Sangrami Joutha Mancha Completes 3 Years of Protest Demanding DA and Recruitment

Sangrami Joutha Mancha: Marking an unprecedented chapter in the administrative history of West Bengal, the Sangrami Joutha Mancha’s movement has completed three years. Braving sun, rain, storms, and immense administrative pressure at the foot of the Shahid Minar, government employees remain steadfast in their demand for legitimate rights. Despite continuous negligence and hurdles from the administration, the morale of the protesters remains unshaken.

Core Demands and Current Situation

The protest by the employees stationed at the Shahid Minar grounds is not limited to just one or two demands. Their charter of demands has become extensive and is also linked to the interests of the common people. The main demands of the protesters are:

• Outstanding Dearness Allowance (DA): Immediate payment of the long-pending DA arrears for government employees.
• Filling Massive Vacancies: There is a demand to swiftly and transparently fill approximately 6 lakh vacancies in the state administration.
• Regularization of Staff: Regularization of temporary, contractual, and irregular employees working in various departments.
• Pension and Others: Provision of rightful pension to retirees and resolution of complexities regarding the transfer policy.

Inhumane Workload on Anganwadi Workers

Anganwadi workers are a crucial part of this movement. They allege that currently, more than 1 lakh posts are lying vacant in the state. Due to this staff crisis, individual workers are being forced to manage 2 to 3 centers each. In exchange, they are not receiving any extra remuneration. They have expressed anger, stating that this huge burden of work is being unfairly imposed on them.

Achievements of the Movement and Leadership’s View

According to Bhaskar Ghosh, one of the faces of the Sangrami Joutha Mancha, when they started the movement, it was unimaginable that this fight would last so long. He alleged that the government does not recognize the rights of the people. However, he claimed that solely due to their continuous agitation, the state government was forced to release 3 percent of the stopped DA. Furthermore, the Chief Minister was compelled to speak in the Assembly regarding the 6 lakh vacancies and regularization, although that process is currently stalled citing OBC reservation issues.

Mr. Ghosh further stated that their platform is the only one that has courageously raised its voice against corruption and even staged protests in front of the Chief Minister’s residence. However, he expressed regret over the lack of awareness among the general public regarding claiming their rights and political infiltration in other movements.

Future Roadmap

Protesters allege that multiple false cases have been filed against them and police obstructions have been created over the past three years. Yet, the employees have not backed down. Instead, they are raising the question: is working under the state government a crime? The Sangrami Joutha Mancha has warned of intensifying the movement in the coming days, ignoring all “intimidations” from the government.