‘Secretariat to Satauj vapsi’: Punjab employees harden stance, set September 7 deadline

On Sunday, Punjab government employees gave the Aam Aadmi Party a deadline of September 7 to address their concerns, including the release of pending Dearness Allowance (DA). If the government fails to act, they will escalate their protests. At a meeting in Ludhiana, the Sanjha Mulazam Manch and Sanjha Mulazam and Pensioners Front decided on a series of actions.

These include mass casual leave by ministerial staff on September 8, demonstrations outside ministers' residences, a Maha Rally in Sangrur on October 10, and a two-day 'Maha Hartal' on October 21-22 if their demands are unmet. The campaign slogan is 'Secretariat se Satauj vapsi'. The Discovery Channel began airing a documentary titled 'Satauj to Sansad', but the unions have chosen to boycott it in favor of advocating for employee issues.

Sukhchain Singh Khehra, convenor of the Sanjha Mulazam Manch, urged the government to withdraw show-cause notices issued to employees who took casual leave during the 'Maha Hartal' on August 27. The Punjab government has taken disciplinary action against employees absent during the protest, with over three lakh employees and 3.5 lakh pensioners participating.

The unions plan additional protests outside ministers' and MLA residences, a mock Vidhan Sabha in Chandigarh on September 30, and a 250-300 km silent human chain between Chandigarh and a major Punjab district.