Punjab BJP president Jattvibeil Jakhar on Wednesday demanded the immediate release of dearness allowance (DA) instalments and arrears to over three lakh state government employees and four lakh pensioners, accusing the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government of repeatedly creating new narratives to divert public attention from real issues.Addressing a press conference, Jakhar said the Punjab and Haryana High Court had directed the state government to release Rs 15,000 crore in DA instalments and arrears to employees and pensioners by June 30, but the government had again moved court against the order. He termed this the “anti-employee face” of the AAP government, saying that for the first time since the Independence, a state government had not only refused to release DA but had also challenged the very provision of granting it, reportedly arguing in its appeal that it was not bound to increase DA. He recalled that West Bengal pensioners and employees had punished the Mamata Banerjee government at the ballot box over the same issue, and warned that Punjab employees were watching.”DA is not charity. It is the rightful entitlement of employees,” Jakhar said, pointing out that while the Central Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, along with Haryana, Chandigarh and Rajasthan, was disbursing DA at 60 per cent, Punjab employees were receiving it at only 42 per cent.Jakhar said that Arvind Kejriwal had promised before elections that people would not have to stage protests or face police action over jobs, but the situation on the ground remained unchanged. He said the BJP, under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, was committed to protecting the interests of employees and would oppose the government’s appeal against DA payments.He assured employees that a BJP government would ensure timely DA payments and safeguard all employee interests. He added that under a BJP government, all work would be time-bound and that just as Naxalism had been curbed nationally, gangsterism and drugs would be eliminated from Punjab as well.On another question, Jakhar said the BJP was not afraid of any threats and that the safety of Punjab’s people remained the party’s priority. He said the Congress had lost credibility by what he described as its capitulation before the AAP.On singer Sidhu Moosewala, he said those who had withdrawn Moosewala’s security and publicised the decision, thereby bearing responsibility for his murder, were now speaking about Diljit Dosanjh.BJP to oppose ballot paper move in local body pollsJakhar also announced that the BJP would file a petition before the State Election Commission opposing the decision to conduct local body elections through ballot papers instead of electronic voting machines (EVMs). He alleged that the state government and the Commission were reverting to ballot papers out of fear of defeat, to manipulate results as had allegedly been done during panchayat elections. He said the BJP would not allow any attempt to “hijack” local body elections to succeed.