In government offices and private firms, it is customary for employees to distribute sweets or throw parties after being promoted. But, for the 400-odd employees of the Sericulture Department, a promotion has come as a punishment of sorts. Even as the government issued an order promoting Sericulture Inspectors (SIs) as Assistant Agriculture Officers (AAOs) and posted them in the Agriculture Department, several employees not only declined the offer but also staged a protest.
They said that employees promoted to AAOs have not been given salary on a par with existing AAOs in the Agriculture Department. “Most of the employees are in their 50s and some are even on the verge of retirement. Why give promotions now, after a gap of nearly two decades,” asked office-bearers of the Sericulture Technical Employees’ Association.
Moreover, the principle of equal pay for equal work was violated, they claimed. They said they had been denied salary and other allowances as prescribed for AAOs. “Why do we need promotions if the salary is not commensurate to the new post and existing AAOs in the Agriculture Department? Why is the government transferring us from the Sericulture Department to the Agriculture Department when the former is facing severe shortage of staff.”
A few employees in their late 50s have rejected the promotions on health grounds, while those who accepted and were based in Bangalore have been shunted out to remote areas.
Now, the State government is stating that the enforcement of model code of conduct prevented it from issuing fresh transfer orders.
‘White is our colour, not kaavi’
Four-time MP and Congress veteran B. Janardhana Poojary seems to have developed an aversion to people attending party meetings wearing saffron colour clothes. This was apparent at a recent party meeting when a person wearing a saffron dhoti raised questions on the rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl near Ujire on October 9, 2012. Mr. Poojary told the person that “the party has given compensation to the girl’s family and the accused was arrested”.
Dissatisfied, the person repeatedly questioned Mr. Poojary as to why he was silent about the arrest of persons behind the murder.
Mr. Poojary shot back by asking the person to not simply talk and castigated him for wearing a saffron dhoti. He then reportedly asked the person to leave the venue and accused him of belonging to the Opposition party. The person hit back and told Mr. Poojary that he was a Congressman and was campaigning for the party. Mr. Poojary then left the venue in a huff.
This is not the first time that Mr. Poojary’s aversion to the saffron colour has come to the fore. During campaigning for the Assembly elections last year, Mr. Poojary slammed a businessman for wearing saffron colour clothes during his induction into the party. “As Congressmen, we should be wearing white khadi. You cannot be wearing ‘kaavi’ (saffron) clothes. At least on the day of joining the Congress, you should have avoided that,” Mr. Poojary told the businessman.
Residents worried about Siddaramaiah
After Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s visit to Saundatti temple last week, residents of Belgaum are now apprehensive about whether he will continue in office.
They are worried that he will be in a situation similar to that faced by BJP veteran L.K. Advani. Mr. Advani visited the temple on April 5 last year to garner support for BJP candidates contesting the Assembly elections. But, the BJP was voted out of power in Karnataka and Mr. Advani was ‘sidelined’ as the party chose Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi over him as its prime ministerial candidate.
There is a superstition that any top leader visiting the town might not remain in office.
So residents are wondering whether Mr. Siddaramaiah will be forced to leave office if the Congress loses the electoral battle.
Is Congress going the BJP way?
Is the Congress in Karnataka going the BJP way? A sudden and unexpected development involving JD(S) candidate Nasir Bagwan from Belgaum constituency provides a credible answer. Mr. Bagwan made a dramatic appearance on the Congress stage and joined, what until that moment, was a rival party. At the last minute, JD(S) candidate from Uttara Kannada constituency Shivananda Naik withdraw his nomination papers citing lack of financial support from party supremo H.D. Deve Gowda.
Belgaum district JD(S) president Ashok Pujari likened these developments to the infamous ‘Operation Lotus’ adopted by the BJP government headed by B.S. Yeddyurappa. Now, the Congress seems to be in a hurry to break its rival political parties and lure potential leaders to boost its own electoral prospects. The BJP implemented ‘Operation Lotus’ after the 2008 Assembly elections to strengthen its tally in the Assembly, while the Congress did it to boost the prospects of its Belgaum candidate Laxmi R. Hebbalkar. Will Mr. Bagwan’s departure from the JD(S) help the Congress at the hustings?
