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The Indian political landscape continues to be a stage for heated debates, with the latest controversy surrounding the Narendra Modi government's newly announced 'Unified Pension Scheme' (UPS). Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, a vocal critic of the ruling party, has launched a scathing attack on the scheme, accusing the Modi government of making U-turns and failing to deliver on its promises. Kharge, in a post on the social media platform X, pointed out that the 'U' in UPS stands for the Modi government's 'U-turns,' highlighting recent policy changes that have drawn criticism from the opposition.
The 'Unified Pension Scheme', announced by the government on Saturday, aims to provide a standardized pension system for government employees. The scheme guarantees a pension of 50% of the average basic pay drawn over the last 12 months before retirement, provided the employee has served for a minimum of 25 years. However, the scheme has been met with mixed reactions, with some praising it for ensuring financial security for government employees and others criticizing it for falling short of expectations. The opposition, spearheaded by the Congress, has been particularly vocal in its criticism, viewing the scheme as a ploy to appease voters ahead of upcoming state elections in Jammu and Kashmir and Haryana.
Kharge, in his social media post, highlighted a series of recent policy changes by the Modi government that have been criticized as U-turns. He cited the rollback of the budget proposal concerning long-term capital gains and indexation, the referral of the Waqf Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC), the rollback of the Broadcast Bill, and the discontinuation of the lateral entry scheme. These instances, according to Kharge, demonstrate the government's lack of consistency and its tendency to change policies based on political expediency. The Congress leader has vowed to continue holding the government accountable and to protect the interests of the 140 crore Indians from what he calls a 'despotic government'. The debate surrounding the Unified Pension Scheme is likely to continue, highlighting the ongoing power struggle between the ruling BJP and the opposition Congress in the lead up to the upcoming elections.
Source: Cong's ‘U stands for Modi govt's U-turn' jab at Centre's Unified Pension Scheme