Accusing the government of treating its employees as if they were citizens of Pakistan and Bangladesh, Joint Action Committee of Employees, Teachers, Workers and Pensioners chairman V Gopal Reddy on Tuesday condemned the arrest of protestors who had taken part in the ‘Chalo Hyderabad’ protest.
Mr Gopal Reddy stated that with the arrest of the state government employees at Indira Park, who were staging a peaceful agitation demanding fulfillment of long pending demands, the government has shown its repressive side instead of solving their problems pending since long-time.
Following the ‘Chalo Hyderabad’ call given by the Joint Action Committee of Employees, Teachers, Workers and Pensioners, thousands of employees from the state had earlier converged in the city.
The state police thwarted the proposed rally by arresting the protestors as soon as they stepped out of the ‘Dharna Chowk’ in Indira Park. The state police had earlier denied permission to the JAC to hold the rally.
The JAC had remained adamant and vowed to carry on with the march, aimed to mount pressure on the state government for fulfilling their long-pending demands.
All employees’ union leaders, cutting across party lines, from three regions participated in the agitation.
Addressing the gathering, the JAC chairman stated that the state government was not taking any measures to solve their 11-point charter of demands include filling-up of 4 lakh vacancies in all government departments across the state, abolishing the outsourcing system, regularising the jobs, hiking house rent allowance and increase medical reimbursement from Rs 2 lakh to Rs 3 lakh and cancel the apprentice system. He added that the stated government had completely ignored the welfare of employees.
Mr Gopal Reddy demanded that the government immediately release all the arrested employees. He warned that the JAC would picket the Secretariat premises if the government failed to release their colleagues.
He said the government was treating the employees as they are staying in Pakistan or Bangladesh.
The MPs and MLAs, who showed interest in increasing their salaries and allowances, are not showing interest in addressing their problems, he pointed out.
Gopal Reddy said the employees had resorted to ‘Chalo Hyderabad’ as their repeated representations appeared to have fallen on ‘deaf ears’ and cautioned that the state government that it would have to face severe consequences if their legitimate demands were not conceded in a stipulated time.