WB DA News: Bhaskar Ghosh Reacts to Mamata Banerjee’s DA Announcement, Calls it a Historic Victory for Employees

WB DA News: Shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee announced a hike in Dearness Allowance (DA) for state government employees and pensioners—just hours before the Election Commission declared the Lok Sabha election schedule—Bhaskar Ghosh, Convener of the Sangrami Joutha Mancha, issued a strong statement. Through a video message, Ghosh hailed the announcement as a massive victory resulting from the relentless and uncompromising three-year struggle of the state employees, while also issuing a stern warning to the state administration regarding the immediate release of the relevant Government Order (GO).

A Victory of an Apolitical and United Movement

Expressing his gratitude to the thousands of government employees and pensioners, Ghosh emphasized that this DA hike is the direct outcome of their tireless agitation at Sahid Minar. He highlighted the severe hardships endured by the protesters, including braving harsh weather conditions, hunger strikes, arbitrary transfers, suspensions, and even facing police custody. “This victory proves that a united, apolitical movement can force even the most dictatorial administration to bow down,” Ghosh stated, proudly acknowledging the unwavering spirit of the workforce.

Warning Against Conspiracies Delaying the GO

Given the timing of the announcement—barely an hour before the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) came into effect—Ghosh expressed deep apprehension about a potential administrative conspiracy. He stated that top bureaucrats at Nabanna might use the election code as an excuse to withhold the official publication of the Government Order (GO) for the newly announced DA.

To counter this, Ghosh cited previous Supreme Court guidelines, clarifying that the Election Commission’s Model Code of Conduct does not restrict the implementation of policy decisions made before the election dates were announced. He issued a direct and severe warning to the Chief Minister and top officials, declaring that any deceptive tactics or delays in releasing the GO would result in a massive and fiery statewide protest.

Message to Critics and the Road Ahead

Taking a sarcastic dig at the faction of employees who historically opposed the DA movement, Ghosh suggested that they should donate their newly acquired DA funds to the Chief Minister’s relief fund instead of accepting it.

Despite the recent announcement, Ghosh made it explicitly clear that the primary objectives of the Sangrami Joutha Mancha are yet to be fully achieved. The ongoing movement will continue focusing on the following core demands:

• Implementation of Dearness Allowance at par with the Central Government rates.
• Immediate and transparent recruitment to fill up over 600,000 vacant posts in the state government.
• Regularization and job security for all temporary and contractual workers in the state.

In his concluding remarks, Bhaskar Ghosh expressed profound gratitude to everyone who supported their cause unconditionally. He extended special thanks to the Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Left Front and Congress leaders, and prominent legal stalwarts like Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, Gopal Subramanium, and Siddharth Banerjee, who fought for the employees’ rights in the Supreme Court without charging hefty fees.