A fresh political confrontation has erupted in Punjab over pending Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears, with the Bharatiya Janata Party accusing the Bhagwant Mann government of withholding benefits owed to lakhs of government employees and pensioners.
The BJP alleged that the Aam Aadmi Party government is using financial constraints as a reason to delay payments despite a recent Punjab and Haryana High Court ruling that underscored the legal nature of the entitlement.
Addressing the issue, Punjab BJP president Kewal Singh Dhillon claimed that employees who were promised relief before the 2022 Assembly elections are still waiting for their dues.
"Employees and pensioners have shown patience for years, but they continue to be denied what is rightfully theirs. The government is offering explanations instead of solutions," Mr Dhillon said.
The BJP sought to draw parallels with the long-running DA dispute in West Bengal, alleging that the Punjab government is relying on a similar legal defence to justify the delay in payments. The party also accused the state government of spending heavily on publicity and political campaigns while pending dues remain unpaid.
At the centre of the controversy is the Punjab and Haryana High Court's March 2026 judgment in Surinder Singh versus State of Punjab. Citing the ruling, the BJP said the court made it clear that Dearness Allowance cannot be treated as a discretionary benefit and that employees have a legal right to receive it.
According to the party, the court rejected the state's argument that financial difficulties could be used as grounds for indefinitely postponing payments. The ruling also dealt with the issue of interest on delayed arrears.
The BJP further alleged that while ordinary employees and pensioners continue to wait for their dues, senior officials face no such disruption in receiving benefits. It described the situation as discriminatory and called for the immediate release of pending payments.
Mr Dhillon also used the issue to sharpen the BJP's political pitch ahead of the next Assembly election, saying that a BJP government in Punjab would clear all pending DA arrears and implement transparent, merit-based recruitment for government jobs.
"Lakhs of employees and pensioners are waiting for their pending DA. They deserve certainty, not delays. If the BJP forms the government in Punjab, clearing these dues will be among our priorities," he said.
The Punjab government has not yet responded to the BJP's allegations.
The dispute has once again brought the spotlight on employee welfare in Punjab, a politically sensitive issue that affects a large section of the state's workforce and retirees.
