AP Govt holds back salaries of striking Telangana employees

The Government will strictly implement the AP High Court order and deny salaries to the striking employees. Those not taking part in the stir will, however, be paid full month's salary tomorrow, Finance Minister Aanam Ramanarayana Reddy said here this afternoon.

Pensioners too would get their due as usual, he added. Talking to reporters after a meeting with Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy, he said the Government would pay salary only for 12 days in September to employees who launched the indefinite strike on September 13 in support of the demand for statehood to Telangana.

"We will go by the attendance particulars and pay the salaries accordingly. We will strictly follow the High Court order in relation to no-work, no-pay," the Minister added.
Meanwhile, a majority of the striking employees are bringing pressure on Congress MPs from Telangana to prevail upon the Centre and the party's Government in the state to get their full salaries released in view of the Dasara festival.

The MPs, currently camping in New Delhi lobbying for a separate state, reportedly took up the issue with Union Minister and AICC General Secretary in-charge of party affairs in AP Ghulam Nabi Azad and sought his intervention.

A top Congress leader called up the CM and wanted him to consider the employees' plea. Kiran reportedly maintained he was only implementing the HC order and any violation could become a contempt of court, informed sources said. "There is pressure on us to pay full salaries to striking employees. But we can't violate the HC directive," a Minister said.