Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], September 2 : The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday staged a protest outside the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly, accusing the Congress government of failing to fulfil its promises on employment and government jobs.
The protest was held on the sidelines of the ongoing Monsoon Session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly, with BJP leaders and workers raising slogans against the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led government over what they termed its failure to create adequate employment opportunities in the state.
The BJP alleged that the Congress had promised to provide one lakh government jobs in its first Cabinet meeting after assuming power and had subsequently committed to providing five lakh jobs during its five-year tenure.
Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur said the government had failed to deliver on these commitments despite nearly four years of its tenure having elapsed.
"The Congress had promised one lakh jobs in its first Cabinet meeting and five lakh jobs during its five-year tenure. Four years have passed, but the promised employment has not been provided," Thakur said.
He alleged that instead of increasing employment opportunities, the number of government employees in the state had declined.
Thakur claimed that the number of government employees during the previous BJP government had reached around 1.9 lakh, while the figure had now fallen to approximately 1.71 lakh.
"The number of government employees is continuously declining and has reached an all-time low. In such a situation, the government's claims about providing employment are merely hollow promises," he said.
The BJP leader said the employment issue was being raised in the Assembly under Rule 120 and asserted that the party's objective was to ensure that unemployed youth received meaningful employment opportunities.
The protest also saw BJP leaders criticising the state government's decision to restart lottery operations in Himachal Pradesh, with Thakur demanding that the decision be withdrawn.
He argued that at a time when the state was already dealing with a serious drug menace, introducing another activity that could become addictive was inappropriate.
Thakur said the government should focus on creating sustainable employment and strengthening the state's economy rather than relying on measures that could have adverse social consequences.
The BJP maintained that employment would remain a major issue during the ongoing Assembly session and accused the government of failing to meet the expectations of the state's youth.
"If the government wants to improve Himachal Pradesh's economic condition, it should take other steps. A measure through which one person's luck may open while the fate of thousands or lakhs of people sinks cannot strengthen the state's economy," he said.
He demanded that the government immediately withdraw the decision to restart lotteries.
"The lottery should be stopped immediately. It will not strengthen Himachal Pradesh's economy; instead, it could push the state's younger generation and families towards addiction," Thakur said.
Thakur also questioned the government's move towards legalising cannabis cultivation in the state, saying that the government had so far failed to clearly explain the revenue generated or the concrete outcome of the exercise.
He recalled that a committee had been constituted to study the issue and visit different areas to understand the implications of cannabis cultivation.
"The committee was constituted to study and understand the issue. There was no such recommendation from the committee that cannabis cultivation should be legalised in this manner," he said.
Thakur said that despite the government subsequently deciding to move towards legalisation, it had not been able to provide clarity on the revenue or benefits generated from the decision.
"The government had said that cannabis cultivation would be legalised, but what has been the result? How much revenue has been generated? The government is still unable to tell us," he said.
Thakur also attacked the Sukhu government over the issue of pending salaries and other dues of government employees, saying employees and pensioners were repeatedly protesting across the state.
"Government employees are sitting on dharnas every day. Employees and former employees are on the streets, at crossroads and everywhere, raising slogans," he said.
He questioned the government's claims about the financial situation and its handling of employee-related obligations.
"On one hand, the government says it is facing financial difficulties; on the other, employees are continuously protesting over their dues. The Chief Minister has not been able to give satisfactory answers on these issues," Thakur said.
He claimed that there was widespread anger and disappointment with the functioning of the state government.
"Overall, nobody in Himachal Pradesh is happy with the functioning of the Sukhu government. There is anger, disappointment, frustration and resentment among the people," he said.
Referring to the proceedings scheduled for Day 9 of the Monsoon Session, Thakur said an important discussion was to take place under Rule 120 on employment and the Congress government's promise of providing jobs.
He recalled that the Congress had promised one lakh government jobs in its first Cabinet meeting and had subsequently made larger employment commitments during its five-year tenure.
"The Congress had promised one lakh jobs in the first Cabinet meeting. It had also spoken about providing five lakh jobs during its five-year term. Four years have now passed, but the promised employment has not materialised," Thakur said.
He claimed that the number of government employees in the state had instead declined.
According to Thakur, the number of government employees during the BJP government had reached its highest level at around 1.9 lakh, whereas the figure had now fallen to around 1.71 lakh.
"The number of government employees is continuously declining and has reached an all-time low. In such a situation, claims about providing government employment are merely hollow promises," he said.
Thakur said the BJP would raise the issue in the Assembly with the objective of securing relief and employment opportunities for the people.
"Employment is an important issue, and our intention is that people should get relief and opportunities. But at the same time, the lottery introduced by the government must be stopped. It can become a major cause of destruction for the people of Himachal Pradesh," he said.
He maintained that while lottery might bring financial gains to a small number of winners, its wider social consequences could be damaging.
"Lottery may depend on luck, but the government should be concerned about ensuring that people get the fruits of their hard work rather than encouraging dependence on luck," Thakur said.