Chandigarh, August 5
The illogical and unjust stand of Bhagwant Mann government against the judgement of Punjab and Haryana High Court has once again exposed its anti-employee mindset of the AAP regime. Making these remarks, former Punjab Minister and senior Shiromani Akali Dal leader Daljit Singh Cheema has posted on his social media handle X, “Instead of honouring the direction to release nearly ₹14,191 crore in pending DA/DR arrears to around 6 lakh employees & pensioners within 15 days the Punjab government has chosen to challenge and delay the implementation of the Court’s order. The Finance Minister must explain why a government that spends crores on publicity refuses to pay the hard-earned dues of its employees and pensioners. Is financial hardship only cited when employees seek their legal rights? This is not an isolated incident. From delaying DA and pension arrears, forcing employees to approach the courts, to repeated disputes with doctors, pharmacists, Mohalla Clinic staff, sanitation workers and other government employees over their genuine demands, the AAP government has consistently displayed an anti-employee attitude. Where are Arvind Kejriwal’s grand promises of “honest governance” and “employee-friendly administration”? Were those assurances only meant for election campaigns? If the government truly respected its employees, why did lakhs of serving and retired personnel have to fight a prolonged legal battle merely to secure what was already rightfully theirs? A government that refuses to honour even a clear High Court judgment loses the moral authority to preach good governance. Punjab’s employees and pensioners deserve justice, not excuses, delays and hollow publicity.”