Punjab Government functioning like an event management company- Sunil Jakhar 

Chandigarh, December 28, 2025: Bharatiya Janata Party’s Punjab State President Sunil Jakhar said that instead of focusing on the development of Punjab, the Aam Aadmi Party government is acting like an event management company and is preparing to add yet another propaganda exercise to the series of special sessions of the Vidhan Sabha.

In a statement issued here today, Sunil Jakhar said that the Bhagwant Mann–led AAP government has failed on every front and has no achievements to count. Therefore, it keeps rolling out new propaganda every day. He described the special session being convened to oppose the Ji Ram Ji Law as the next episode in this series. He said it would be better if the government used a special session to discuss the deteriorating law-and-order situation in the state and to deliberate on the frequent murders and extortion threats being reported almost daily.

He said that during the recent visit of Union Agriculture and Rural Development Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan to Punjab, people from every district highlighted corruption in this scheme. He urged the Chief Minister to issue a White Paper on the corruption that has taken place in Punjab under this scheme over the past four years.

The BJP state president said that if this government believed that the scheme didn’t require any amendments and was ideal in it present form was so fond of the old form then why did it fail to provide 100 days of employment to Punjab’s poor over the last four years, when implementing the scheme was entirely the responsibility of the state government. He accused the government of misleading poor people by getting forms filled and thumb impressions taken, while questioning why the rightful four years of employment of these poor people were denied. Challenging the Chief Minister, he asked why the AAP government is troubled when the Central Government is promising to stop corruption in the scheme and provide 125 days of work instead of 100. He said the AAP government should stop misleading the poor of Punjab.

Jakhar said that the Central Government has clearly stated that full employment must be ensured under this scheme, while the state government is opposing the new law. He added that when the Central Government has guaranteed 125 days of work, the state government should implement the scheme effectively so that everyone receives 125 days of employment.

He pointed out that during the current financial year, the poor in Punjab have been provided an average of only 26 days of employment, whereas in previous years this government managed an average of just 38 days. This, he said, exposes the anti-poor face of the AAP government. The drama of convening special sessions is only meant to hide its shortcomings.

Referring to earlier special sessions of the Vidhan Sabha, Sunil Jakhar questioned Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann about what happened to the draft law against sacrilege that was sent to a select committee. He also asked about the outcome of the special session convened after the leveling charges of crores being offered to the AAP MLAs for defecting were made and the investigation was handed over to the Punjab Police. Similarly, he questioned the status of Punjab’s agricultural policy, about which the Chief Minister had assured farmer unions that it would be implemented soon in consultation with them, but on which the government has remained silent.

Jakhar said that the government has so far convened nine special sessions of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha, but apart from presenting them as events, the government should also make public what benefits, if any, these sessions have brought to the common people of Punjab.

He concluded by saying that on one hand the Chief Minister claims that Punjab has no shortage of funds, then why are development works stalled across the state. To escape accountability for this failure, the government is repeatedly calling special sessions, which will bring no benefit other than placing an additional financial burden on the people of Punjab.                           

What is included in the new law:
Sunil Jakhar says that under the new law, 125 days of work will be provided. If work is not provided on time, an unemployment allowance will be given. In case of delay in payment, additional compensation will be paid for the delay. The role of the Gram Sabha and the Panchayat has been strengthened. Identification of works and their prioritization will be decided by the Gram Sabha. Social audit has been made mandatory.