'Where are one lakh jobs promised to youth?': BJP pulls up Congress government in Himachal Pradesh

Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur asked the chief minister that why are the employees protesting if the Congress government is pro-employee.

Shimla: Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur on Wednesday dubbed Himachal Pradesh Governor Shiv Pratap Shukla's address to be "disappointing" and said that not a single achievement of the present Congress regime has been mentioned.

The 16-day Budget session of the Himachal Pradesh Assembly began on Wednesday with the governor's address.

Thakur said that barring one or two out of ten guarantees promised by the Congress leaders on the eve of last assembly polls, the governor's address has skipped the remaining promises.

Addressing the media here, the BJP leader said the governor's address has made it clear that the government has neither any intention nor capability to fulfill the poll guarantees and it found it convenient not to make mention of the unfulfilled guarantees.

The Congress leaders had given ten guarantees, including one lakh jobs to the youth every year, restoration of the old pension scheme, Rs 1,500 to women in the age group of 18 to 60 years every month, 300 units of free electricity and buying milk from farmers for Rs 80 to 100 per litre, Thakur said.

As far as the Old Pension Scheme is concerned, the file has been moved to reduce the pension which was 50 per cent of the last salary withdrawn to 20 to 30 per cent, he added.

Referring to the employees of the Electricity Board and the Himachal Roadways Transport Corporation, Thakur said they are still waiting for arrears and are forced to sit on dharna for their salaries.

The BJP leader asked the chief minister that why are the employees protesting if the Congress government is pro-employee.

"Where are one lakh jobs which were promised to the youth?" he asked.

Thakur said the state's youth, who had appeared for the government jobs, are being punished as the results have not been declared.

Escalating his attack, he said that the guarantees promised by the Congress would ensure the ouster of the present government.

Thakur added that development has come to a standstill as the government has closed about 1,000 educational, revenue, health and other institutions in the past one year.