Congress president Rahul Gandhi has recently written to the chief convener of the HPC Paper Mills Revival Action Committee, Manobendra Chakraborty, extending support to the bandh called by the committee in Barak Valley on November 22.

The bandh was called to mount pressure on the government to revive the two defunct paper mills in Assam and pay the pending salaries.

Workers of Cachar Paper Mill and Nagaon Paper Mill have not received salaries for the past 23 months.

In the letter, Rahul said the negligent attitude of the government had destroyed the livelihood of thousands of workers of the two mills and blamed lack of political will to revive the mills.

Rahul told Chakraborty to get in touch with Assam PCC president Ripun Bora and Intuc president Sanjeeva Reddy to raise the issue at the national level. The committee is planning to launch a series of protests soon.

Talking to this correspondent over phone, Chakraborty said on Monday that a meeting will be held here on Thursday in which a decision on further protests would be taken.

“The government has made the mills’ workers suffer immensely over the past many months. It is time to take the agitation to a bigger level so that it (government) ponders over the matter seriously and initiates prompt measures.”

Launching a scathing attack on the government, Chakraborty said though chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal had assured numerous times in the past that the mills would be made functional and the dues would be cleared, nothing had happened till date. “Those were nothing but bogus promises,” he said.

A senior official of the Hindustan Paper Corporation Ltd said on Monday that there was no information on the mills’ revival or payment of salaries.

Assam excise and fisheries minister Parimal Suklabaidya, the only minister from Barak Valley, said he was not aware of the latest status regarding revival of the mills or payment of salaries. “The chief minister has been apprised of the matter several times. However, there is no significant development as per my knowledge.”

Congress MLA from Karimganj North, Kamalakhya Dey Purkayastha, said though the workers had been suffering unimaginably for many months, the government continued to ignore their plight. “Steps must be taken to resolve the crisis at the earliest,” he said.