Punjab CM Amarinder Singh defends giving jobs to sons of Congress MLAs

The Punjab Cabinet on Friday decided to appoint Arjun Pratap Singh Bajwa and Bhisham Pandey to the posts of inspector in the Punjab Police and naib tehsildar in the Revenue Department, respectively. Amid criticism from the Opposition, Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday defended his government's decision to give government jobs to the sons of two Congress MLAs on “compassionate” grounds, saying it was a recognition of the sacrifices made by their grandfathers for the country.

The Shiromani Akali Dal has accused the Congress-led Punjab government of “purchasing” the loyalty of Congress legislators to prevent infighting and alleged that CM Amarinder Singh is trying to “save his chair by doling out jobs to their wards illegally.” The party also urged the Punjab governor to dismiss the Congress government by taking suo motu notice of the matter.