Bengal employees file contempt plea over DA arrears, plan march to Kalighat

The confrontation between the West Bengal government and state employee unions has intensified over the long-pending Dearness Allowance (DA) issue, with multiple organizations announcing a twin strategy of legal action and street protests ahead of the Assembly elections. Except for the union affiliated with the ruling party, other employee groups have decided to escalate pressure, accusing the government of failing to comply with court directives on DA payments.

The joint platform of state government employee organizations, Sangrami Joutha Manch, has filed a contempt petition in the Supreme Court, alleging non-compliance with its recent order. The platform claims the government has not taken concrete steps to immediately release 25 percent of the pending DA arrears for the period between 2008 and 2019, nor has it outlined a roadmap to clear the dues before the end of the 2025–26 financial year.

Simultaneously, the West Bengal Coordination Committee, a Left-supported employee body associated with the joint platform, has announced a protest march on February 26 from Esplanade in Kolkata to near the Chief Minister’s residence in Kalighat. General secretary Biswajit Gupta Chowdhury said that despite clear judicial directions, the state is allegedly delaying implementation, compelling employees to pursue both courtroom and street-level agitation.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has refrained from making a detailed public statement, maintaining that the matter is sub judice. Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, however, criticised the stance, arguing that once the Supreme Court has passed an order, terming the issue as pending is inappropriate. Preliminary estimates suggest that implementing the directive could impose an immediate financial burden of around ₹10,000 crore on the state, with total liability projected at approximately ₹42,000 crore.