Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh), October 17, 2023 : Congress on Tuesday released its manifesto for Madhya Pradesh assembly polls next month and made promise to bring back old pension scheme for government employees.
It has been said in the manifesto that government employees would be given the benefit of old pension instead of NPS.
Before the assembly elections in Karnataka and Himachal Pradesh, Congress had promised the old pension. In both the states, government employees had given their full cooperation in forming the government of the Congress Party.
Now Congress Party has played the same trick in Madhya Pradesh also. It has been said in the manifesto that in the first cabinet meeting of the Congress government would be taken the old pension scheme for public servants.
In Madhya Pradesh also, OPS is being said to be a big election issue.
In the 12th part of its detailed manifesto, in the column titled ‘Pensioner Public Servant’, the Congress Party has written that in order to ensure that the future of the employees is secure, the employees will be given the benefit of old pension. Pensioners would get the same dearness allowance as the Centre. They would be made to pay their arrears.
The power of ‘OPS’ showed in five states
Government employees showed their strength in the elections of five states on the issue of old pension. BJP’s stand is clear that there will be no talk on old pension. NPS can be improved, but OPS is not.
Prime Minister Modi himself has made his opinion clear in this regard. On the other hand, there is Congress party which is prominently including old pension in its election guarantees. First in Himachal Pradesh and then in Karnataka, Congress snatched power from the hands of BJP by guaranteeing OPS.
The Congress governments of Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh have implemented ‘OPS’, while in Madhya Pradesh and Telangana the party has promised restoration of old pension.
Old pension has been implemented in these states
The issue of old pension is becoming increasingly heated in the country. Old pension has been implemented in non-BJP ruled states, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh. The process is being done to implement OPS in Karnataka also.
The Ashok Gehlot led Congress government in Rajasthan has restored the old pension. Rajasthan has become the first state in the country to restore OPS.
While presenting the budget of 2023-24, CM Gehlot said, all serving and retired employees would get the benefit of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS).
After this, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel also gave the option of NPS/OPS to the government employees.
In Jharkhand, Hemant Soren government approved the restoration of the old pension scheme on September 1, 2022.
The Aam Aadmi Party government in Punjab has approved the old pension scheme. About 1.75 lakh employees have benefited from this.
Ballot paper is the most powerful weapon
The Congress government in Himachal Pradesh has also implemented OPS as promised in its election manifesto. In the Karnataka Assembly elections, the Congress Party had promised about restoration of OPS.
CS Shadakshari, president of Karnataka State Government Employees Association, had said before the elections that BJP has disappointed the government employees. As a result, the BJP government had to face the resentment of government employees in the assembly.
C. Sreekumar, senior member of the National Joint Council of Action (NJCA) formed against NPS and general secretary of AIDEF, says that BJP is facing the brunt of the resentment of government employees in the assembly elections. What will be the benefit of the committee formed by the Finance Ministry? Government employees know that when Prime Minister Modi is giving public statements against old pension, these committees are of no use.
Ballot paper is the most powerful weapon in democracy. Every political party respects public opinion. Employee organizations can go on nationwide indefinite strike for old pension. For this, there will be a strike ballot across the country on 20th and 21st November.
Can’t ignore 10 crore people
According to Srikumar, if all the government employees, pensioners, their families and relatives of the Central and State Governments in the country are included, that number reaches approximately 10 crores. This is not a small number.
Can any political party dare to ignore a group of people numbering 10 crores? Other political parties except BJP will have to make up their mind on removal of NPS. They will have to come forward openly.
The abolition of NPS will have to be announced. The governments of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Rajasthan have reinstated the old pension scheme. Karnataka government is also working in this regard.
The issue of old pension will be important not only in the assemblies of five states, but also in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Madhya Pradesh Employees Federation State President Santosh Singh Dixit had said in his statement, the result of Karnataka elections is in front of everyone. So, Congress included the issue of old pension in the manifesto.
Earlier, the issue of old pension has shown its impact in Himachal Pradesh. The unanimous vote of the employees has gone in favor of Congress.
