The BJP on Sunday hit back at Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge’s ‘U-turn’ jibe over the Centre’s announcement of the Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) for government employees and asked whether his party had implemented the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in states where it is in power.
Addressing a press conference, senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asked Kharge why the Congress took a “U-turn” on its poll promise of implementing OPS in Himachal Pradesh, Karnataka and Telangana after coming to power in these states.
“The Congress has made the OPS a massive issue in Indian politics over the last two years. So much so that the Congress even made Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announce during elections in Himachal Pradesh that the party will implement the OPS in the state if voted to power,” Prasad said.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi was “sensitive” to public issues and that his government did not take “ad-hoc decisions”. He added that the Prime Minister took decisions in the public interest after careful consideration.
“Will this Congress only make announcements or implement them as well? Congress, in general, and Rahul Gandhi, in particular, please tell the nation that you implemented the OPS as promised in Himachal Pradesh,” he said.
Prasad accused Congress MP Rahul Gandhi of “bluffing” people by making false promises for votes and advised him to desist from such a practice.
“Rahul Gandhi, what are you doing brother? How much do you bluff? Tell the truth sometimes. And when you say something, you should do it. If you can’t do it then don’t say it,” he said.
“Rahul Gandhi, the country is not run like this. Governing India is a serious business where decisions have to be made after careful consideration. Adhocism doesn’t work here,” he added.
He alleged that Congress had become “so weary of the palpable falsehood” of its assurance about the OPS and that it could not muster the courage to include it in its Lok Sabha election manifesto.
Earlier in the day, Kharge took a dig at the Centre over the announcement of the Unified Pension Scheme, saying the “U in UPS stood for Modi government’s U-turns”.
“The ‘U’ in UPS stands for Modi government’s U-turns. Post June 4, the power of the people has prevailed over the arrogance of power of the Prime Minister,” he tweeted.
On Saturday, the Union Cabinet approved the UPS, which assures guaranteed pensions for government employees. The decision was taken after a Cabinet meeting chaired by PM Modi.
Employees opting for UPS would be eligible for an assured pension of 50 per cent of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months before superannuation for a minimum qualifying service of 25 years.
The scheme also guarantees an assured minimum pension of Rs 10,000 per month on superannuation after a minimum of 10 years of service.
Notably, several non-BJP states had decided to revert to the OPS in opposition to the New Pension Scheme (NPS). Employee organisations in some other states also raised demand for the same.
Under the OPS, retired government employees receive 50 per cent of their last drawn salary as a monthly pension. The amount keeps increasing with the hike in the Dearness Allowance (DA) rates. OPS is not fiscally sustainable as it is not contributory and the burden on the exchequer keeps mounting.
