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By Jaykishan Sharma: Around 50,000 ministerial services employees have been on strike in Rajasthan for the past 17 days. The movement started on April 10 and the employees went on strike after declaring a mass leave from April 17.
These employees, under different ministries of the Rajasthan government, have been sitting on a ‘Mahapadaav’ in Jaipur and the impasse over their demands has been continuing.
They have multiple demands, but their major demand is reverting to old pay scale after their base salary was reduced from Rs 9,840 to Rs 8,080 in 2018.
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The strike has affected work in 120 departments. Work related to public, like inflation relief camps, patta distribution, are also getting affected.
While public work has been obstructed due to the strike, the concern for the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government is even more so, given that this is an election year. The Congress government is wary of disappointing the staff, with assembly election calculation on stake.
And if the past strike by government staff is anything to go by, the Ashok Gehlot-led government is right to be concerned about the strike.
STAFFERS STRIKE AND POLL RESULT: A SAGA
Hari Dev Joshi was the Rajasthan Chief Minister for a brief period between 4 December, 1989 and 4 March, 1990. During the short 91-day term of Congress-led government, the teachers in Rajasthan went on strike for 46 days regarding their salary and other problems.
In 1990, the Congress was reduced to 50 seats from 113 seats. It was believed that the displeasure of the employees was the major reason behind Congress’s ouster. The BJP directly benefited from this and its seat share jumped from 39 seats to 85 seats and the saffron party formed their first government in Rajasthan.
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In 1998, the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government came to power in the state. The period from 1998 to 2003 is remembered for the displeasure of the employees, strikes, agitations and the strictness of the government.
In 1999, the movement was started by the ministerial employees and Patwaris. The strike was largely due to pay discrepancies. The movement intensified and the hartals took the form of Mahapadaav. The employees complained that the Ashok Gehlot government was not listening and at that time even the salaries of the striking employees were deducted. The Patwaris’ strike lasted for 88 days, the ministerial staff’s strike for 64 days, and the teachers’ strike for 38 days.
The displeasure of the employees dealt a heavy blow to the Ashok Gehlot government, with the Congress’s seat share coming down to 56 seats in 2003 Assembly elections poll from 156 seats won in 1998. The BJP once again managed to form the government in the state.
From September to October 2018, Rajasthan State Ministry Employees Federation organized Mahapadav in Mansarovar over the demands of grade pay 3600, graduate qualification, pay allowances and promotion opportunities similar to secretariat, formation of directorate etc.
When the election time came in 2018, the Bharatiya Janata Party’s share dropped to 73 seats, down from 163 seats it had won in 2013.
With the Assembly election scheduled to be held in Rajasthan by the end of the year, the protest by the government employees is a concern for the Congress government.
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