Former Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur on Tuesday said the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) was the major factor behind the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) losing power in the hill state last year. He then expressed hope that the party’s central leadership finds an appropriate solution to address the growing demand of the scheme’s restoration.
Thakur was in Panchkula to chair a meeting of BJP workers from Ambala Lok Sabha seat comprising Panchkula, Ambala and Yamunanagar districts.
The OPS has quickly emerged as a key issue for the Haryana assembly polls due in October next year. While the BJP in Haryana have been dodging the issue, the Congress had promised to implement the OPS on the lines of Himachal in the first cabinet meeting if voted back to power.
“Indeed, OPS was one of the key reasons because of which BJP lost power in Himachal... this was one of the biggest reasons… in terms of population proportion in the entire country, Himachal has the highest number of government employees,” Thakur said, responding to a question.
The former chief minister said when the Himachal Pradesh government employees demanded the OPS, the BJP was not opposing the demand. “We said we are moving ahead to resolve the issue,” he said, adding that it was not possible for the state government to take any decision in isolation in view of the BJP or National Democratic Alliance partners in power in other states.
{{/usCountry}}The former chief minister said when the Himachal Pradesh government employees demanded the OPS, the BJP was not opposing the demand. “We said we are moving ahead to resolve the issue,” he said, adding that it was not possible for the state government to take any decision in isolation in view of the BJP or National Democratic Alliance partners in power in other states.
{{/usCountry}}On being asked if he would recommend to the party to implement OPS in other poll bound states, Thakur said, “Employees are an organised section, it has had an impact (in Himachal)... Congress is trying to make it a national issue.”