Chandra Shekhar Sahu, a former Member of the Lok Sabha from Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituency in Mahasamund district, was both astonished and concerned, when he received a letter from Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) that he was elected to 17th Lok Sabha and therefore his pension is being stopped.

 

As the incident goes, former MP Chandra Shekhar Sahu was not receiving his pension since last couple of months, hence he visited the office of Central Pension Accounting Office (CPAO) and filed a complaint in this direction while urging the department to release his pension on upgraded rate. At that time the CPAO had accepted his complaint and assured swift redressal.

 

However, as Sahu reached Raipur from New Delhi, he received a letter from Central Pension Accounting Office, stating that - with respect to Chandra Sekhar Sahu, Ex-Member of Parliament, it is to state that Chandra Sekhar Sahu has been elected as the Member of 17th Lok Sabha, with effect from 25.05.2019, hence his pension may be stopped w.e.f 25.05.2019 onwards and his final claim may be settled at an early date. The letter in contention here was actually issued by Pay and Accounts Officer, Lok Sabha Secretariat and was issued by Central Pension Accounting Office as a CC copy to Sahu.

 

The goof-up seems to have taken place due to confusion arising out of election of one Chandra Sekhar Sahu from Odisha.This Chandra Sekhar Sahu had won on a BJD ticket from Berhampur Lok Sabha constituency after defeating BJP candidate Bhrigu Buxipatra by a margin of over one lakh votes. In confusion that both the Sahu are same, the department might have stopped the pension.

 

It is worth mentioning here that Chandra Sekhar Sahu was elected to Lok Sabha from Mahasamund Lok Sabha constituency and was MP from March 10, 1998 to April 26, 1999 for 13 months after which the NDA government led by the then Prime Minister Late Atal Bihari Vajpayee had lost the No Confidence Motion. Since then Sahu was receiving his pension on regular basis. Sahu had not contested for Lok Sabha since then.

 

Talking to The Hitavada, an astonished Chandra Sekhar Sahu said he is very surprised after getting this letter. Giving information about the developments, he said he would soon take up the issue with Speaker Lok Sabha and would request him to rectify the mistake. He hoped that the mistake would be rectified soon and he would start receiving his pension soon.