Home Minister Amit Shah announced on Sunday, 27 March, that employees in the Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh will get the same benefits as those of the central civil services.
"I want to give some good news to the employees of the Chandigarh administration. From today, service conditions of employees of the Chandigarh administration will be aligned with the central civil services," Shah said at an event in Chandigarh.
The move sparked protests by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD), who alleged that the home minister's decision would undermine the federal structure in the country.
Shah added that due to the new policy, the retirement age of employees in the Union Territory will now go up from 58 to 60 years, and that women employees will get child-care leave of two years from the current one year.
Will Fight For Claim Over Chandigarh: Punjab CM
AAP and SAD held that Centre's move would dilute claims by Punjab over the UT of Chandigarh.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann took to Twitter to condemn the home minister's decision, saying that the announcement made by Shah went against the Punjab Reorganisation Act, 1966.
"Central government has been stepwise imposing officers and personnel from other states and services in Chandigarh administration. This goes against the letter and spirit of Punjab Reorganisation Act 1966. Punjab will fight strongly for its rightful claim over Chandigarh," he said.
BJP Afraid of AAP's Rise, Says Sisodia
Delhi deputy Chief Minister and AAP leader Manish Sisodia alleged that the BJP government was afraid of the rise of the AAP in Punjab, and that it was implementing such decisions because of the former's defeat in the recently-held Assembly election in Punjab.
"As soon as AAP formed Govt in Punjab, Amit Shah took away Chandigarh's services. BJP is scared of AAP rising footprint," Sisodia said in a tweet on Sunday.
SAD leader Daljit Singh Cheema also took to Twitter to condemn the home minister's announcement.
He said that the decision taken by the Home Ministry to "impose central government rules on employees of Chandigarh is in violation of the spirit of Punjab Reorg (Reorganisation) act and must be reconsidered", adding that such this decision was a "big blow to the rights of Punjab".
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