Kamal Nath vs Shivraj Chouhan over Class IV employees’ retirement age

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Kamal Nath accused the state government of reducing the retirement age of class IV government employees from 62 to 60 years

Chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan hit back at state Congress president Kamal Nath after he misinterpreted a state government notification over the upper age limit of class IV employees engaged in ministers’ staff. The Madhya Pradesh government has raised the age from 40 to 60 years.

File photo of Congress leader Kamal Nath. (Photo@INCMP)

In a series of tweets on Sunday, Nath accused the state government of reducing the retirement age of class IV government employees from 62 to 60 years.

“Shivraj government’s decision to reduce the retirement age of class IV employees from 62 to 60 years amounts to cheating them. The decision is going to create a crisis for them,” he tweeted.

“How will the government pay gratuity and pension to these employees when it’s not in a position to pay arrears to them?

“Government has got exposed for its bad intentions before polling. BJP government should reconsider its decision, otherwise Congress will cancel such anti-employees decisions on being voted to power,” the former CM added.

Defending the government, CM Chouhan underlined that no such decision has been taken to reduce the retirement age of the government employees.

“Kamal Nath ji, how do you face yourself in the mirror every morning? You are spreading rumours on seeing imminent defeat in bypolls”, said CM Chouhan.

He added, “Despite being a former chief minister you didn’t try to know before you tweeted that the notification issued by General Administration department (GAD) is concerning class IV employees appointed in ministers’ staff for a period till the ministers remain on their positions. In fact, their age limit to remain in the ministers’ staff has been extended from 40 to 60 years. The retirement age of class IV employees continues to remain 62.”

The CM’s tweets were immediately followed by the GAD’s clarification issued on the notification, despite Sunday being the weekly holiday in the government.

The department stated that the 18-40 age limit of the class IV employees appointed in ministers’ staff as per ministers’ wishes has been amended as 18-60 and that there is no change in the retirement age of the class IV employees of the state government.

Later, Kamal Nath thanked the government while posting the GAD’s clarification on his Twitter account and said Congress always stood by the government employees. It would continue to fight to protect their rights.