by Sanjay Singh Jan 30, 2015 13:39 IST
The introduction of a bio-metric system to register entry-exit time and a strict adherence to reporting for duty at 9 in morning may arguably have improved work culture in government offices and pleased a number of people, but the new measures by the Modi government have deeply annoyed substantive sections of government employees.
They are extremely upset that they even had to report to work on Gandhi Jayanti for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cherished Swacch Abhiyan, and also about the rigour some of them had to undergo for his other pet schemes like Jan Dhan Yojna and ensuring that his interaction with children went live on Teachers Day.
AFP
Firstpost spoke to a a cross section of employees and found that for once these grievances are not group or class specific. There is a rare unanimity of views on this matter between both highly officious IAS and lowly class IV peons. In fact, this angst is greater among middle and lower ranking employees because most of them have to travel longer distances to get to work.
Added to that was the rumour, further stressed by the Aam Admi Party that a BJP government in Delhi would reduce retirement age to 58. The newly elected BJP government in Haryana did it two months ago. In fact, PM Modi had to devote few minutes to the issue, clarifying or denying “manufactured lies” and asserting that no such move was in the offing.
It’s true that pampered and relatively secure government employees have got used to a lethargic, leisurely mood centric work culture and their arguments may be devoid of any merit and completely misplaced. However it's election time in Delhi and they have a chance to vent out their anger. And in terms of numbers, they are quite significant.
As per the Census of Employees 2011 figures, There are around 1.5 lakh regular employees affiliated to the Delhi government and various autonomous bodies. Another few thousand are contract and ad-hoc employees.
The Census Enquiries for regular employment suggest that as on 31 March, 2009, Delhi housed 6.55 percent of India's 31 lakh regular central government employees. That means there are over two lakh central government employees in Delhi. Add that to the number of employees in the Delhi government, and the figure goes up to around five lakh government employees, if contractual employment is included in the same category.
The BJP, however, has a silver lining.
Despite the disgruntlement, many employees don’t think Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Admi Party is a good alternative to the BJP.
Returning to Congress’s fold could have been an option but since the party is out of the reckoning, they don’t want to waste their votes. The other option, as some suggest is to sit idle and not vote.
The BJP, AAP or for that matter the Congress’s challenge now will be to make them come out and vote in their favour.
The other area of BJP concern would be the AAP making inroads in rural areas of Delhi, particularly among Jat voters in Outer Delhi. In the last elections the AAP had drawn a blank in this region. But since then they have roped in their Harayana unit leaders to work with voters, and their Gramin Morcha has also been very active. In the last elections the Jats had decisively favoured the BJP not only in Delhi but also in Rajasthan and UP in subsequent parliamentary elections.
If AAP is trying to poach the BJP’s Jats votes, the BJP is working hard to make a significant dent to AAP’s outreach among Dalit voters.
Twelve of Delhi's 70 assembly seats are reserved for Scheduled Castes. The community forms nearly 25 percent of the total 1.3 crore voters. Previously the community was split between the Congress and the BSP, but in the last elections, AAP emerged as their favourites and made huge gains in reserved seats, winning nine. The BJP could win only two. But Modi beginning his cleanliness drive from a Balmiki (dalit) locality and their subsequent pitch holding various meetings and roping in Udit Raj (already a party MP) and Krishna Tirath (Congress’s dalit face in the Capital) may boost its prospects.
The fact the BJP is going in 'all guns blazing' in the last week of campaigning is a pointer that the party is not willing to take any chances. The Delhi polls have become hugely prestigious for it.
Though Kiran Bedi’s integration with the party and its thought process continues to be a concern for the leadership, the party is trying to give an impression that it is working cohesively, by marshalling all its troops for the final leg of the polls. The voices of potential dissent have been silenced but the problem is that party workers were not feeling ignited, something that was in complete contrast to the December 2013 assembly polls or the May 2014 parliamentary polls.
The BJP also has to watch out for the Middle Class. ALthough they may have recaptured some of the votes of this section, they may no longer possess the same degree of enthusiasm that saw them standing in long queues to vote. The party hopes that the momentum generated by Modi’s rallies in different parts of the city, beginning from January 31 would correct these fault lines.
