New Delhi, Feb 5 (PTI) The BJP on Thursday hailed the Supreme Court's directive to West Bengal to pay dearness allowance to state government employees and called the order a "major blow" to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
BJP co-incharge for West Bengal Amit Malviya also said the top court's verdict "exposes" the state government's apathy towards its own employees and marks a "big victory" for justice and accountability.
In a relief to nearly 20 lakh government employees, the Supreme Court on Thursday directed the West Bengal government to pay dearness allowance to them for the 2008-2019 period, saying it is a legally-enforceable right.
A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Prashant Kumar Mishra directed the state government to pay 25 per cent of the outstanding DA to its employees by March 6.
Commenting on the development, Malviya wrote on X, "Supreme Court delivers a major blow to Mamata Banerjee."
"This verdict exposes the state government’s apathy towards its own employees and marks a big victory for justice and accountability," he added.
Malviya said the apex court's decision is also a "big win" for the BJP in Bengal, which, he said, stood firmly with the state government employees at every step and consistently raised their voice for fairness and dignity for workers.
Despite clear court directions, the Mamata Banerjee government kept dragging its feet on paying legitimate DA dues to the state government employees, the BJP leader alleged.