BJP creating obstacles in women pension scheme: Himachal CM Sukhu

Sukhu was campaigning for the party’s Kangra candidate Anand Sharma in Kangra district. Sukhu said that the BJP is creating new obstacles every day to stop the pension of ₹1,500 for women.

Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu attacked the BJP for creating obstacles in giving the pension of ₹1,500 to women per month.

Himachal chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu attacked the BJP for creating obstacles in giving the pension of ₹1,500 to women per month. (HT Photo)

Sukhu was campaigning for the party’s Kangra candidate Anand Sharma in Kangra district. Sukhu said that the BJP is creating new obstacles every day to stop the pension of ₹1,500 for women. “Leader of Opposition Jai Ram Thakur and other BJP leaders are repeatedly trying to get women’s pension stopped by the Election Commission and pressure is being put on the Election Commission from Delhi as well,” he said.

“After the opposition from the Congress, the Election Commission allowed women to fill the pension forms and now women are filling the forms of the scheme. Earlier BJP leaders repeatedly raised questions on women’s pension, but now they are trying their best to deprive women of their rights,” Sukhu said, adding that if BJP withdraws its protest and the Election Commission gives permission, within 24 hours a pension of ₹1,500 will be transferred to the women’s account.

He also said that even if permission is not granted, two instalments will be given to women in the month of June. “The present Congress government has made many efforts for the empowerment of women. The reservation for women in police has been increased to 30 %,” Sukhu said.

Sukhu said that the Congress party does not work considering electoral gains. “Despite the poor financial condition of the government, the Congress government has already given old pensions to 1.36 lakh government employees of the state in the cabinet meeting, while the BJP leaders are working to stop ₹9,000 crore of NPS in Delhi,” he said.

Sukhu also claimed that in the previous BJP government, Jai Ram Thakur “slept for five years and kept looting the state treasury”, whereas the present government has stopped corruption and distributed the public money among the people. He said that the present state government has started the process of filling 22,000 posts in the government sector, whereas in its five-year tenure, BJP gave only 20,000 jobs.