Jalandhar (Daljit Ajnoha):- Former Union Minister and senior BJP leader Vijay Sampla strongly criticised Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann over his claims regarding employment opportunities in the state.
Speaking in Jalandhar on Friday, he said Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann was making a false claim that the migration of Punjab’s youth abroad had stopped because his government had provided 70,000 government jobs. Sampla said the Chief Minister should understand the ground realities before making such statements. Every year, thousands of young people from Punjab had been going to countries such as Canada, Australia and the UK in search of better opportunities. However, these countries had now implemented stricter immigration policies, due to which young people were becoming reluctant to go abroad. He said this change was not because of the policies of the Bhagwant Mann government.
He said that instead of exaggerating the picture of development in Punjab, the Chief Minister should first take responsibility for the deteriorating employment situation in the state. Citing recent reports, the senior BJP leader said that unemployment figures in Punjab presented a serious picture. According to the Periodic Labour Force Survey conducted from April to June 2026, the unemployment rate among young people in the 15–29 age group in Punjab stood at 22.3 per cent, significantly higher than the national average of 15.9 per cent. Another report stated that 27.7 per cent of young people in the 15–29 age group in Punjab were neither employed nor pursuing education or training.
Sampla said that instead of publicising figures through advertisements and political programmes, the Mann government should explain why the youth of Punjab were still struggling to find jobs. Announcements of 70,000 government jobs could not conceal the larger crisis of unemployment, limited opportunities and growing frustration among young people. He said the BJP stood firmly with the youth of Punjab and would continue to raise their concerns.
