Eye on Punjab 2027, Haryana announces govt jobs for 1984 anti-Sikh riot victims

Following the resolution’s passage, Saini detailed the extent of destruction caused during the riots, and said 20 gurdwaras, 221 houses, 154 shops, 87 factories, three coaches of a train, and 85 vehicles were set ablaze and reduced to ashes in Haryana.

“During these riots, as many as 121 persons lost their lives and 58 were injured. Previous governments, to the extent possible, provided financial assistance to compensate for these losses. However, even today, during my visits across the state, members of the victim families often share their pain with me. They tell me that forty years ago, a mountain of sorrow fell upon them. They have not forgotten it, and they continue to struggle with the consequences of that tragedy,” Saini said.

He added, “That is why we have decided that Haryana will offer a suitable government job, on priority, to one member from each of the 121 affected families who lost a loved one during the riots.”

Appealing directly to the families, Saini said, “I personally request the victim families to mutually decide and send the name of one member to the Chief Secretary through their respective district’s Deputy Commissioner.”

The move comes at a time when Saini has been making frequent visits to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-ruled Punjab as part of a strategy to expand BJP’s footprint in the neighbouring state.

The BJP leadership has deployed Saini among other leaders to do the ground work for the party in Punjab which continues to be a huge challenge for it. The party drew a blank in the Lok Sabha polls in Punjab, while managing to win just two seats in the 2022 Assembly polls there.

Not only this, in Punjab, the members of Saini community are said to be more in numbers than in Haryana, having influence in over 10 constituencies in Hoshiarpur, Nawanshahr (Shaheed Bhagat Singh Nagar), Jalandhar, Ropar (Rupnagar) and Gurdaspur.

A second-time CM, Saini has seen a meteoric rise in his political career since his election as the BJP MLA for the first time from Ambala’s Naraingarh in the 2014 polls. Under Saini’s leadership, the BJP returned to power in Haryana with 48 seats — higher than its respective tallies of 47 seats in 2014 and 40 in 2019.