Protesters come prepared for supper

Further, the association members plan to continue the protest until the government gives into their demands in the 20-point charter they had submitted. Around 500 members took part in the protest. 

According to protesters, they have been staging various kind of protests since 2003 but their demands including the implementation of regulated pension scheme and disbursal of arears for one year in cash were not met. The members also pointed out that they did not stage the protest merely because of the ensuing Assembly election and it was a 13-year-long demand. 

R Perumal Samy, President, Tamil Nadu Post Graduate Teachers Association (TNPGTA) told DT Next that, “People must not misunderstand the reason for our protest. We are not trying to force the government to give into our demands by using the Assembly elections as leverage. 

We are doing so that the government will take notice of our plight. We have been staging protest in different formats for over 13 years in various forms and at every instance the government turned a blind eye to our cause,” he said adding that until their demands were met, they would not leave the premises. When asked about cooking, Samy quipped that they have come prepared to cook breakfast, lunch and supper.