Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel’s BIG announcement: ‘Will bring Old Pension Scheme if…’

Baghel appeals to the Himachal Pradesh's voters to say 'Jai Ram' (goodbye) to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and elect a Congress government following the tradition of voting out the incumbent

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New Delhi: Days after a federation of central government employees wrote to the Cabinet Secretary regarding bringing back of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) for the retiring employees at old age, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel, on Wednesday, November 9, 2022, announced to implement the scheme if Congress gets voted to power in Himachal Pradesh. Baghel assured the people of fulfilling all the poll promises such as the restoration of OPS, 300 units of free power and giving Rs 1,500 to women. 

“OPS (Old Pension Scheme) will be implemented if Congress wins HP elections. Once OPS will be implemented in state, funds will be given by the state govt...Funds aren't of Centre, it is employee's money and it will be availed to people,” Baghel said in a rally in Shimla.

OPS (Old Pension Scheme) will be implemented if Congress wins HP elections. Once OPS will be implemented in state, funds will be given by the state govt...Funds aren't of Centre, it is employee's money and it will be availed to people: Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel in Shimla pic.twitter.com/NEQBewMeLF

— ANI (@ANI) November 9, 2022

'Jai Ram' to Jai Ram Thakur-led government

Addressing a rally in favour of Congress candidate Vikramaditya Singh here, he appeals to the Himachal Pradesh's voters to say 'Jai Ram' (goodbye) to Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and elect a Congress government following the tradition of voting out the incumbent.

"You have seen BJP's five years and they have nothing to say to people. No jobs have been given, no airport by Jai Ram ji and time has come to say 'Jai Ram' (goodbye) to Jai Ram Thakur," he said.

OPS to be restored

"The Congress does what it says. All promises will be fulfilled in Himachal as has been done in Chhattisgarh. Old pension scheme (OPS) is being implemented in Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan and Jharkhand, and Himachal will be the fourth state to implement it," he told the gathering.

Questioning the Centre for not releasing the funds of state government employees deposited in the national pension scheme, he said, "How can the Centre hold on to the funds as the money belongs to the employees of the state and the state government."

The Centre will not be able to stop the release of pension funds for long and the old pension scheme will be restored, he asserted. The Congress is seeking to wrest power from the BJP in the hill state, where the Congress and the BJP have governed alternately for the past many decades.

Congress manifesto

Restoration of the old pension scheme, 300 units of free power, a Rs 680-crore StartUp fund, one lakh jobs and Rs 1,500 per month for women aged between 18 and 60 years are among the promises the Congress has made in its manifesto for the Himachal Pradesh polls.

Baghel said the Congress gives money to people and the BJP siphons off the money from their pockets by raising taxes on petrol and diesel and prices of essential commodities.

"Have faith in the Congress, you will get free power, OPS and Rs 1,500 to women to help increase your incomes," he said while urging people to elect Singh from the Shimla Rural constituency.

"All issues are before the people and only a few hours are left for the elections. All have made up their mind, whatever the BJP may say," he said.

Democracy is in Congress, not in BJP

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge was present at the poll meeting. Baghel said everyone knows Kharge became the Congress president after an election, but nobody knows when J P Nadda became the BJP president twice. Notably, BJP president Nadda hails from Himachal Pradesh.

"Democracy is in the Congress and not in the BJP and people also know that," he said. He cited a video that went viral on social media where the prime minister was urging a BJP rebel to step aside, claiming that the BJP has 21 rebels in the fray.

Central Government employees writes to Cabinet Secretary 

The National Pension System (NPS) is a disaster for retiring personnel in their old age, according to a federation of Central Government Employees' Unions in a letter to the Cabinet Secretary. According to the federation, a Defence establishment official who retired recently after more than 13 years of service received barely 15% of the assured pension he would have received under the OPS.

Polling in Himachal Pradesh will be held on November 12 and the counting of votes will be taken up on December 8.

(With agency inputs)