To woo the State Government employees who constitute a considerable chunk of the State’s electorate ahead of the Assembly election, the Harish Rawat Government has, in principle, agreed to implement the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations in the State. The crucial commitment was made in the course of the Cabinet meeting held late Tuesday evening. Besides, the Cabinet constituted a subcommittee comprising the Chief Minister, the State Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh and State Mining Minister Navprabhat to study its impact of the commitment on the State’s finance.
The Opposition BJP, however, cried foul of the move, dubbing it as a tool to hook the state government employees. BJP leaders say that they have tended to ignore the grim fiscal condition of the state in its eagerness to woo a major section of the electorate.
The CM on his part pooh- poohed BJP, saying they had every right to make such a commitment during a Cabinet meeting. “Cabinet being an important part of an elected government, it has done the right thing by committing itself on such an important matter bearing on the interests of so many people of the state,” CM said.
Political analysts, however, are divided over the matter . While some of them say that the announcement of the moral commitment of the state government has revealed the uncertainty set deep into it others say that it, on the contrary, indicates the confidence of the government. “Election barely a few months away, it seems that the Harish Rawat government is not confident of returning to power. If it were so it would not perhaps have gone for such an announcement, knowing full well the grim condition of the state’s exchequer. Maybe, it is passing the burden on to the next government in its awareness of being on its way out,” said an observer.
Another cited the predicament of BJP when the saffron party was in power in 2007-12. “ Despite then CM Maj Gen Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri having implemented the Sixth Pay Commission recommendation, his party was routed during the general election-2009, losing all the five lok Sabha seats,” he said.
Contradicting the opinion, another state watcher said that by taking a decision executing which would prove difficult in the coming years, the CM Harish Rawat has indicated he is confident of returning to power.