West Bengal’s protracted Dearness Allowance dispute reached a decisive climax with the Supreme Court’s intervention, prompting BJP stalwarts to brand it an ‘historic triumph’ for aggrieved employees. The February 5 ruling compels the Mamata Banerjee-led government to disburse pending DA, ending a saga marred by legal delays and alleged oppression.
Union Minister Sukanta Majumdar, a vocal BJP MP from the state, shared his elation on X. He portrayed the decision as the fruit of tireless employee solidarity against a reluctant state machinery. ‘Years of battle culminate in court-mandated justice,’ Majumdar wrote, saluting their steadfastness amid adversity.
Majumdar didn’t mince words on the government’s role. He lambasted Chief Minister Banerjee for years of ‘failed leadership,’ deploying taxpayer money for elite legal defenses and unleashing police on demonstrators. Derogatory remarks aimed to intimidate, he charged, yet workers stood firm.
‘This transcends DA—it’s justice prevailing,’ Majumdar asserted. The Supreme Court unequivocally stated DA is a statutory right, not benevolence, a point he used to rally support for the employees’ uncompromised stance.
Suvendu Adhikari, the assembly’s opposition leader, piled on. ‘Mamata’s evasion tactics exposed; SC confirms DA as legal right,’ he noted. Recounting the multi-tiered legal wins—from tribunals to high court—Adhikari accused the regime of fiscal irresponsibility, burning public coffers to deny dues.
Employee agitations faced violent suppression, but faith in judiciary paid off. Adhikari congratulated the workforce on their collective resolve, hailing it as a beacon for principled resistance. With payments now inevitable, the verdict underscores employee rights in inflationary times, challenging the TMC’s labor narrative ahead of political battles.
