Mumbai, July 9 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Wednesday announced in the state council that the state government will soon hold a meeting with the teachers who have gathered in Azad Maidan demanding payment of grants assured earlier.

He responded to the Congress legislator Satej Patil, who raised the issue of over 10,000 teachers sitting in protest at Azad Maidan for the demand for grants assured by the state government. Patil had urged the chief minister to invite the teachers soon for discussion.

The Chief Minister also hit back at Congress-NCP and the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government for not helping teachers and now playing politics over it. Fadnavis also announced that Minister Girish Mahajan has been coordinating with the teachers’ association, and the government will hold a meeting with them soon.

“All these schools were started on the condition of being permanently non-aided, but the Congress-NCP government later removed the word permanently non-aided. During my first government between 2014-2019, we gave the first phase of the grant. After 2019, the MVA government was there, but that government did not give a single rupee to them, and now leaders from the opposition are playing politics, and it’s not good. State government has assured them of the next phase of the grant, but there are some issues, and we will hold a meeting with teachers,” said Fadnavis.

Earlier, NCP SP chief Sharad Pawar and Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray visited the agitating teachers and extended their support.

In his speech, Pawar said it is unbecoming of Maharashtra that teachers have to stage protests.

“Teachers should not worry, we will resolve your demands within a day,” he added.

“Government and semi-government employees are very important elements of the Maharashtra government. The rulers should take the role of treating them with respect. Teachers also have responsibility for other government work. In the same way that teachers have responsibility, the government also has some responsibility towards them. There should not be a time for teachers to stage protests,” said Pawar.

He further stated that the opposition will urge the chief minister to allocate the funds required for payment of grants to teachers at the earliest.

Further, Shiv Sena UBT chief Uddhav Thackeray, in his address, said: “I have come to promise you today. What we had promised when we were in power. We will not sit still until we give you what you deserve. We always say, ‘Father is God, Mother is God, Guru is God’. But the rulers only want to listen to what Delhiites say, as they are their Guru. That is why injustice is being done by them. In Maharashtra, the slaves of Delhi have taken the vow to crush the sons of the land and the Marathi people. Let us unite and teach them such a lesson that they will not be left to falter.”

–IANS

sj/dan