In Himachal Pradesh, where the Assembly elections are due later this year, the political heat has already started rising.
The Congress government is finding itself in a piquant situation as the clamour within the party for the “promised” unemployment allowance is increasing, but Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh has called the idea impractical.
After Mr. Singh expressed his inability to keep the promise, the Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee, which is firm on honouring it, has decided to reach out to the public to gauge its mood.
“The State government should fulfil the promise. We are heading for elections, and the people will evaluate our work, especially the unemployed youth,” HPCC president Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu told The Hindu . “We are asking district presidents and office-bearers to meet the people in their areas and find out their view on unemployment allowance among the other poll promises. By March 10, they will share the feedback with the leadership before it is forwarded to the government.”
Mr. Sukhu said the election manifesto was drafted collectively, and the onus of keeping promises rested with the government.
On February 27, a meeting of the HPCC will be held to outline the party’s election strategy, and the issue is likely to come up for discussion.
Election promise
In the 2012 elections, the Congress had promised unemployment allowance to youth who were graduates, had passed Plus Two or were from families with an annual income less than ₹2 lakh.
Mr. Singh has been maintaining that given the State’s finances, it is not possible to pay unemployment allowance. Instead, his government has been giving skill development allowance to the unemployed youth. Political analysts say the tussle between the government and the party could dent the Congress’s prospects in the elections.
