26.9.13

Another sop !



The Congress trumpeted the constitution of seventh pay commission as another of its welfare measures in line with land and food bills, in what appeared a thinly-veiled attempt to milk the olive branch to government employees at the upcoming state and Lok Sabha polls.
The surprise decision on the pay commission targeting the middle-class comes on the back of legislations to win over the poor and the sudden urgency in Congress establishment to facilitate new alliances: clear evidence that the ruling party has hit poll mode.
The belief is that tough reforms are over for good in UPA-II and the ruling camp would try the time-tested sops to win electoral favour.
Not surprisingly, Congress patted the leadership for bringing the pay panel just ahead of festivals while slamming NDA for not doing so in 2003 when the sixth commission was due. “It has brought happiness to lakhs of people,” AICC spokesman Raj Babbar said, adding it would benefit 80 lakh people.
With the Centre having rushed to pass the land and food bills as ‘aam aadmi’ sops earlier, the Centre has now picked on middle class — the pay panel coinciding with assurance from petroleum minister Veerappa Moily that there would be no hike in petrol prices.
The importance of the new step in bolstering urban constituencies is evident from how AICC general secretary Ajay Maken first made the demand for pay panel in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh this March.
Besides the electorate, rural and urban, Congress has moved with alacrity to woo regional satraps — the Cabinet on Tuesday passed an ordinance to save convicted MPs from disqualification, aimed at appeasing Lalu Prasad who faces a final verdict in the infamous fodder scam on September 30. 

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