Kolkata, March 15: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday made two crucial announcements in quick succession – clearance of DA arrears of its employees and hike in honorarium of purohits and muezzins – barely minutes ahead of the scheduled announcement of the assembly polls.
While Banerjee took to X to announce the honorarium hike for Hindu and Muslim clergy at 2.40 pm, 80 minutes ahead of the scheduled Election Commission press conference to announce poll schedules in five states at 4 pm. She made the DA arrear disbursement announcement at 3.05 pm, 55 minutes prior to the EC event.
The chief minister’s first announcement confirmed an increase of Rs 500 in the monthly honorarium for purohits and muezzins across Bengal, with the beneficiaries now scheduled to receive Rs 2,000 per month post the revision.
Addressing state government employees and pensioners, including teachers, non-teaching staffers, and workers of grant-in-aid institutions shortly afterwards, Banerjee said the DA arrear clearance will take place from March this year.
The arrears relate to the Revision of Pay and Allowances (ROPA) 2009, a long-standing demand of government employees and pensioners, covering salaries and allowances of teachers, municipal and panchayat staffers, and other grant-in-aid institutions.
Calling Banerjee’s DA announcement a “joke” and a “classic TMC election drama”, BJP leader Suvendu hit out at the TMC supremo for “suddenly remembering” the state’s employees “just minutes before the Election Commission announces poll dates”.
Asked about Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s announcements made shortly before the Election Commission’s poll schedule, CEC Gyanesh Kumar said any move by governments prior to the announcement of polls is their prerogative.
“The model code of conduct comes into effect after the announcement of polls and not before,” he added. (PTI)
