Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon on Thursday said government employees in the state would receive dearness allowance (DA) at par with Central government rates if the BJP came to power in the 2027 Assembly elections.
Dhillon accused the Bhagwant Mann-led Aam Aadmi Party government of denying state employees and pensioners their legitimate dues despite directions from the Punjab and Haryana High Court to release pending dearness allowance and dearness relief.
Welcoming the Centre's decision to increase DA and dearness relief by three percentage points, Dhillon said a BJP government in Punjab would extend the revised rate of 63 per cent to state employees.
"If the BJP comes to power in Punjab, the state government employees would also receive dearness allowance at the rate of 63 per cent," he said.
๐๐๐ฃ ๐๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ด๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐๐ฃ ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐
Dhillon alleged that the Punjab government had failed to address the financial concerns of employees and pensioners despite repeated demands for payment of outstanding allowances.
He claimed that nearly eight lakh state government employees and pensioners were protesting over their pending dues, accusing the Mann administration of remaining unwilling to resolve their grievances.
The BJP leader said the issue had become a major concern for government employees, particularly as Central government personnel continued to receive higher dearness allowance rates.
He maintained that employees should not have to repeatedly approach the courts or organise protests to secure benefits to which they were entitled.
Dhillon also promised that a BJP government would ensure the payment of outstanding DA arrears to eligible state employees.
๐๐ถ๐ด๐ต ๐๐ผ๐๐ฟ๐ ๐ผ๐ฟ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ป๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ
On August 3, the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the state government to release dearness allowance and dearness relief dues to employees and pensioners at the rates applicable to All India Services officers serving in Punjab.
The order covered rates paid to officers belonging to the Indian Administrative Service, Indian Police Service and Indian Forest Service.
However, the Punjab government challenged the High Court's direction by filing a special leave petition before the Supreme Court on September 1.
The dispute over DA payments has remained a point of contention between the state administration and employees' organisations.
In September, the Punjab government announced an increase in dearness allowance from 42 per cent to 50 per cent, although the revised rate remained below the allowance payable to Central government employees.
๐๐ฒ๐ป๐๐ฟ๐ฒ ๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ฏ%
On October 28, the Union government approved a three-percentage-point increase in dearness allowance and dearness relief for Central government employees and pensioners.
The revision raised the applicable rate from 60 per cent to 63 per cent.
Dhillon cited the Centre's decision to argue that Punjab government employees should receive comparable financial benefits.
He said the BJP would address the disparity if it formed the next state government following the 2027 Assembly elections.
The party's announcement comes amid continuing demands from employees and pensioners for payment of outstanding allowances and implementation of the High Court's directions.
The BJP leader reiterated that clearing pending arrears and bringing state employees' dearness allowance in line with Central government rates would be among the commitments of a future BJP administration in Punjab.