State Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) chief Sanjay Singh supported the ongoing strike by state government employees, demanding implementation of the old pension scheme and said that the Yogi government was ignoring the genuine demand of employees. Singh said that the employees’ demand to implement the pension policy was justified and it was the state government's responsibility to address the issue.
“The employees have been on the warpath for a long time. Pension is their right and they are not begging from the government. In fact, the state government deducts a certain amount from their salaries and later pays it back to them as pension," the AAP leader explained.
Singh contested that if a people’s representative got lifetime pension even if he/she was an MLA or MP for a period of 40 days, then why state employees were being deprived of the pension despite serving for 40 years.
AAP spokesman Mahendra Singh said that the state party chief had raised the demand earlier too. “We support University Employees' Association and Primary Teachers’ Association. Their strike has adversely affected education in primary schools and the state government should address the issue,” the spokesman demanded.