The joint forum of state government employees and Opposition parties in West Bengal expressed satisfaction with the Supreme Court’s decision on Dearness Allowance (DA). Bhaskar Ghosh, convenor of the Join Forum of State Government Employees, praised the verdict, attributing it to their prolonged protests demanding the pending DA from Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s government. The Supreme Court ruled that the West Bengal government must pay the outstanding DA, acknowledging the employees’ rightful entitlement.
The Supreme Court directed the Mamata Banerjee government to clear 25% of the DA owed to state government employees by March 31. Additionally, a four-member committee will be formed to decide on the remaining 75% of DA. The court’s decision comes after a previous interim order in May last year, where the state government was instructed to pay 25% of the DA within three months.
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari welcomed the Supreme Court’s order, emphasizing that it upholds the fundamental rights of state government employees. Adhikari highlighted that the ruling establishes DA as a legitimate right of employees, contrary to previous claims by Mamata Banerjee. Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar also commended the verdict, acknowledging the employees’ perseverance in securing their rightful DA.
Senior CPI(M) leader Bikash Bhattacharya criticized the state government for delaying the release of pending DA and urged for prompt action. Congress leader Ashutosh Chatterjee echoed similar sentiments, emphasizing the importance of rectifying the delay in disbursing the employees’ dues. Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress viewed the verdict as a partial victory, noting that the Supreme Court did not mandate the full payment of DA.
