HP Assembly session: CM Sukhu rakes up police job scandal in BJP rule as Oppn walks out over unemployment
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Strap: Says Cong govt giving 20,000 jobs in a year whereas Jai Ram regime gave 20,000 in 5 years
The Newz Radar
DHARAMSHALA: The issue of unemployment took centrestage in the Himachal Pradesh Vidhan Sabha on Friday (December 22, 2023) as the opposition BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the Assembly. Tensions reached a point where the opposition, dissatisfied with the proceedings, walked out of the House, following the introduction of an adjournment motion under Rule 67.
Assembly Speaker Kuldeep Pathania proposed a detailed discussion on unemployment in the House on Saturday, a suggestion to which the opposition BJP tentatively agreed. However, leader of opposition Jai Ram Thakur seized the moment to address the Assembly, emphasising the gravity of the unemployment crisis in the state.
Jai Ram criticised the ruling Congress, citing unfulfilled promises of creating jobs. He pointed out that the Congress, in its election guarantee, had pledged to provide one lakh jobs in the first cabinet and five lakh jobs over five years. He alleged that not only were these promises unkept, but the government had also terminated the services 10,000 outsourced employees.
In response, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu defended his government’s stance, asserting readiness for a discussion on the issue. Sukhu sought to shift the focus to the previous BJP government’s record, claiming that only 20,000 recruitments occurred during their five-year term. He emphasised his administration’s efforts, stating that it had initiated recruitment for 20,000 posts in only one year.
The Chief Minister accused the opposition of attempting to divert attention from a police recruitment scandal during the BJP’s tenure. He alleged the sale of examination papers in the Himachal Pradesh Staff Selection Commission, suggesting corruption within the opposition’s ranks. The opposition responded with slogans and eventually walked out of the House in protest.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Harshvardhan Chauhan further escalated the confrontation, labelling the opposition’s actions as mere “theatrics”. Chauhan accused the previous government of presiding over a den of corruption in the Staff Selection Commission, where exam papers were allegedly sold for exorbitant amounts. He claimed that the CBI had initiated an investigation during the elections.
Amidst the intense exchange, Jai Ram objected strongly to the ruling party’s portrayal of the opposition’s concerns as mere drama, asserting that the issue at hand impacted countless unemployed individuals in the state.
Earlier, outside the Assembly, the opposition staged a demonstration, brandishing degrees and accusing the Congress government of betraying the trust of lakhs of youths who were promised employment.
Assembly Speaker Pathania ultimately rejected the opposition’s motion under Rule 67 but extended an invitation for them to propose an alternative resolution under a different rule, promising a fair consideration of their concerns. As the echoes of the contentious debate lingered in the Assembly chambers, the unresolved issue of unemployment continues to be a rallying cry for both sides.
