Need to change forest law, relief manual: Lahaul MLA

The faction-ridden BJP has become directionless due to internal power struggle, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu today alleged while talking to mediapersons after the Opposition walked out of the Assembly. “When Leader of the Opposition Jai Ram Thakur raises his hand in the Assembly, other BJP leaders must not raise their hands. The BJP is divided into five factions and there is a struggle for one-upmanship,” he alleged. He added that the BJP was protesting and left the Assembly just to make headlines. It was not willing to listen to the government’s reply.

Sukhu said, “During the previous BJP government, jobs were sold. There were irregularities in police recruitment and the question papers of the Subordinate SSB exams were leaked. We constituted the Rajya Chayan Aayog to ensure transparency and complete impartiality.” He added that no question paper had been leaked during our tenure and meritorious and deserving candidates were given jobs.

He said that even Prime Minister Narendra Modi had spoken of providing two crore jobs every year but failed to do so. “The BJP does not want to listen when we give it a complete break-up of 23,000 jobs that we have created in the government sector. Also, the figure of 34,000 jobs given last year included those provided in the private sector,” he added. The Congress’ manifesto about which the BJP was harping was for five years, he claimed.

Sukhu said that it was very wrong on the part of the BJP to claim that posts being filled were created during its tenure. “This only shows that the BJP is still living in the past and not willing to accept the good work done by our government,” he added.

Sukhu said that efforts were being made to create the maximum possible number of jobs even in the private sector. “We have created an Overseas Recruitment Job Cell. We are talking to the Ambassadors of Japan, Germany and Arabian countries so that the Himachali youth can get good and secure jobs abroad,” he added.