'They just make announcements to garner votes': Ravi Shankar Prasad's dig at Congress after latter criticises Unified Pension Scheme

The Congress's excitement over the Unified Pension Scheme—seen as a reversal of the BJP government's previous policies—has sparked a new critique from the BJP. Senior BJP leader Ravi Shankar Prasad today challenged the Congress to fulfill its election promises, especially regarding pensions.

"I want to ask Rahul Gandhi -- has his government implemented the Old Pension Scheme as promised in Himachal Pradesh?" said Prasad.

"The Congress party has become so wary of the palpable falsehood of its assurance about pension, it could not muster the courage to include that as a part of its manifesto in the Lok Sabha elections," the former minister said.

"Governing India is a serious business... The Congress party just makes announcements to garner votes and now the public has lost trust in its decisions," he added.

The Unified Pension Scheme, announced on Saturday, largely mirrors the Old Pension Scheme from before 2004. It guarantees government employees 50% of their final basic pay as a monthly pension for life.

In contrast, the New Pension Scheme, introduced by the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government in 2004, linked pension amounts to the contributions made by both the government and the employee.

At the time, many Opposition states opposed the New Pension Scheme, and five states chose to stick with the Old Pension Scheme.

Under the Old Pension Scheme, employees didn't have to contribute, which is still a point of advocacy for various employees' organizations.

The Unified Pension Scheme, starting April 2025, will require employees to contribute 10 percent of their salary, while the government will contribute 18.5 percent, which might increase.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge mocked the BJP, saying the "U" in the UPS stands for "U-turn," which he claimed is a hallmark of the BJP's third term in office.

"The 'U' in UPS stands for Modi Govt's U turns! Post June 4, the power of the people has prevailed over the arrogance of power of the Prime Minister.
— Rollback in the budget regarding Long Term Capital Gain / Indexation
— Sending Waqf Bill to JPC
— Rollback of Broadcast Bill
— Rollback of Lateral Entry
We will keep ensuring accountability and protect 140 Cr Indians from this despotic government!" read Mr Kharge's post on X, formerly Twitter.