Political parties trip on EPF, big talk rings hollow

BHOPAL: Political parties hardly miss a chance to boast of employment generation and support fundamental rights to earn livelihood at the drop of hat. But, most of them do not comply with basic rule of covering their employees under Employee Provident Fund (EPF) scheme, pension scheme or employee state insurance corporation (ESIC) provisions. This may be a common practice for the party leaders, but it has drawn attention of EPF officials, who are contemplating action.
In Madhya Pradesh, BJP has 80 employees in state office. All are full-timers, and, in many cases their daily work stretches to 12 hours.
They look after the party office, do office work like typing, printing, publication, attending to politicians and work as assistants. But all of them are paid honorarium, which is insufficient to earn their livelihood, educate children and almost impossible during health problems in family. During exigencies, they look forward to their leaders for an out-of-turn help. “We do not have employees in our office. They are party workers and we pay them honorarium. So, there is no question of an employer or an employee,” said Nand Kumar Singh Chauhan, president, BJP state unit. He said if a worker is giving full-time assistance to the party and party office, we assure them to look after his family and home.
But workers doesn't seem to agree. On an average, worker gets Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 per month, which is insufficient to run their family. “I have requested my district president to help me get a government job so that I can help my family financially,” disclosed an assistant, who is helping party for over last 20 years. “When Narendra Singh Tomar was Union labour minister, we had requested him to help us get a permanent job, but to no avail. Most of party leaders did not help at all,” disclosed a senior employee.
In Congress, situation is better. Of 40 workers, 32 are covered under EPF scheme. “Most of us are covered under this scheme, thanks to former union minister Suresh Pachauri,” informed a senior employee. MPCC president Arun Yadav says we cover our office employees under EPF scheme and they take loan on their PF too.
Ironically, Samajwadi Party, Bahujan Samaj Party and Janata Dal (United) offer no such facility for their employees.
Sources in EPF Corporation point out every organisation with 20 or more employees or workers is covered under Contract Labour (Regulation and Abolition) Act, 1970. When political parties are accepting funds and donation to tune of crores of rupees. If they are answerable to income tax department for their expenses and earnings, they are equally responsible to cover their worker under EPF scheme, sources said.
EPF regional commissioner in Bhopal Ashwini Kumar Gupta said, “We are here to follow rules and see them implemented properly. If it is defined specifically that political parties are covered under EPF scheme, we can ask them to cover all employees, too.” All organizations and societies having their workers on payroll come under this rule, he added.