Congress leaders on Monday held a demonstration in support of employees outside the District Administrative Complex. They raised slogans against the government and demanded the release of the pending dearness allowance installment for government employees and pensioners.
District Congress Committee president Rajinder Beri and Jalandhar West constituency in-charge Surinder Kaur said government employees were being forced to sit on protests and make rounds of courts just to secure their rightful dues.
“The employees had given support to the Aam Aadmi Party in 2022, but the government has failed to fulfil its promises. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had said if the AAP government was formed in Punjab, no one would have to stage protests and everyone’s concerns would be heard. However, four-and-a-half years of the government have passed and not a single rupee has been given to employees by this government", Beri said.
Surinder Kaur said, “The employees are now compelled to protest and face police action to obtain their dues from the government. Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema claims that Punjab’s treasury is full, but the government has no money to pay its employees. The pending DA installment should be released as soon as possible."
Other Congress leaders, including Dr Jasleen Sethi, Jagdish Dakoha, Gurvinder Pal Bunty Neelkanth, Mandeep Jassal, Ashwani Jangral and Vijay Dakoha, said, “This is the first government in Punjab that has not provided a DA installment to employees, whereas under all previous governments, employees were always taken care of during festivals and special occasions. The Congress has always stood by these employees and will continue to struggle to secure their dues."
