Kolkata (IANS) | Representatives of the United Forum of West Bengal government employees, which is spearheading the agitation against non-payment of dearness allowance dues, on Saturday claimed that they have been asked by the Delhi Police to protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital on Monday and Tuesday. Permission granted. However, the condition of permission is that not more than 500 people will be allowed to participate in the protest at a time. On Saturday afternoon, a group of agitators led by Bhaskar Ghosh, convenor of the United Forum, left for New Delhi to participate in the movement. More members of the joint forum will leave for the national capital by Sunday morning.
Before leaving for Delhi on Saturday, the representatives of the United Forum informed the media persons about getting permission from the Delhi Police. On Tuesday, the Supreme Court’s bench of Justice Dinesh Maheshwari and Justice Sanjay Kumar will hear the case related to the arrears of dearness allowance. On any of the two days of the protest, the United Forum is hoping to meet President Draupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar or either of them to apprise them of the demands.
The Manch’s representatives also plan to send a deputation to Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on either of the two days. Meanwhile, a division bench of the Calcutta High Court has agreed to send a three-member delegation for the joint forum meeting after advising the West Bengal government to arrange a settlement meeting with the agitators by April 17.
However, the Forum has laid down three pre-conditions for the meeting. The conditions include withdrawal of the state government’s plea in the apex court challenging the Calcutta High Court division bench’s verdict last year, which directed the government to pay the outstanding dearness allowance; The second condition is to withdraw the show cause notices issued to some employees for participating in the strike last month; And lastly, the orders of punitive transfers of some employees participating in the strike should be withdrawn.
–IANS
