PATIALA: On the second day of their fast-unto-death protest against the state government’s decision on regularization policy, the protesting teachers on Monday refused allow Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leaders Harpal Singh Cheema and Bhagwant Mann enter the protest site. The AAP leaders were here to extend their support to the protesting teachers.The protesters said they did not want any politician to take political mileage out of their protest but wanted their honest and wholehearted support. They said they would not allow anyone to use the stage to address their vote bank.Besides Cheema and Mann, AAP’s deputy leader of opposition Sarabjit Kaur Manuke and state co-president Dr Balbir Singh had reached the venue to extend their support to the protesting teachers. The protest is being held at a bus stop near Gurdwara Dukh Niwaran Sahib in Patiala , which is near the house and clinic of Dr Balbir Singh.“It is not a political stage. We will not allow anyone to gain any mileage. We want these leaders to help us by extending their support from their heart and it should not become only vote bank politics. The AAP leaders today visited the protest site and talked to us. They have assured us to raise this issue in the state assembly,” Sarv Sikhya Abhiyan (SSA) press secretary Gagan Ranu said.Ranu added that teachers were protesting against the state cabinet’s decision to give them Rs 15,000 salary while regularising jobs of teachers working under the centrally-sponsored SSA/RMSA scheme. “At least 8,880 teachers working under SSA and RMSA are getting a monthly salary of around Rs 42,000,” he said.Under the banner of Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha, 11 teachers are sitting on fast- unto-death. Teachers, under the 5,178 scheme of the state government, are also part of the protest. They are demanding job regularization as they have completed a three-year probation period, as promised by the government.Cheema, who is leader of opposition in Punjba, termed the government’s decision as completely unjustified, saying it was not possible for anyone to work after a 70% cut in salary. “We will meet the Punjab governor over the issue soon,” he said.

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