Uproarious scenes were witnessed in the state Assembly on Tuesday with the Opposition Congress protesting against Speaker Ashok Bhatt for rejecting a supplementary question from the Congress Arjun Modhwadia regarding fixed salaries of the state government employees. The question was initially raised by Dhrangadhra Congress legislator Harilal Patel during Question Hour. Patel asked if the state government had taken any steps to raise the payments of these employees after the state government went ahead with implementing the recommendations of the Sixth Pay Panel. In his reply,Vala said that those working on consolidated salary were not eligible for a raise in their emoluments as per recommendations of the Central Sixth Pay Panel. Leader of Opposition Shaktisinh Gohil and Congress MLA Khumansinh Chauhan then pointed out that when poor states were paying more to those working on consolidated payments,why was Gujarat,a prosperous state,not increasing the salaries of these categories of employees. Vala told the House that he would look into the suggestions of the Congress leaders but insisted that as such there was no provision in the Pay Panel report for raise in their emoluments. He also told the House that these employees were absorbed on a permanent basis after five years. In a supplementary question,Modhwadia made a political remark stating that when the appointments were made against regular vacancies,the recruits should be paid full salary or at least reasonably handsome salary. Elaborating the issue,he said that policemen fighting terror and teachers fighting illiteracy could not perform their duties well if they were paid consolidated monthly salary of Rs 2500,much less than the minimum wages. Speaker Ashok Bhatt objected to Modhwadia making political insinuations in his question and rejected his question,allowing another BJP legislator to read out his question on another issue. This led to Congress MLAs,including Gohil stand on their feet vehemently objecting the Speakers action not to allow questions concerning the future of so many employees. Though Bhatt finally allowed Modhwadia to raise the question,he expunged his political remarks.
