Bihar: Govt to hold talks with agitating teachers

Deputy CM Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said the CM would be personally looking in the matter and talk to the teachers after the monsoon session of the state legislature.

The Bihar government will hold talks with agitating teachers on their grievances over the new recruitment policy and reconsider their reasonable demands, parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary said in the legislative council on Tuesday amid the din created by the Opposition BJP, which alleged police high-handedness in dealing with their protests.

CPI-ML legislators stage a protest in support of teachers, outside Bihar assembly on Tuesday. (Santosh Kumar/HT)

Chaudhary, who also holds the finance portfolio, sought to convince the opposition leaders to break the stalemate, saying that chief minister Nitish Kumar would review the new ’ recruitment policy — Bihar State School Teachers (appointment, transfer, disciplinary action and service condition) Rules, 2023 — after meeting with teacher leaders and accommodate their logical demands after the session.

As soon as the legislative council met for the day, Opposition BJP members, apparently on instructions from state BJP chief and opposition leader in the council, Samrat Chaudhary, stood up and started shouting slogans against the government and the chief minister. The state BJP chief alleged that the government had resorted to oppressive measures to deal with teachers’ protests and was arresting their leaders.

Responding to the ruckus, Vijay Chaudhary said BJP leaders have no sympathy for the teachers as they did little to improve their conditions when they were in the power. “However, teachers will also not be allowed to create chaos on the streets,” he said.

Samrat Chaudhary also had a verbal duel with council chairman Thakur for shouting “CM Murdabad’ slogan soon after the house was adjourned till lunch hour. The chair said use of “unparliamentary” words would not be allowed to be used in the house. The BJP leader dared the chair to show if it was barred by the “parliamentary tradition” or give a ruling for it, on which the chair declined and walked away.

Taking serious exception to the opposition leader’s act in the house, JD(U) member Ramishsar Mahato brought in censure motion against Samrat Chaudhary with backing from other ruling party leaders, including Neeraj Kumar (JD-U), Sunil Singh (RJD) and Prem Chandra Mishra (Congress) for engaging in altercation with the chair. Thakur accepted the motion.

Finance minister blames Centre for delay in salary support to teachers

Finance minister Vijay Chaudhary, meanwhile, alleged that Central government did not release any fund under “samagra shiksha abhiyan” even after passing of one quarter of the current fiscal. “The state government is giving necessary funds to pay salary of teachers and other requirement of schools for want of allotment of the Central government’s share. A provision of more than ₹6,200 crore has been made in the first supplementary to the budget to make up for the Central grant,” he said.

Teachers to continue with their protests

Meanwhile, leaders of various teachers’ associations, which had called for gherao of the state legislature on Tuesday in pursuance of their demand seeking state employees’ status to teachers on fixed pay, hailed the government’s announcement.

Shatrughan Prasad Singh, general secretary of Bihar secondary teachers’ association, the oldest teachers’ body in the state, said they had faith on the government, but would continue with their ongoing protest until their main demand, government status to teachers, is fulfilled. “The government has shown a positive gesture,” said Singh.

Carrying on with their planned agitation, thousands of teachers, appointed by the panchayati raj institutions (PRIs) and urban local bodies (ULBs) and others on contract, had assembled at Garganibagh ground and held a peaceful demonstration in support of their demands.

Dy CM on teachers’ demand

Talking to media persons later on teachers’ protest, deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav said the CM would be personally looking in the matter and talk to the teachers after the monsoon session of the state legislature. In an apparent dig at the Prime Minister for his apathy towards farmers’ plight, Yadav said that the PM had no time to talk to the farmers, who were on the streets. “Here, we believe in democracy and hence we are willing to interact with the teachers on their grievances. Judicious steps will be taken with regard to teachers’ demand for bettering academic activities,” said the deputy CM.