Centre trying to snatch hard-earned money of 113 lakh employees: Congress hits back over Dearness Allowance

"It is a crime to loot ₹37,500 crore from soldiers, government employees and pensioners," said Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi hit out at the Centre over Dearness Allowance that was suspended last year due the Covid-19 pandemic, accusing the government of trying to “snatch” hard-earned money from 113 lakh employees.

“Instead of encouraging the 113 lakh employees engaged in the service during the coronavirus pandemic the central government is trying to snatch their hard-earned money," Rahul Gandhi tweeted. (ANI Photo)

“Instead of encouraging the 113 lakh employees engaged in the service during the coronavirus pandemic the central government is trying to snatch their hard-earned money," Gandhi tweeted.

"It is a crime to loot ₹37,500 crore from soldiers, government employees and pensioners," he added.

Dearness Allowance or DA is a cost-of-living allowance paid to public sector employees and pensioners by the government to aid them financially in the wake of rising prices or inflation. The upcoming tranche of dearness allowance which is expected to be released from July 1 will benefit around five million central government employees and over six million pensioners.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi also raised this issue during an online press conference, stating that "This frequent shadow boxing by the central government, in respect of dearness allowance can only highlight and underline the mischievous, the malevolent and the Machiavellian approach of the government towards lakhs and crores of central government employees and lakhs of Army-related employees and pensioners within that category,"

He urged the government to restore dearness allowance from July 1 as intended by the 7th pay commission. Terming the cuts made last year "a very weird irony and paradox" he alleged that the Central Vista Project was not stopped even though it is over half this money, reported PTI.

"This is a strangest, weirdest approach and definition, where you are attacking your own armed forces. You are doing a surgical strike on your own armed forces. You are speaking on a forked tongue of nationalism, in the same breath," Singhvi stated.