Himachal CM, opposition leaders trade barbs in assembly over jobs

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Yog Raj Sharma

The North News

Shimla, August 20

The Himachal Pradesh assembly witnessed heated exchanges on the third day of the monsoon session as Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu and opposition leader Jairam Thakur sparred over unemployment and government job recruitment. Chief Minister Sukhu rejected the opposition’s charges, saying that during the previous Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government “jobs were sold and corruption was rampant”, but his administration had “shut the door on such practices.” He added that recruitment in education and other departments was now being carried out transparently.

The Chief Minister said that while Prime Minister Narendra Modi had promised two crore jobs, the Congress had committed to providing five lakh jobs in five years in its manifesto. He claimed his government had set up a dedicated department to help provide employment both within the state and overseas. Targeting the BJP, Sukhu alleged that the opposition was divided into factions and only raising the issue of jobs to gain sympathy from young voters. “During their rule, there were only scams. Today, our government is working to give jobs to the youth,” he said.

The session saw a walkout by BJP legislators after they accused Sukhu of misleading the assembly. Thakur claimed that the chief minister had given different figures for jobs created in July 2024 and on Independence Day, accusing him of “lying to the house and the people.”

The BJP said the Congress had failed to fulfil its promise of one lakh jobs a year and accused the government of counting overseas employment in its figures. He said many recruitment processes started during the BJP’s tenure had been delayed until courts intervened.