Virbhadra Singh has leveled serious charges against BJP regime and accused them of betraying the Employees by delaying the release of Punjab pay scales and other benefits due to Employees.
In a press communiqué, Congress Chief stated
In a panic reaction to the popularity and trust that I have has always enjoyed with the employees, the present Dhumal Government has rushed to announce sops to all sections of the Society including government employees, whose demands have been blatantly ignored all these years by the Dhumal Government. Knowing that in the past Congress Government has always honoured its commitments to the employees in releasing pay scales and all benefits on Punjab Pattern for the last 40 years. The Dhumal government was left with no other option but to release benefits due to employees on the eve of election as these benefits would have been given in any case by the Congress Government once voted back to power in forth coming assembly elections, right from the date were released in Punjab
Singh alleged that BJP Govt has denied this legitimate benefit to the employees for such a long time, BJP Government believes that it can win over the employees overnight just by promising to release pay scales and grade pay to them having denied them their benefits all these years.
He dared BJP leaders to explain the delay in announcing it and as assembly poll is coming near, Govt trying to please them. He added that it seems that BJP hoping that employees will forget all the humiliation and hardships inflicted on them by the BJP Government all the while by denying and delaying what is due to the employees, and would vote for BJP again.
He claimed that the employees can never forget the exploitation by the BJP led Government. Virbhadra Singh alleged that the BJP has a track record of being unsympathetic to the needs and rights of the employees. Otherwise why a persistent delay in accepting the demands of employees until the eve of assembly elections.
Singh said that in 1970 the Congress had laid down the Principle of Parity with Punjab in the matters of pay scales which includes Grade Pay and has always honoured its commitment to the employees. Not releasing the scales and the Grade Pay and other allowances at the time when the same were released in Punjab is an act of bad faith on the part of the state Government against the state employees. Dhumal owes an explanation to the employees and the people of the Pradesh for having withheld pay scales and benefits from the employees for all these months. The Congress governments led by me have always been prompt in releasing what is due to the State employees notwithstanding the expenditure Involved.
Virbhadra Singh asked employees to beware of such misleading promises in the poll year. He added that these concerns are not motivated by any concerns for the welfare of the employees but a last ditch effect on the part of BJP government to woo the employees in view of the forthcoming elections, knowing fully well that it is not in a position to implement these announcements now or ever in the near future.
