Hamirpur (HP), Nov 4 (PTI) Employees and officers who dedicated 30 to 40 years of their lives to serving Himachal Pradesh are now being forced to take to the streets for their legitimate rights, BJP state president Rajeev Bindal claimed on Wednesday, launching an attack on the Congress-led state government.
Addressing a district-level convention of the BJP Former Employees Cell in Hamirpur, he said that senior citizens, even at the age of 80, are compelled to leave their homes and travel 200 to 400 kilometres to participate in protests and demonstrations.
He described this situation as extremely unfortunate and shameful, accusing the Congress government led by Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu of violating the fundamental rights of pensioners and depriving them of their rightful retirement benefits.
He alleged that for the first time in Himachal Pradesh's history, nearly 1.5 lakh retired employees and officers are struggling to receive payments of their pending medical bills, Dearness Allowance (DA) installments, arrears and other financial dues.
"Those who devoted their entire working lives to the development and welfare of Himachal Pradesh deserve dignity, financial security and respect in their old age. Unfortunately, the Sukhu government has pushed these senior citizens and their families into financial hardship and mental distress," he added.
Bindal alleged that the Congress government has pushed the state's healthcare system into a serious crisis, further claiming that several essential diagnostic services in government hospitals have been disrupted, forcing lakhs of patients to visit private hospitals and laboratories and spend substantial amounts on medical investigations.
The BJP leader alleged that the state government's failure to clear outstanding payments worth crores of rupees to laboratory operators has severely affected diagnostic facilities across government hospitals.
