The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) on Tuesday said the ruling Congress should fulfill its pre-poll promise to provide employment to every household and an employment allowance of Rs 2,500 per month to all unemployed youth.

In a Press statement, senior SAD leader and member of Parliament (MP) Professor Prem Singh Chandumajra said Punjab Congress president Sunil Jakhar was resorting to photo-ops in front of Parliament to demand jobs for youth instead of forcing the Punjab government to fulfill the promises made to them.

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“The Punjab Congress president has become fond of stage managing protests to shift focus from his failure to take the Punjab government to task and force it to deliver,” the SAD lead said.

He said Jakhar did this on the issue of petrol and diesel prices after failing to get the Congress government to reduce taxes on the petro products, which are the highest in north India, by even one paisa.

“Now he has again marched to Delhi with a ‘charkha’ to demand jobs not realizing it is his duty also to ensure jobs for youth of Punjab,” Chandumajra added.

The Anandpur Sahib MP said in the run up to the 2017 Assembly elections, Congress had promised employment to every household.

Now after one and a half years Punjab had only witnessed the family of a former Congress Chief Minister (CM) Beant Singh being rewarded with a job with the former CM’s over aged grand-son being appointed as a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP).

The Akali leader said around 19 lakh youth had filled application forms to register for jobs which were to be provided by the Congress government.

“These youth have neither got the promised jobs nor the committed Rs 2,500 per month allowance,” he said.

Chandumajra said Jakhar should at least do their economic homework before staging such gimmicks. He said the unemployment rate had gone down to 4.5 per cent presently from 9 per cent during Congress-led UPA rule.

He said it would have been better for Jakhar to reflect upon the ground reality and thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi for the record increase in minimum support price of paddy and cotton which had given a direct benefit of Rs 6,000 and Rs 10,000 per acre to farmers.

“But it is easier for the PPCC chief to stage sham four men protests rather than work to get the promises made to youth, farmers and the poor fulfilled by the Punjab government”, he added.