How is BJP becoming a well-wisher of employees today?
Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee Secretary Baldev Thakur has accused the BJP and said that at present when the state is going through economic difficulties due to natural disasters, the BJP is busy baking political bread. He said that when the political conspiracy could not succeed, now the BJP is engaged in petty politics by instigating the employees.
Thakur said that the BJP, with the help of some so-called BJP-supported employee leaders, is trying to provoke the employees of the state.
Baldev said that the BJP which is pretending to be pro-employee today, is the same BJP which fired bullets and lathis on the employees. In such a situation, the double face of the BJP has been exposed to everyone.
Baldev Thakur said that ever since Thakur Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu has taken charge of the state, he has been continuously working for the upliftment of every section of the society. He said that the Chief Minister implemented OPS for the employees as soon as he came to power. Whereas the previous BJP government said that OPS cannot be implemented under any circumstances.
He said that Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu is continuously working to take the state forward. He said that in his two-year tenure, the Chief Minister has worked for the upliftment of every section of the society.
Baldev Thakur said that the financial liabilities of the employees which are currently pending with the government are from 2017 to 2022 when the BJP government was in power in the state. During the BJP government, if any employee organization raised its voice for its rights, it was beaten up and cases were filed against them.
On the contrary, when Chief Minister Sukhwinder Singh Sukhu took power in the state in 2022, he first made a provision to increase the honorarium of low-level employees in the budget. The BJP is not able to digest at all that even the lowest-level employees should get financial benefits.
Baldev Thakur said that this is the same BJP which in the past had implemented laws like NSA to harass the employees and had suspended many employees from their jobs. During the time of the previous government, when the employees had reached the Vidhansabha to demand OPS and were staging a peaceful dharna at the Vidhansabha gate, the then Jairam Government had even the women employees lathi-charged.
Baldev Thakur said that the financial liabilities of the employees of the previous government are more than 10 thousand crores which the Jairam government did not pay. Sukhwinder Sukhu only increased the salary of Water Carrier Asha Worker Jal Rakshak contract employees, while the BJP government did not pay about 11 thousand crores to the employees from 2016 to 2021. The pension payment is more than 5 thousand crores.
Now that the Chief Minister has made it clear after meeting various employee organizations that all liabilities will be paid after about six months because the state has not yet recovered from the disaster, therefore the financial management in the government is taking some time, at such a time it is the duty of the BJP to cooperate with the government and not instigate the employees.
Baldev Thakur said that the Congress party supports the demands of the Secretariat Services Association and the Chief Minister is also serious about those demands but it is a matter of regret that some employee leaders are trying to spoil the atmosphere by using the language style of BJP and making personal allegations. Whereas they should know that a cabinet minister represents the people of the entire state and this should not be tolerated. Any leader, employee or officer should keep his language style decent so that the dignity of democracy is also maintained.