Kamal Nath decides to hold payment of monthly pensions of emergency era prisoners

The newly appointed Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Kamal Nath has decided to hold further payment of monthly pensions to those imprisoned during the period of emergency. Maintenance of Internal Security Act (MISA) and Defence of India Rules (DIR) were imposed to curb the democratic rights of the citizens during the emergency. The new decision by Kamal Nath seems to have given heed to another controversy in the state.  

Incidentally, Kamal Nath was inducted into the Congress by Sanjay Gandhi during the emergency and was member of Sanjay’s inner coterie. Kamal Nath’s role in the Emergency led to the slogan “Indira ke do haath, Sanjay Gandhi aur Kamal Nath.”

According to an Indian Express report, under the Loknayak Jaiprakash Narayan Samman Nidhi Niyam, around 2,000 people who were detained during the Emergency got a monthly pension of Rs 25,000.

As per MP government circular dated December 29, 2018, the process to dispense honorarium needs to be amended in order to make it “accurate and transparent”. The order also states that independent guidelines will be sent for physical verification of all beneficiaries. The Kamal Nath government has also cited the CAG report in the circular to suggest that amounts disbursed are more than the budgetary allocation. The circular further states that the concerned department finds it extremely difficult to explain the anomaly to the Public Accounts Committee.    

The BJP has vehemently criticized MP government’s move and termed it as an act of political vendetta. According to the Indian Express report, the BJP has termed the move as a political vendetta. The report has also quoted the BJP Rajya Sabha MP, Kailash Soni, head of the Loktantra Senani Sangh, saying that the 2000-odd beneficiaries in the state include more than 300 widows who receive half the pension after their husband’s death. Kailash Soni has also said that he did not come across any CAG report on irregularities in the scheme. He claimed that no such report has ever been submitted on the floor of the assembly.

Soni also asserted that the scheme cannot be scrapped or tinkered by administrative order. He told Indian Express, “If any such illegality is committed we will challenge it in court.” He also stated, “There is no fake beneficiary. In fact, the number has come down from the initial 2400-odd to 2,000 which proves that the process is accurate.” Kailash Soni went on to add that even Congress activists are among the beneficiaries of the scheme.

He accused the Congress of adopting the undemocratic means. The Indian Express quoted him saying, “Those who went to jail during the Emergency ensured that democracy was restored in the country and elections conducted. Kamal Nath himself is a beneficiary of that battle.”

The Union Minister of Railways Piyush Goyal took a jibe at CM Kamal Nath’s decision by saying, “Indira Gandhi’s ‘third son’ stops pension to those who fought for democratic values during India’s darkest days in the Emergency.”

Bihar BJP MP Giriraj Singh has also attacked MP CM Kamal Nath’s move. He said, “With this act of Kamal nath, Congress approves the black chapter of emergency in Indian democracy. Congress has no respect for the institutions and democratic values.”