Chandigarh, May 21 (IANS) Punjab Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Sunil Jakhar on Thursday urged the state government to immediately release pending dearness allowance (DA) installments and arrears to employees and pensioners after the Punjab and Haryana High Court refused to grant a stay against the orders related to their payments.

In a message shared on social media platform X, Jakhar said: “Your appeal seeking a stay against the court orders directing the release of employees’ arrears and DA installments by June 30 has also been dismissed. So why the delay now, Bhagwant Mann-ji? You have even taken a new loan now.”

“During the West Bengal elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had announced that government employees would receive DA within 45 days of a BJP government being formed. However, the BJP did not wait 45 days and implemented the decision within 10 days of forming the government in West Bengal. What are you waiting for?” the State BJP President asked.

“DA is not charity for employees; it is their rightful entitlement,” he said.

Jakhar added that while the Punjab government was spending crores of rupees on advertisements without delivering meaningful work on the ground, government employees and pensioners were still being denied their legitimate dues.

He reminded Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann that he frequently claims the state Treasury is full, and questioned why government employees, who are an essential part of the administration, were not being given their rightful benefits.

Jakhar urged the Punjab government to release the DA without any further delay.

He also reiterated that if the BJP “forms the government in Punjab, DA would be provided promptly, similar to the action taken in Bengal soon after the BJP assumed office there”.

Jakhar said on Wednesday the Aam Aadmi Party “is trying to divert people’s attention from real issues by constantly creating new narratives, but under the leadership of PM Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party will not allow this to happen”.​

Promising to clear arrears, the BJP leader told the media here that more than three lakh employees and four lakh pensioners in Punjab are awaiting their dearness allowance instalments and arrears.​

He said the High Court had directed the government to release Rs 15,000 crore in dearness allowance instalments and arrears to employees and pensioners by June 30, but the government has again approached the court.​

He added that, before the elections, Aam Aadmi Party national convenor Arvind Kejriwal had promised that people would not have to stage protests or face police action for jobs, but today the situation remains unchanged.​

Jakhar said the anti-employee face of the government has been exposed because, for the first time since Independence, an Aam Aadmi Party government is not only refusing to release dearness allowance instalments but has also challenged the very provision of granting dearness allowance in its appeal.​

According to him, the government has said that it is not bound to increase the dearness allowance.

​Jakhar said the dearness allowance is not charity for employees, but their rightful entitlement, and the government should release it without delay.​

He added that while the Central government led by PM Modi, along with Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan, is providing 60 per cent dearness allowance, Punjab employees are receiving only 42 per cent.​

He also said that people voted for the BJP in West Bengal because law and order had deteriorated there, and employees were also not receiving DA.​

According to Jakhar, Punjab is now facing similar circumstances.​

He assured employees that the BJP would improve the situation, ensure dearness allowance payments, and safeguard all employee interests.​

–IANS

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