However, he kept the issue of arrears on hold, saying it will be taken up when he meets the Joint Action Committee (JAC) led by its president Atmaram, a faction seen as leaning towards the Congress.
After the meeting, Sukhu told reporters that apart from medical bills, other demands — including arrears pending for years — would also be considered sympathetically.
He did not commit to any timeline. The Atmaram-led faction has invited the Chief Minister to preside over the National Pensioners’ Day function in Shimla on December 17.
Atmaram said the Chief Minister had already assured them that medical bills will be cleared soon and their other demands were under active consideration.
But the rival faction of pensioners, aligned with the BJP, remained highly agitated.
They alleged the Chief Minister has been “misleading pensioners for three years,” claiming that neither medical bills nor arrears have been paid.
The politics of pensioners has sharply split along party lines, with one group backing the Congress and the other the BJP.
Last week, one faction held a massive protest in Dharamshala during the winter session of the Vidhan Sabha.
#HimachalPolitics #PensionersProtest #SukhuGovernment #ShimlaNews
