Kamal Nath thanks MP CM Shivraj for busting 'rumour' he spread on govt staff's retirement

Campaigning for the by-elections to 54 assembly constituencies in 10 states including 28 seats in Madhya Pradesh ended on Sunday evening. On the last day of campaigning, Madhya Pradesh Congress chief Kamal Nath accused the BJP dispensation in the state of reducing the retirement age of Class-IV government employees, which Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan dubbed as a "rumour".

'This decision will create a crisis' 

In a tweet, Kamal Nath said the ruling BJP has brought down the age of retirement of Class-IV employees from 62 years to 60 years, prompting the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government to issue a clarification about it. "The decision by the Shivraj Singh Chouhan government to reduce the retirement age of Class IV employees from 62 years to 60 years again. This is deception with Class IV employees. This decision will create a crisis for them," Nath said in a tweet. 

Chouhan replied to the Congress leader's tweet saying, "You are spreading rumours seeing the imminent defeat of Congress (in the by-elections). This disgusting work can only be done by you and your party."

'Kamal Nath is spreading rumours'

Chouhan said that the state government's order was only meant for the temporary class-four employees appointed in the minister's staff. "On the contrary, the state government has increased the age limit for such employees (appointed in minister's staff during their tenure) to 60-years, which was so far 40- years," he said.

Later in the day, the state government's General Administration Department issued a clarification in this regard. It said that there is no change in the age limit for Class IV employees, except for those appointed temporarily in the minister's staff during their tenure.

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Kamal Nath later thanked the government for the clarification and said that the Congress would continue to fight for the rights of the employees. 

Madhya Pradesh bypolls 

By-elections are being held in 25 seats in MP as sitting Congress MLAs resigned and joined the BJP. They are now in the fray as BJP candidates, while in three other seats the by-election was necessitated due to the demise of the sitting legislators. For the first time in the history of the state, 28 Assembly seats in the 230-member House are going to bypolls in one go. A total of 355 candidates, including 12 state ministers, are in the fray. The ruling BJP currently has 107 MLAs and needs nine more seats for a majority, while the Congress has 87 legislators in the House.

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(With agency inputs)