Para-athletes protest near Punjab CM’s house in Chandigarh, demand jobs

The protesting sportspersons said they wanted to return the awards given by the state as a mark of protest. They were joined by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers, and slogans were raised against the Congress government of the state

Para-athletes of various disciplines held a protest near the official residence of Punjab chief minister Amarinder Singh here on Thursday, demanding jobs from the state government.

Members of Aam Aadmi Party’s youth wing, who joined the protest in support of the para-athletes, clash with the police force outside the Punjab chief minister’s residence on Thursday. (HT photo)

The protesting sportspersons said they wanted to return the awards given by the state as a mark of protest. They were joined by Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders and workers, and slogans were raised against the Congress government of the state.

As the protesters gathered near the chief minister’s residence, police blocked them with barricades, evicted them from the site and detained them briefly.

Taking a dig at the government, the protesters said if it could offer jobs to the sons of two Congress MLAs on compassionate grounds, then there is no reason why it cannot give jobs to them.

They were referring to the Punjab cabinet’s decision to appoint Qadian MLA Fatehjang Singh Bajwa’s son Arjun Partap Singh Bajwa as an inspector in the Punjab Police and Ludhiana MLA Rakesh Pandey’s son Bhisham Pandey as a naib tehsildar in the revenue department on “compassionate” grounds.

AAP legislator Gurmeet Singh Meet Hayer said the special athletes were more qualified and fit for government jobs than the sons of Congress MLAs and leaders.

The Amarinder Singh-led Congress government made a lot of announcements for sportspersons, but most of them are living in poverty now, he said.

The AAP leader added that para-athletes had staged a ‘dharna’ last year as well to remind the government of its promise of jobs to them.