The Congress on Sunday said regular government jobs will be provided to nearly 15 lakh youths working on contract or as outsourced staff in different state-run entities and departments if the party is voted to power in Gujarat. The announcement was made by the opposition party's state unit working president and MLA Himmatsinh Patel, a day after the Congress government in Rajasthan approved rules aimed at regularising contractual staff.
The Congress also promised that people who want to regularise illegal constructions will be allowed to do so for free. "This pro-people decision by the Rajasthan government will benefit nearly 1.10 lakh youths. On the same lines, our party, if voted to power in Gujarat, will regularise nearly 5 lakh contractual and 10 lakh outsourced staff. These youths are being exploited at present under the ruling BJP," Patel told reporters.
When asked if Congress is trying to counter the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) by making such a pre-poll promise, Patel said people know very well which party is capable of delivering. "Other parties are making promises for the sake of it. Congress has a long history of fulfilling promises and introducing pro-people schemes and laws, be it MNREGA, mid-day meal, free education and right to food", said Patel, flanked by Gujarat Congress vice president Jitu Patel.
Notably, AAP national convenor and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal had announced 10 lakh government jobs in Gujarat if elected to power in the Assembly elections, due in December this year. Jitu Patel said the new Congress government will not charge anything from people intending to regularise their illegal construction.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Gujarat had last week announced that it will implement an ordinance to regularise unauthorised constructions in urban areas by charging an "impact fee". "This is the BJP government's malicious plan to collect Rs 20,000 crore from the people through the impact fee. The ordinance lacks clarity and will only give rise to corruption. If Congress comes to power, we will regularise illegal constructions without taking a single rupee from the people," said Jitu Patel.