In the latest political volley, the BJP has challenged the Congress party’s stance on pension reforms following the Congress’s praise for the newly introduced Unified Pension Scheme (UPS).
In a pointed statement, BJP senior leader Ravi Shankar Prasad challenged Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to address the implementation of the Old Pension Scheme in Himachal Pradesh, where the Congress had promised to restore it.
“Has the Congress government in Himachal Pradesh implemented the Old Pension Scheme as promised?” Prasad asked, referencing the scheme that the Congress had pledged to reinstate.
Prasad, a former Union minister, accused the Congress of avoiding the issue of pension reforms in its Lok Sabha election manifesto due to its own failures.
“The Congress party seems wary of the palpable falsehood of its pension promises. It has not even included this issue in its manifesto for the Lok Sabha elections,” Prasad added.
The Unified Pension Scheme, which is set to come into effect in April 2025, retains many features of the pre-2004 Old Pension Scheme. It guarantees government employees 50% of their last-drawn basic pay as a lifelong monthly pension.
This is in contrast to the New Pension Scheme introduced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2004, which linked pension payouts to employee and government contributions.
Prasad highlighted that the Old Pension Scheme, which did not require employee contributions, was supported by various employees' organizations. He criticized the Congress for making promises without delivering substantial changes.
Meanwhile, Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge responded sharply to the BJP’s criticism.
On social media platform X, Kharge taunted the BJP, stating that the "U" in Unified Pension Scheme (UPS) symbolised the BJP’s “U-turns.”
Kharge listed several instances of what he described as BJP policy reversals, including changes in the budget related to long-term capital gains, the Waqf Bill, and the Broadcast Bill, among others.
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