Barely days of change of power in Punjab, Aam Aadmi Party The state and central government have sounded the horn. Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann has threatened to hold a “road to Parliament” protest against Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s announcement of imposition of Central Service Rules on employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh from March 28.
Calling the move contrary to the Punjab Reorganization Act, Mann tweeted: “Central government is implementing officers and personnel of other states and services in Chandigarh Administration in a phased manner.”
The Congress and the Akali Dal are with the AAP in this matter, with leaders of all parties calling it “another big blow to the rights of Punjab”. Akali Dal chief and former CM Parkash Singh Badal said the Center “wants to usurp Punjab’s rights over Chandigarh”.
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the announcement
The employees of the Union Territory of Chandigarh currently work under the Punjab Service Rules. Shah said the changes in the central rules would benefit them “massively” as their retirement age would be raised from 58 to 60, and women employees would get two years of childcare leave instead of the current one.
The demand for implementation of Central Service Rules for Chandigarh employees was pending for 20-25 years.
Politics
Parties in Punjab are looking at Shah’s announcement, which was not expected, in the context of the municipal elections held in Chandigarh in December, in which BJP was shocked by you. Chandigarh is considered a BJP stronghold, but in December, AAP had won the maximum number of 14 seats. The BJP managed to win the mayor’s post, but it was a controversial decision after a vote was declared invalid.
The BJP is trying to woo employees of union territories with the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in mind, realizing that it needs all possible help in view of the recent assembly results.
BJP’s logic
Senior leader and former Chandigarh MP Satya Pal Jain claimed that the Punjab government has not been able to accept the recommendations of various pay commissions for its employees, while the Center has accepted the long-pending demand of UT employees in one go. have taken. Had taken. He said that earlier the employees of the Union Territory used to get salary, allowances etc. on the lines of Punjab, but on the lines of the Central Government, they would get the same, which would be more beneficial for them.
Jain also said that Punjab would not be affected by this decision. “What is the impact of the announcement on Punjab when they are our employees? We have been taking the matter forward with the Prime Minister and the Home Minister for some time now… This decision is not against the interest of any state.
Punjab Reorganization Act, Chandigarh Status
In 1966, when Punjab was divided into Punjab and Haryana, with some territory Himachal Pradesh, both states claimed Chandigarh as their capital. The Center declared Chandigarh as a Union Territory pending the proposal. According to the Punjab Reorganization Act, 1966, Chandigarh was to be governed by the Union, but the laws in force in undivided Punjab were to be applied to the Union Territory.
While initially its top official was the Chief Commissioner who reported to the Union Home Ministry, later the officers were drawn from the AGMUT (Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Mizoram and Union Territories) cadre. In 1984, the governor of Punjab was made the administrator of the city at a time when the region was battling terrorism. Now AGMUT-cadre IAS officers have been given the post of ‘Advisor to Administrator’.
As per the instructions of the Ministry of Home Affairs the officers and staff of Chandigarh UT (including teachers and doctors) should be drawn from Punjab and Haryana in the ratio of 60:40 respectively.
The BJP-led Haryana government has so far kept silence on Shah’s announcement.
earlier disputes
In 2018, the Center had to suspend the notification merging the posts of Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) of Chandigarh Police into the DANIPS (Delhi, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Lakshadweep, Daman and Diu and Dadra and Nagar Haveli) cadre. The issue turned into a similar controversy.