Ahead of upcoming Assembly elections in Punjab, state Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu said that unemployment is the biggest issue in the upcoming polls in the state. He also urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre to resume trade with Pakistan.
“Employment is going to be the biggest issue in these elections. I give you a guarantee that within a short span of time we’ll give you a vision. All men have eyes, few have a vision,” Sidhu said while addressing a press conference in Amritsar.
While talking about the Indo-Pak trade, the Punjab Congress chief stated that the scope of the trade between two countries and these 34 countries is $ 37 billion. “Right now we’re carrying out the trade of only $3 billion, not even 5 per cent of the potential,” he said.
“Punjab has suffered a loss of Rs 4,000 crore in the last 34 months and around 15,000 jobs lost.” Sidhu added.”I had requested earlier too, I am requesting once again that trade should resume. It will benefit one and all.”
Punjab is scheduled to go to the Assembly polls in 2022.
In the 2017 Punjab Assembly polls, Congress won an absolute majority in the state by winning 77 seats and ousted the SAD-BJP government after 10 years.
Aam Aadmi Party had emerged as the second-largest party winning 20 seats in 117-member Punjab Legislative Assembly. The Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) could only manage to win 15 seats while the BJP secured 3 seats.