SHILLONG : The Khasi Jaintia Deficit School Teachers’ Association (KJDSTA) has accused the Meghalaya government of misleading protesting teachers by claiming that the door for dialogue remains open, saying no communication has been received from the authorities to initiate talks.

On the second day of their three-day mass casual leave agitation on Wednesday, KJDSTA president Bosswell Pala said a review meeting of school leaders had decided to intensify the protest after rejecting the government’s October 8 letter as unsatisfactory.

The letter, which was also circulated to media houses, claimed that several issues raised by the teachers had been resolved.

Pala, however, said the teachers remained dissatisfied with the government’s response, maintaining that the agitation was the result of its failure to address their legitimate demands despite repeated representations.

“The letter says the door for dialogue is open, but no one has communicated to us. Where is the door? It does not exist. This is manipulation and dilly-dallying,” he said.

Pala said the KJDSTA and the Garo Hills Deficit School Teachers’ Education Association (GHDSTEA) had been pushed into the agitation after a year of representations and an ultimatum issued during their rally in September.

He also questioned whether the officer who issued the October 8 letter had the authority to respond to their memorandum addressed to the Chief Minister.

The teachers’ associations have maintained that their demands remain unresolved, despite the government’s assertion that progress has been made on several issues.