RPP condemns government warning upon its own employees.

The Rising People’s Party condemns the cowardly attitude of this government regarding its notification to withhold salaries of those government servants who have not been vaccinated or do not submit COVID-19 negative test report every 15 days.

The RPP strongly urges the Chief Secretary to cancel this notification with immediate effect. This authoritarian nonsense has no place in a democracy like India. It’s clearly visible now that the state is suffering from leadership crisis.

There are ways and means to tackle issues. Instead of ordering the lakhs of government employees to take and pay for every TrueNat/Rt-PCR/CBNAAT tests once in 15 days from their own pockets, any government which does not treat its own employees with contempt should provide the tests free of costs.

The RPP demands that instead of harassing its own employees the state government should set up a separate COVID testing facility specifically for its employees.

Another very important dimension is the choice factor. The Meghalaya High Court in its order dated 24th June 2021 has held that forceful or mandatory vaccination violates the fundamental rights of a person. With this notification, the Nagaland government is walking on thin line.

Not only is the 17 July 2021 notification irrational, it raises a pertinent issue. By forcing lakhs of state employees to take tests every 15 days, suspicion is being raised that the state government is trying to mobilise funds through dubious methods. It’s nothing but extortion. After having made a blunder with the cess on fuel, the state government is again playing with the livelihood of its own employees.

Issued by Rising People’s Party