Chennai, Jan 11 (NationPress) The discussion surrounding the Old Pension Scheme (OPS) in Tamil Nadu intensified on Sunday when P. Shanmugam, the State secretary of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), launched a fierce criticism against Edappadi K. Palaniswami (EPS). He accused EPS of intentionally misleading government employees for his own political advantage.

In a post on X, Shanmugam reacted to Palaniswami's claims that the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) had misled government employees by falsely asserting they restored the Old Pension Scheme.

Rejecting this accusation, the CPI(M) leader argued that such statements disregarded fundamental truths and were an attempt to distort the historical context of pension reforms in the State.

Shanmugam emphasized that the Old Pension Scheme was initially abolished on April 1, 2003, during the time of the AIADMK government under former Chief Minister Jayalalithaa.

"Given that the scheme was eliminated by the AIADMK itself, what grounds does Palaniswami have to accuse the DMK of betrayal?" he questioned.

He further challenged why Palaniswami did not reinstate the Old Pension Scheme during his own administration as Chief Minister, noting that even now, the AIADMK has failed to provide a clear commitment in their public statements regarding the restoration of the scheme if they regain power.

According to Shanmugam, this hesitance reveals the opposition's lack of dedication to government employees.

Addressing the Assured Pension Scheme introduced by the DMK government, Shanmugam remarked that the opposition had not presented any substantial critiques of the initiative.

He asserted that Palaniswami's objections were primarily focused on the 10 percent employee contribution requirement, overlooking the broader social security benefits intended by the scheme.

Shanmugam also questioned the moral standing of the AIADMK leader to comment on pension matters, highlighting that the party is allied with the Bharatiya Janata Party, which abolished the Old Pension Scheme at a national level.

"A party associated with those who eliminated OPS nationwide lacks the credibility to instruct employees on pension rights," he stated.

In conclusion, Shanmugam accused Palaniswami of relying on allegations rather than implementing actionable solutions and encouraged government employees to critically evaluate who is truly responsible for dismantling and who is striving to restore pension security in Tamil Nadu.