With the rallying cry 'Change with Congress,' the party unveiled its manifesto last Friday, dubbing it the 'Justice Document' - a formal pledge comprising 5 justices and 25 guarantees. Yet, the conspicuous absence of the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) from the manifesto has sparked headlines. It seems Congress has performed an about-face on the OPS issue, shifting from an aggressive stance in local elections to complete removal in the run-up to the 2024 General Elections.
When the manifesto was released, various Congress leaders, perplexed at the omission of the OPS, exchanged surprised glances. Sources have informed us that until the last meeting of the manifesto committee, the majority opinion was that alongside ending the Agniveer scheme, OPS was also a significant issue for them.
'OPS was removed before printing'
A Congress leader, requesting anonymity, expressed, 'We were shocked that the OPS was entirely missing from the manifesto, and it was only then that we learned it had been removed at the last minute.' Another leader confirmed, 'We were discussing the OPS scheme in the initial manifesto committee and obviously it was dropped right before the final print of the document.' Chidambaram assured members that the final draft manifesto would be sent to the Congress Working Committee (CWC) and released only with the CWC's final approval.
Chidambaram's take on the removal of OPS?
When the Congress leadership was queried why OPS, being one of their major electoral promises and implemented in Rajasthan and Himachal Pradesh, was omitted from the manifesto, perhaps due to economic impracticality, the head of the manifesto committee and former finance minister P. Chidambaram responded with levity, 'It's not gone, it's in our minds.'
Chidambaram stated that Congress would await the government report to review the NPS (New Pension Scheme) and clarify their stance. He mentioned that a committee is already reviewing this, and it would be premature to adopt a position on the OPS-NPS controversy without the government report.
Congress won elections on the promise of OPS
During the 2022 Himachal Pradesh legislative elections, Congress achieved victory on the pledge of implementing the OPS. Ashok Gehlot assured voters in Himachal Pradesh that the Rajasthan OPS model would also be enacted there, asserting the state treasury could easily bear the cost, as it was already running smoothly in Rajasthan.
The difference between OPS and NPS
Under OPS, employees are entitled to half of their salary at retirement as a pension because the old scheme defines the pension based on the last basic salary and inflation data. The New Pension Scheme, in contrast, carries no guarantee of a fixed pension as it relies on the stock market, where payments align with the market's fluctuations.
