhbir Badal had claimed that SAD promised employability allowance for getting training, and not unemployment allowance as propagated by the Congress.
Jakhar told The Pioneer, “We would mobilize the entire educated unemployed youth, get them register in the employment exchanges. We will also keep their record with ourselves. And question the government on what they promised.”
Bajwa’s statewide mass contact programme
PPCC President Bajwa has announced a statewide mass contact programme, starting from July 15. “I will tour the entire state, each and every assembly constituency from July 15,” said he.
“To prepare the ground for the 2014 parliamentary elections, I would hold bigger workers’ meetings, and inform them about congress-led UPA government’s flagship programmes like direct cash transfer, food subsidy, RTI, among others.
“I would tour two constituencies each day - one in morning and evening. In a week, I would give each day to the four vice-presidents and spend two days in Malwa, one each in Doaba and Majha region,” said Bajwa.
Bajwa’s new team
New organizational set-up of Punjab Congress is expected to be in place within a week.
“I will be sending the list to party high command within the next two to three days and hope to have the new set-up in place before launching my mass contact programme,” said Bajwa.