Lop Partap Singh slams AAP of sidelining Punjabis, calls Sugarfed recruitment policy deceitful
CHANDIGARH: Senior Congress leader and opposition leader Partap Singh Bajwa on Monday slammed the AAP government in Punjab, accusing it of a 'deliberate and deceitful attempt' to sideline the Punjabi language and deprive local youth of job opportunities in the recruitment for 166 posts in Sugarfed Punjab.
Bajwa claimed that the AAP government initially attempted to dilute the requirement of Punjabi language proficiency by allowing candidates who hadn't passed Punjabi in Matric to appear for the examination, on the condition that they clear a basic Punjabi test during their three-year probation.
"It was a clear attempt to recruit non-Punjabis by stealth. Only after a massive public outcry and media backlash did the government take a panicked U-turn and declare Punjabi compulsory again. This is not governance, it's deceit,' Bajwa said.
He accused the AAP government of trying to sneak in policies that betray Punjab's linguistic and cultural ethos, only to reverse course when caught red-handed. 'This pattern has become a hallmark of the AAP regime, quietly undermining Punjab's interests, then staging a course correction to save face,' Bajwa stated.
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