Sukhbir Badal promises 3 lakh government jobs in first year if SAD returns to power

Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) president Sukhbir Singh Badal on Friday stepped up his attack on the Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab, accusing Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann of presiding over widespread corruption and announcing a raft of promises ranging from three lakh government jobs to higher pensions and assistance for young entrepreneurs if the SAD returns to power.

Addressing the party’s “Punjab Bachao” rally at Mananhana village in the Chabbewal Assembly constituency, Badal said the SAD would submit an application to the Enforcement Directorate seeking an investigation into what he alleged was a multi-crore illegal mining scam. His allegations against the state government have not been independently established, and the rally was part of the SAD’s campaign ahead of the next Punjab Assembly election.

Seeks ED probe

Badal alleged that illegal mining continued in Punjab and said the party would approach the ED to seek an investigation into the alleged racket. He has made similar allegations during recent stops of the SAD’s Punjab Bachao campaign, calling for a central investigation into the money trail.

The SAD president also accused the Mann government of spending around Rs 500 crore on publicity hoardings to project the Chief Minister as honest. He argued that such expenditure of public money contradicted the government’s claims of providing clean governance. The figure cited by Badal was his allegation and was not accompanied at the rally by an independently verified accounting of the government’s publicity expenditure.

Badal described the Mann administration as the “most corrupt” in Punjab’s history, continuing the SAD’s increasingly sharp campaign against the ruling AAP. The AAP government has disputed corruption allegations levelled against it by political opponents on multiple occasions.

Three lakh jobs

Employment formed a major part of Badal’s pitch. He promised that an SAD government would fill three lakh vacant government posts within its first year in office and reiterated his proposal to change recruitment rules so that state government jobs could be reserved for Punjab residents.

He also said industries receiving incentives from the Punjab government would be required to provide 75 per cent of their jobs to Punjabis. The party has been repeating both proposals during its recent rallies as it seeks to make employment and migration central themes of its campaign.

For young people seeking to start businesses, Badal promised government-backed loans of up to Rs 10 lakh without collateral. He said beneficiaries would not have to make repayments during the first three years, with the loan to be repaid over the subsequent seven years.

Badal also proposed a 75 per cent subsidy for families and young entrepreneurs seeking to enter the dairy business, presenting self-employment and agriculture-linked enterprises as another route to creating jobs.

Welfare promises

The SAD chief announced a series of welfare commitments, including the revival and expansion of schemes associated with previous Akali governments. He said the Atta-Dal scheme would be strengthened to provide eligible beneficiaries with 50 kg of wheat along with pulses at subsidised rates.

Badal promised to raise the monthly old-age pension to Rs 3,100. He also proposed lowering the eligibility age from 65 to 60 years for men and from 60 to 55 years for women.

Assistance under the Shagun scheme for the marriages of women from eligible families would be increased to Rs 1 lakh, he said. The SAD has made both the higher pension and enhanced Shagun assistance recurring commitments during its ongoing campaign.

Housing also figured prominently in the promises. Badal said poor families without land would be allotted five-marla plots, equivalent to around 125 square yards, and pledged that there would be no “kutcha” house left in Punjab after five years of an SAD government.

Skill university planned

Addressing concerns over young Punjabis returning from abroad amid changing employment opportunities and residency rules in several countries, Badal proposed setting up a World Skill University in the state. He said the institution would provide specialised training aimed at improving employment prospects and preparing young people for changing labour-market requirements.

The proposal is part of the SAD’s attempt to address Punjab’s longstanding concerns over employment and outward migration. Badal has argued during his recent campaign events that the state needs both large-scale recruitment and a stronger ecosystem for entrepreneurship and vocational training.

For the Kandi region, Badal also proposed a dedicated development ministry, an expressway connecting Pathankot with Chandigarh through the Kandi belt and a special industrial package. He said new investors in the region would receive incentives, including cheaper power, while lift pumps and deep tube wells would be provided to address irrigation requirements.

Tougher drug law promised

Badal also outlined a stringent approach to drug trafficking, saying the first Cabinet meeting of an SAD government would approve legislation intended to make bail difficult for those convicted or accused under specified drug-trafficking provisions. He also spoke of confiscating property linked to drug dealers.

Any such legislation would have to comply with constitutional protections, criminal procedure and existing central narcotics laws. The precise legal framework for the proposal has not yet been detailed by the SAD.

The drug issue has remained a politically significant subject in Punjab for successive governments, with parties repeatedly promising tougher enforcement, rehabilitation and action against trafficking networks.

Targets Waris Punjab De

Badal also attacked Waris Punjab De, alleging that the organisation was being used to divide the Panthic vote and weaken the SAD. He criticised jailed MP Amritpal Singh and raised questions concerning the organisation’s positions on Sikh religious and political issues.

Waris Punjab De and figures associated with it have faced similar accusations from Badal during recent SAD rallies. These are political allegations made by the SAD leadership and do not establish coordination between the organisation and the AAP government.

Badal simultaneously portrayed the Congress and AAP as “outsider” political parties and positioned the SAD as Punjab’s regional alternative. He sought to contrast their records with that of previous Akali governments, pointing to thermal power plants, airports, roads, irrigation projects and other infrastructure developed during SAD-led administrations.

SAD builds poll pitch

The Chabbewal rally was the latest stop in the SAD’s Punjab Bachao campaign as the party builds its platform ahead of the next Assembly election. Badal has increasingly used these rallies to combine attacks on the Mann government with specific commitments on employment, welfare, industry, agriculture and housing.

With three lakh government posts in the first year emerging as one of its central promises, the SAD is placing jobs at the heart of its campaign. Whether the proposals are financially and administratively feasible will depend on the details of the party’s eventual manifesto, including the number and status of vacancies, recruitment timelines and the fiscal cost of the wider welfare commitments.