Ludhiana: The opposition Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) today called the job fair organised by the Punjab government "bogus" and asked the Congress-led regime to publish a list of youth who were given jobs during the last one year.

In a statement here, former minister and SAD spokesman Maheshinder Singh Grewal said the government was making a laughing stock of itself by claiming that 31,000 youth had been given jobs in yesterday's "so-called" job fair.

"What has actually happened is that the government has taken credit by distributing appointment letters to youth who have already been given employment by the private sector.

Besides, the government has also handed appointment letters to contractual employees who are already employed by it to swell the figures. We demand immediate publication of complete list of all youth given employment in these bogus job fairs along with their addresses as well as emoluments being drawn by them," he added.

Speaking about the foundation stones laid by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh at Ludhiana yesterday, Grewal said it did not behove of the CM to try to take credit for projects which had been initiated by the previous SAD-BJP government.

The SAD leader further said the Congress government should not discriminate against the people of Ludhiana and stall development works only because they had been initiated by the erstwhile SAD-BJP government.

"The government should tell the people why it ignored Ludhiana in this manner and immediately release grants to start all stalled development works", he added.

Meanwhile, a report from Amritsar said the SAD president Sukhbir Singh Badal today expelled Iqbal Singh Sandhu, ex-member of the SAD core committee and senior leader of the Tarn Taran district from the party over anti-party activities.

In a press release, senior leader Virsa Singh Valtoha said Sandhu was found conniving with the Congress party to weaken the SAD.  PTI