Kolkata, Feb 21 (NationPress) Various associations representing West Bengal government employees, excluding the one linked to the ruling Trinamool Congress, are poised to initiate a two-fold strategy against the state government as the Assembly elections approach later this year. This action revolves around demands for the payment of dearness allowance (DA) equivalent to that of Central government staff and the settlement of arrears that have been outstanding since 2008.

One component of this dual strategy will entail pursuing legal recourse, while the other will focus on public demonstrations, including protests planned in proximity to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's residence.

On the legal front, the Sangrami Joutho Mancha (Revolutionary United Front), a coalition representing various state government employee associations, has already filed a contempt petition with the Supreme Court against the West Bengal government. This petition claims that the state has not taken necessary actions to enforce the Supreme Court's directive issued earlier this month, which mandated the immediate payment of 25 percent of the DA arrears from 2008 to 2019, to be completed before the end of the financial year 2025–26.

Simultaneously, different organizations within this coalition have unveiled a series of protest activities scheduled for the coming days, leading up to the Assembly elections, to advocate for their demands.

The West Bengal Coordination Committee, backed by the CPI(M), has declared its intention to conduct a protest march on February 26 from Esplanade in central Kolkata to a location near the Chief Minister’s residence in Kalighat concerning this matter.

“Despite the Supreme Court’s unequivocal order and detailed instructions regarding DA payments, the state government appears to be stalling the implementation under various pretexts. Therefore, we have made the decision to engage in street protests alongside our ongoing legal efforts,” stated Biswajit Gupta Chowdhury, general secretary of the Coordination Committee.

Since the Supreme Court issued its ruling earlier this month, the Chief Minister has refrained from providing detailed public comments, citing the matter as sub judice.

However, the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, has criticized the Chief Minister’s stance, questioning how the issue can remain sub judice when the apex court has already rendered its judgment.

In the meantime, initial estimates indicate that complying with the Supreme Court’s ruling could impose an immediate cost of over Rs 10,000 crore on the state treasury and approximately Rs 42,000 crore in the long run.