MADURAI: Drawing a parallel between Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, DMK President and Opposition leader MK Stalin said that the Chief Minister has been turning a blind eye to the issues of the government employees just like the Prime Minister’s reaction to farmers’ protest at the national capital.
Addressing a preparatory meeting, organised by the Tamil Nadu Government Employees Association members to discuss a statewide protest, via video conference, Stalin assured the participants that all their genuine demands would be met once DMK comes to power. The association comprises employees from various departments including revenue, rural development, education and health.
The government employees have been demanding reintroduction of the old pension scheme, withdrawal of the charges against the members of Joint Action Committee of Tamil Nadu Teachers Organisations and Government Employees Organisations (JACTO-GEO) who participated in the strike, dropping the suspension order passed against the retiring members and the payment of dues.
Listing out various reforms brought in favour of government employees during the DMK government led by the late leader M Karunanidhi, Stalin said that the AIADMK government has snatched away all the rights of the government employees including that of the teachers.
Pointing out that around 13 lakh government employees from across Tamil Nadu had contributed a sum of Rs 150 crore to the Chief Minister Corona Relief Fund by sacrificing their one-day salary, the DMK president asked, “Is this how a government should treat those employees who coo-perate and support the governance?”