The Government employees in Manipur along with it’s family member has decided not to vote for the candidates of Congress and coalition partner CPI in the coming parliamentary elections, over their demand for implementation of 6^th pay commission recommendation in Manipur.

Government employees in Manipur and Arunachal Pradesh, who have been demanding the implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations, have now decided to take stronger action.

The 64,000 Manipur employees have announced that they and their families would not vote for the candidates of the Congress or its coalition partner CPI in the coming Parliamentary elections.

(Source: The Hindu)

Meanwhile, there is no sign of respite to the ongoing standoff between Government and CoSAAP with government not budging from their stand and threatening to emulate Tamil Nadu where around 100000 employees were terminated under this draconian act and CoSAAP deciding to intensify the ongoing democratic movement and continuing their agitation.

The ruling Congress in Arunachal Pradesh has decided to go in for polls for the 60-member state assembly simultaneously with that for the Lok Sabha to be held either in April or May.

The state cabinet at a meeting here last night endorsed the decision of the Congress Legislature Party and its associate members to prepone the assembly polls, due in October and hold it along with that for the Lok Sabha to “save time, energy and money”, government spokesman and state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tako Dabi told the press today.

Chief Minister Dorjee Khandu, who is also the CLP leader, and Arunachal PCC President Nabam Tuki would visit Delhi soon to apprise the party high command and the Election Commission of the decision, he said.

(Source PTI)

Now, with present turmoil in the state where the Government’s hard stance on it’s employee over the implementation of 6^th Pay Commission recommendation has become the subject of criticism from other political parties and employees discontentment, would the decision to pre-pone the 60-seat assembly elections backfire in their face? Would the handling of CoSAAP’s agitation by the ruling Congress Government affect their prospect in this assembly election?

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With the Government not showing any interest to come to negotiation table over the December 20^th pay package and taking hard-boiled stance over the agitating employees by imposing ESMA and the GBC CoSAAP not ready to take less than what was agreed upon on 10^th of December, it seemed that the situation would further worsen without any solution in sight in near future. However, with the release of arrested leaders of GBC CoSAAP who were arrested under the provision of ESMA, on conditional bail, temporary suspension of ‘Jail Bharo Andolan’ by agitating employees in retaliation to arrest of their leaders and Chief Secretary finally relenting to reinstate the services of those employees who were terminated under ESMA and showing interest to talk with Chief Minister over the issue; it is hoped that the deadlock between the agitating employees and Government would tide over soon and an amicable solution reached.

Now after going through the press releases on the issue, it seems that this situation is the result of immature hurried promise made by the government which couldn’t have otherwise been fulfilled, signing of agreement by selected few with the government as per government’s wish contrary to earlier promise, which got signed, may be by putting the ‘Second Party’ under duress or under some personal arrangement as has been opined by some commentators, the government’s adamant attitude to let it’s employee follow the dictated terms which the employees couldn’t come in agreement with and the crackdown technique (ESMA) that government adopted that backfired.

This entire episode has left few unanswered questions.

• When it is said and stated by the Government that the State is not in a position to take the financial burden if the 6th Pay Commission Recommendation is implemented in toto, I wonder, why it reached upon an agreement of December 10^th in first place, which was apparently arrived at after taking into consideration the financial position of the State? Was it on the basis of miscalculated financial implication that would have incurred to the State if 6^th Pay Commission was implemented? Or was it deliberate move by the government to stall the agitation for time being and to buy time for preparing for next move?
• Why CEC CoSAAP agreed to partial pay package contrary to December 10^th agreement without consultation with it’s District Unit’s? Were they put under duress or had been subjected to some personal arrangements as has been opined by few commentators?
• Was December 20^th agreement arrived at after taking due consideration of financial implication to the State and it’s financial poisition? If yes, then was the disagreement between different CoSAAP units the result of communication gap? Why CEC CoSAAP instead of clearing the differences amongst it’s various units insisted upon other units to accept the pay package without giving proper reason and to bear the consequences if they goes ahead with agitation?
• Was the Government right in using bullying tactic by imposing ESMA or did the situation indeed called for imposition of ESMA, in the first place? In fact, instead of breaking the morale of agitating employees it aggravated the agitation.

Aftermath

The Government has put itself into a very uncomfortable situation by taking ‘adamant stance’ and invoking Essential Service Maintenance (A.P.) Act, 1993, to crackdown on it’s agitating employees. With Assembly election round the corner, this employer-employee issue has been turned into a political one by the likes of BJP, NCP, PPA etc., who are questioning the governance of the present Government and their handling of the situation and are showing solidarity with the agitating employees (though CoSAAP says it is a non-political organization and doesn’t endorse any political patronage). This has also given chance to the political parties to group together and form an alliance to fight against the ruling Congress government in the ensuing Assembly elections. Besides, it has aggravated the agitation.

On CoSAAP’s front, CoSAAP was disintegrated into two factions viz., CEC CoSAAP and GBC CoSAAP with one for the 20^th December partial pay package and another for 10^th December pay package with later faction spearheading the agitation now. Also, the hard-stance of government has brought almost all the District Units’ under one umbrella called GBC CoSAAP.

And on common masses front, well.., we are only hoping that an amicable solution is reached between the Government and the agitating employees and are freed from further chaos.