The BJP on Sunday questioned why the Congress party had not fulfilled its promise of implementing the old pension scheme in the states where the party is in power. The BJP’s swipe came after Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge took a sarcastic jibe at the Centre, saying the ‘U’ in the UPS (unified pension scheme) stands for the Narendra Modi government’s ‘U-turns’.
Asserting that the Modi government doesn’t make any U-tun, senior party leader Ravi Shankar Prasad asked why the Congress party took a U-tun on its poll promise of implementing the OPS.
"The Congress has made the old pension scheme a massive issue in Indian politics over the last two years. So much so that the Congress made even Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announce during elections in Himachal Pradesh that the party will implement the old pension scheme in the state if voted to power," Prasad said.
"Will this Congress only make announcements or implement them as well? The Congress in general and Rahul Gandhi in particular, please tell the nation, did you implement the old pension scheme as promised in Himachal Pradesh," he added.
The BJP leader said Modi listened and understood the concerns of the central government employees, set up a committee to look into that, and took a meaningful decision.
Prasad further stepped up his attack on Rahul Gandhi, saying governing India is a serious business where decisions have to be made after careful consideration.
"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.
In a major announcement, the Union cabinet on Saturday approved the UPS which is expected to benefit over 23 lakh government employees who joined service under the National Pension System (NPS).
Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the new scheme will be implemented from April 1, 2025 and employees will have the option to choose between the NPS or UPS.
The Congress, however, alleged that the UPS appears to be an attack on Dalits, tribals and backward classes.
"In many states, the upper age limit for government jobs in the reserved category is 40 years. In UPSC, this limit is 37 years. Under the unified pension scheme, it is mandatory to render 25 years of service to get a full pension. In such a situation, how will Scheduled Caste, Scheduled Tribe and Other Backward Classes employees avail this facility," asked Pawan Khera, Congress' media and publicity department head.
"Now the government should tell whether it wants to end the upper age limit facility available to the underprivileged or wants to deprive them of full pension?,” he asked.
Under the UPS, government employees will be eligible to get 50 per cent of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months before the superannuation as pension. For this full pension or 50 per cent of pay as the pension, the eligibility service length will be 25 years.