Bengal DA Hike: Protest movement has now reached Delhi from Kolkata

Around 500 activists of the United Sangri Manch have reached Delhi to demand their pending Dearness Allowance (DA) dues. The protesters have started a sit-in at Jantar Mantar in Delhi, where they plan to stage a protest program from 10 am to 4 pm on Monday and Tuesday. The DA agitators intend to meet with President Draupadi Murmu, Vice President Dhankhar, and Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan to submit a memorandum demanding their DA dues.

This movement has come to Delhi after Kolkata, where the Army has filed a petition in the High Court against the picketing at Shaheed Minar. The DA case is set to be heard in the Supreme Court on April 11, and the protesters are hopeful for a favorable outcome.

The Sangri United Manch has planned to join the protest in Delhi, with the presence of political leaders such as Hanan Molla, Tapan Sen, and Vikas Bhattacharya. However, the Army has approached the Calcutta High Court to remove the joint platform at Shaheed Minar, claiming that the protesters are continuing their program beyond the fixed time limit.

The Shaheed Minar complex, where state government employees have been staging a sit-in demanding DA at the central rate, is owned by the military, and all meetings require its permission. The Calcutta High Court has already ordered the state government to hold talks with the employees' organizations on issues related to DA. Three members of the Government Employees Organization are scheduled to sit for a discussion on April 17 in the presence of the Chief Secretary and the Finance Secretary of the state.

In the meantime, the DA agitators are protesting at Jantar Mantar in Delhi on April 10 and 11. The workers' organizations involved in the movement will sit together at Jantar Mantar, where they plan to continue their sit-in until their demands are met.