Mamata Banerjee on Thursday again said that the state government was not liable to provide the hefty dearness allowance demanded by its workers on a day a large section of employees organised a massive rally to protest her calling them "thieves and dacoits" on Wednesday.

Mamata, who ended her 31-hour-long dharna on Thursday here in protest against the Centre's funds freeze, said her administration cleared all DA arrears and alleged the BJP and the CPM were behind the employees' movement.

"It (paying DA) is an option for us. The state government has provided 106 per cent DA in spite of all the (financial) crises.... We are not liable to pay for this. Secondly, we constituted the Sixth Pay Commission and cleared all the arrears. What else do you want?" Mamata said near Red Road, asking protesters to be silent.

Mamata alleged that while the BJP was supporting the movement for DA in Bengal, in states ruled by the saffron camp the situation was worse.

The Joint Forum of state government employees, agitating near Shaheed Minar for the last 63 days, hit the streets on Thursday. Leaders of the CPM, the BJP and the Congress showed their solidarity, although faces in the CPM-Congress did not share stage with their BJP counterparts.

The forum countered Mamata's claims and decried her for calling them "thieves and dacoits".

Nirjhar Kundu, a forum leader, said Mamata inside the Assembly claimed the government paid 105 per cent DA but on Thursday put the figure at 106 per cent. He claimed the state had paid no arrears.

Though the forum's Thursday rally was pre-planned, Mamata calling protesting employees "thieves and dacoits" became the focal point of their protest.