MAY DAY ON (1 MAY 2018)
It
was about spring and the end of year 1989 when the government employees were on
strike and Mr Jamuna Singh was the then president of my Ministerial Employees
Association.
I
was appointed as a junior clerck on the compensation ground at Governmemnt Press Aishbagh Lucknow in
April 1989.
My
pay scale was 354-550 and I had been paid first of my salary in cash Rs 1125. I
was then very please and i enjoyed my salary with my friend Ranjeet Gautam. On
pay day we both went to Hajratganj by rickshaw.
After abiding my two or three months, there
usually began to organise gate meetings daily and I was then new comers for
this organisation.
Then
Indian National Congress led government was ruling in UP , and Rajeev Gandhi's trust lieutinent,
Veer Bahadur Singh, was the chief minister of state.
Daily
gate meeting and then ours service seniors'crowd began to go at gate 9
Darulshafa infront of Vidhan Bhawan(State Assembly) and i also joined this
culture to look into this freak then.The glimpse of employees on the place
apppeared to be closed spread in a vast area that the little space was not
spared to stand there comfortably. The overcrowded people's surge were looked
on road, shouting slogans- Jindabad and Murdabad...I was much excited.
The
leaders of diffrent departments were invited to express their views, but on the
stage where the senior leaders' speeches were going on, none of them were
allowed more than 2 minutes to address the employees rally.
When
the government restricted the strike and
prohibited, the meeting place had
been changed.
Our
senior leaders used to hold the meeting at High Court Lucknow premises; and
eventually these leaders got their agrreement with the state government that
whatever perks would be allowed to the central emplyees would also be stepping
up in the pay of UP Government emplyees.
In
my reminisence, Mr Lalan Pandey was the leader of UP Federation of Ministerial
Service Associations, and in his leadership employees got the new pay scale
since 1986.
My basic pay had been revised in the pay scale
of 950-1500. My new salary payment had been 3000+.
while
the motive of gate meetings and organised other meetings of Association were
unknown to me. I was engage in well dress up, and wander in the market at
Hajaratganj -- one thing that was still
with me was my study!
I
always tried to buy costly books; actually my most of money was spent for this
purpose.
Mr
Shyam Singh Rathode was General
Secretary to my Association, and the president , Mr Hari Narain Singh.
I
had fervour, and was yearned to do something to achieve the power of Union.
Because the seniors looked to be enjoying the office bearers post of the Union.
In
the year 1991, I was marrried and the earning from salary was not much
enough that would fullfill the
requirement of my family.
I had been father of a new born baby in year
1992. After this birth, I began to think the future of this new born.
The
atmosphere of government press was very tight and the officers pressure over
the work was very high.
Now
I had well understood my destinny that I had no future except this government
job.
In
the begining of 1995, the power UP government had come in hand of Mr Mulayam
Singh Yadav, leader of Samajwadi party.
In
the year 1996, government employees were preparing to go forward to fulfill
their demands, so on belief of past achievement they threatened of strike to
the government. Chief Minister, Mulayam Singh, was a cleverman and had been
friendly advisor to Veer Bahadur Singh former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh
during last strike in UP.
Because
it had been in rumour during the tennure of late Veer Bahadur Singh that he did not take any lunch unless Mulayam
reached to Mr Singh's office, so Mr Mulayam's cleverness was to be tested in
this forth comming strike of enployees.
The
strike went on, but there were no signal to hold talk with the government; and
on the other hand, the government was trying to raid the house of government
employees Union leaders to nab them. In this action of government, our
association's president, Mr Hari Narain Singh was jailed.
Other
remedies were also used to crack the unity among the fedration's leaders. The dice of castes and alurement of bribes
were used and the strike had completed its 52 days.
One
big blow came when secretariate employees union, talked with the government,
without taking the confidence of confederation leaders.It was a first vertical
division among the striking emplyees, which was being seen to hurt among this
unity and their faiths with us.
The
bikering of conspiracy emerged into split;and the strike of employees was on
the verge of collapse because our real leaders had been cheated.
One confedration had been then divided into 5 confederations of
employees service associations.
Besides
these divisions, the place of gate No. 9
where all the Dharnas and demonstrations were staged or being organised by the strikers and
agrieved persons had come under scanner of government target. The government
began to think it to be declared anyhow a prohibited place, but how could it do
if it was a public place.
First
of step by government under policy to
disposses the public interest was taken when the BSP government came in power.
It acquired the places in the state capital to erect a building, statue, and
parks. the land of Darulshafa was
acquired to build a hostel, so the land of public Dharna and demonstration had
been shrinked, but the road was not closed here.
After
the BSP government lose its power of UP in the year 2012, the Akhilesh led
Samajwadi Party government took charge of UP, so it also targeted this place
and planned to make a Lok Bhawan; resulting consequence was that the public
interest was mere inside the state assembly, not in front of it, and the place
to Dharna had been shifted to Laxman Mela Maidan. The agrieved demonstrors
staged the big dharna at Laxman Maila Maidan Lucknow, and dharna for short
period at Gandhi Pratima Hajaratganj
Lucknow.
how the government could challenge to the
agrieved to stop here Dharna now because all the programme had been staging
under the lap of our father of nation's statue, Mhatama Ganadhi.
Akhilesh
Government lost the power in UP and the
BJP formed its government, but the gauging of all parties, in my concept, look
much similllarity except INC.
The
government of Uttar Pradesh has banned to stage Dharna at Gandhi Pratima and
Laxman Mela Maidan by imlementing
section 144 at these places; and allowed to eco-garden 5 kilometer away from
the state assembly.
Mr
Lalan Pandey with others have break this implemented law here on 1st of May
2018.
The writer is in government press and the president government press ministerial association Lucknow
