Chhattisgarh Assembly: BJP accuses Baghel govt of failing to address issues of employees

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday accused the Bhupesh Baghel dispensation in Chhattisgarh of failing to address issues faced by government employees and not keeping promises made to them ahead of the 2018 Assembly polls.

The opposition MLAs sought a discussion on the issue by moving an adjournment motion notice, which was rejected by the speaker, leading to an uproar that resulted in the Assembly being adjourned for five minutes.

Raising the issue during Zero Hour, BJP legislators, including Leader of Opposition Dharamlal Kaushik, Shivratan Sharma and Ajay Chandrakar, claimed over four lakh officials and employees of various departments have decided to go on strike from July 25 to 29 to voice their demands like hike in dearness and house rent allowances.

Anganwadi workers, 'mitanin' (health workers), sanitation workers, Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act employees, forest guards, electricity department workers were on strike in many places of the state in support of their demands, the BJP MLAs said.

Despite repeated demands by assistant teachers, who are the backbone of primary education in the state, to resolve their wage discrepancy, the state government did not address it, the MLAs added.

On Friday, assistant teachers had planned to gherao the Assembly as part of a protest, the BJP members said, and sought discussion on the issues by moving an adjournment motion notice.

Senior Congress MLA Satyanarayan Sharma, who was in Chair, rejected the notice following which BJP members started sloganeering. Amid pandemonium, the Chair had to adjourn the proceedings for five minutes.