West Bengal Governor C V Ananda Bose asked government employees who are on hunger strike to put an end to the ongoing stir in the state. A large number of government officials sat on a hunger strike and joined the stir demanding a hike in their dearness allowance (DA) on Friday.
The Governor said all the stakeholders should sit together and resolve the matter in an acceptable way to everyone.
The official Twitter handle of the West Bengal governor tweeted, “Governor is deeply pained that the hunger strike of the aggrieved employees is entering its fourth week. The issues involved may be complex but there is always a simple way out.”
“What is of paramount importance is the precious life of our brothers who are on a continuous fast for a cause which is close to their heart. Governor entreats all those who are on the perilous fast to kindly end it and request all stakeholders to sit together and find an acceptable way out of the imbroglio,” added the official Twitter handle of the Governor.
The protesting government employees are from eighteen organisations and they have all been asking for their dearness allowance to be raised to the level of central government employees.
Earlier on Friday, they warned that there will be a total strike if the demands are not met by the Mamata Banerjee-led government in the state, reported news agency PTI.
However, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had informed the state assembly that her government would not be in a position to meet their demands to increase the DA.
She added the hike can not be done even if the protestors “behead her,” as reported by PTI.
According to a report by The Indian Express, over 50 percent of government employees stayed away from most of the state government institutions and offices.
The ongoing strike by the employees is happening for the first time after Mamata Banerjee assumed her office in 2011. In January 2009, the last of such a strike was seen when protests were held in the state during the Left Front’s regime.