Sunil Jakhar too slams jobs to sons of two Cong MLAs

Rajmeet Singh

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 19

The Punjab Government today plunged into another crisis with PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar and other senior leaders opposing the decision to give jobs to sons of party MLAs Fateh Jang Bajwa and Rakesh Pandey.

The decision to give appointments on “compassionate ground” was taken at a Cabinet meeting yesterday. At least five ministers had strongly opposed the move.

Cautioning that the party would be accused of promoting nepotism, Jakhar said, “Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh must reverse the ill-advised decision.”

“Jobs should be given to sportspersons or wards of freedom fighters,” said Navjot Kaur Sidhu, former MLA and wife of Navjot Singh Sidhu, asking the CM to reconsider the decision “in larger public interest”.

Fatehgarh Sahib MLA Kuljit Nagra said the people’s representatives must work for the people and not for personal gains. “The Cabinet should rollback the decision. We should meet the promise of ‘ghar ghar naukri’ instead of giving jobs to the kin of MLAs who don’t need it,” he said.

Gidderbaha MLA Amrinder Singh Raja Warring appealed to the MLAs not to accept the jobs being offered to their sons. “It would amount to cheating with the common man. The needy should get the jobs and those belonging to well-off families can wait,” he said.

Punjab Youth Congress president Brinder Dhillon said jobs should be offered to families of victims of terrorism. “I request the MLAs not to accept the jobs,” he said.

Earlier, the SAD and AAP also criticised the government. Capt Amarinder said if these parties suggested names of youths whose parents had made sacrifices for the nation, they too would be offered jobs.

He pointed out that in the dark days of terrorism, 35,000 innocent lives were lost and 1,700 police personnel were killed. “It is not enough to raise memorials. The state needs to compensate their kin,” he said.

Unrest in party

• The decision to give jobs to 2 MLAs’ sons was taken at a Cabinet meeting on Friday
• At least five ministers had strongly opposed the move
• PPCC chief Sunil Jakhar and several MLAs on Saturday sought rollback of the order

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