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More than 50,000 government employees, pensioners, contractual, outsourced and temporary workers from across Punjab flooded the streets of Chandigarh on Friday in what is being seen as the biggest show of strength by government employees during the four-year tenure of the Aam Aadmi Party government. The massive mobilisation, held during the Monsoon Session of the Punjab Assembly, transformed a long running dispute over Dearness Allowance (DA) arrears and other service related demands into a major political challenge for the Bhagwant Mann government just months before the Punjab Assembly elections. The agitation was spearheaded by the Punjab Mulazam te Pensioners Sanjha Front and the Sanjha Mulazam Manch Punjab. It was coordinated by employee leaders Jasvir Singh Talwara, Gurwinder Singh Chandigarh, Sukhchain Singh Khaira, Kartarpal Singh, N.K. Kalsi, Sushil Kumar Fauji, Sukhdev Saini, Karam Singh Dhanoa and N.D. Tiwari, who brought together employees from virtually every government department. Employees from all 23 districts assembled in Chandigarh before marching towards the Punjab Assembly. Chandigarh Police stopped the protesters near Sector 39 by erecting multiple barricades. As employees attempted to move ahead, police repeatedly used water cannons to disperse the crowd, triggering tense scenes and scuffles between protesters and security personnel. The agitation disrupted traffic across several parts of Chandigarh for hours, while attendance in many Punjab government offices remained thin as employees observed mass leave. Several teacher organisations had also announced participation in the protest.
DA DISPUTE REACHES BOILING POINT
The immediate trigger for Friday’s protest was the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s recent order directing the Punjab government to release pending Dearness Allowance arrears to employees and pensioners within 15 days. The dispute dates back to the implementation of the Sixth Punjab Pay Commission. The AAP government has maintained that it inherited unpaid liabilities of over Rs 14,000 crore from the previous Congress government. It had sought permission from the High Court to clear the dues in phases because of financial constraints. The High Court, however, rejected the government’s phased payment proposal. On August 3, a Division Bench upheld the earlier order directing the government to release the pending arrears within 15 days and ruled that any delay would attract 6% annual interest. Besides DA arrears, the protesting organisations demanded restoration of the Old Pension Scheme, regularisation of contractual and outsourced employees, filling of vacant government posts, restoration of withdrawn allowances and settlement of several pending service related issues.
GOVERNMENT UNDER PRESSURE
The protest assumes significance because government employees and pensioners constitute one of Punjab’s largest organised voting blocs. Spread across every Assembly constituency, they are considered politically influential, particularly during Assembly elections. Political observers believe the issue has now moved well beyond an administrative dispute and has the potential to emerge as a significant election issue if the government fails to address employee concerns. Unlike protests led by farmers or opposition parties, Friday’s agitation involved the government’s own workforce, making the confrontation particularly uncomfortable for the ruling dispensation.
GOVERNMENT RESPONDS AFTER HOURS OF PROTEST
Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann remained publicly silent throughout the day even as thousands of employees occupied Chandigarh’s roads and police used water cannons against the protesters. It was only after the confrontation intensified that the Chief Minister’s Officer on Special Duty, Navraj Brar, met employee representatives and assured them that Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann would hold talks with a delegation of 10 representatives on August 27 at Punjab Bhawan in Chandigarh. Following the assurance, the employee organisations suspended Friday’s protest while making it clear that the agitation had only been deferred and would resume if the meeting failed to produce concrete results.
OPPOSITION TARGETS AAP
The protest provided the opposition with an opportunity to corner the Bhagwant Mann government. The Shiromani Akali Dal also extended full support to the agitation. Senior SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia described the protest as a historic expression of employees’ unity and accused the AAP government of betraying employees after coming to power on the promise of improving their welfare. He alleged that instead of releasing employees’ legitimate dues, the government had responded with police action and water cannons. Majithia said the protest had shaken the foundations of the Bhagwant Mann government and assured employees that their pending issues would be addressed on priority if the Shiromani Akali Dal returned to power. Punjab Congress president Amarinder Singh Raja Warring accused the AAP government of forcing government employees and pensioners onto the streets despite the Punjab and Haryana High Court’s directions on DA arrears. He criticised the use of water cannons against employees, pensioners and women workers, saying the government should have resolved the issue through dialogue instead of confrontation. Warring alleged that the ruling party had failed to honour several promises made to government employees before the 2022 Assembly elections and warned that the growing resentment among employees would have political consequences.
ELECTION ISSUE IN THE MAKING
With nearly eight lakh serving employees and pensioners directly affected by the DA dispute, and their families spread across every Assembly constituency, the agitation has the potential to influence a significant section of Punjab’s electorate. What began as a demand for pending DA and service benefits has now evolved into a political test for the Bhagwant Mann government. As the High Court’s deadline for clearing arrears approaches and employee representatives prepare for talks with the Chief Minister on August 27, the government finds itself under pressure from the judiciary, organised employee unions and an opposition determined to turn the issue into a key electoral plank ahead of the Punjab Assembly elections.