The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today said the Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Amarinder Singh should prove his claim about 11 lakh jobs given to youth or apologise to them.

In a statement, former minister Maheshinder Singh Grewal said the CM should release the data of eleven lakh jobs which had been given to youth in Punjab so that he could be felicitated appropriately. “If he cannot do this he should apologize to the youth and Punjabis for mouthing lies in Delhi (during poll campaign) for petty political gains,” he said.

Giving details, the SAD leader said it is a fact that after farmers the youth have also got demoralised by the CM’s failure to fulfil the ghar ghar naukari (jobs for each household) promise and some of them have even starting to take their lives in despair.

“Forget creating new jobs, the government has failed to fill up more than 50,000 vacancies which have been created in the last three years. It has also refused to regularise 27,000 contractual employees,” Grewal said.

Speaking about the placement drives of private technical institutions which had been appropriated by the government, he said even this drive was an abysmal flop show.

“Youth have started boycotting the Rozgar Melas (employment fairs) of the Congress government because they are being offered jobs even below the prescribed daily wage. There have been instances where not one youth has come forward to participate in the Rozgar Melas”, he added.

Stating that the CM could not get away with this deceit, Grewal asked Amarinder to disclose why his government had failed to implement the Rs 2,500 per month unemployment allowance which had been promised to youth while campaigning in Delhi.

Speaking about the other “achievements” which had been listed by the CM during Delhi Assembly poll campaign, the Akali leader said even in this case Amarinder tried to befool the people.

“The CM has claimed that 5,500 smart schools have been created in Punjab even as his education minister has disclosed that the scheme has just taken off. Similarly, Amarinder has claimed that 70 per cent Wellness Clinics have taken off even though everyone knows that this so-called scheme has already failed and could not take off due to non-provision of staff, medicines and equipment in the proposed Wellness Centres,” he said.

Stating that the chief minister should not shy away from Punjabis and also share his “achievements” with them, Grewal said it was sad that Amarinder had chosen to befool the people of Delhi with outlandish statements.