Thursday, 24 April 2025
Thursday, 24 April 2025
The West Bengal Board of Secondary Education Monday approached the Supreme Court with a plea seeking "modification" of the verdict just after Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee assured the dismissed teaching and non-teaching staff no "eligible" candidate would lose their job, at a meeting held in Netaji Indoor Stadium.
The Board argued that those 'eligible' among the sacked should be allowed to retain their jobs either until the ongoing academic year is completed or a new recruitment process is conducted.
The Supreme Court last week invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and non-teaching staff in government-run and aided schools across West Bengal, terming the selection process “vitiated and tainted”.
Trinamool Congress MP Sagarika Ghose hailed Mamata Banerjee as a “true mass leader,” emphasising that her administration stood with the people “through good times and bad.”
She contrasted Banerjee’s approach with that of the Centre, saying, “Be it farmers or students who are victims of paper leaks, the Centre has failed to address their concerns. Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal puts people first.”
The chief minister’s statements were met with strong opposition from BJP leaders.
"The Chief Minister stands by those who lost their jobs as per the Supreme Court’s verdict," Trinamool Congress member Kunal Ghosh said.
Today, at the meeting in Netaji Indoor, Ghosh delivered a detailed message on this matter.
After the meeting, he constituted a special task force on this issue under the leadership of the Chief Secretary. It will include the Education Secretary, legal experts, representatives of teachers, and other concerned individuals. The task force will monitor the process that the Chief Minister has initiated through legal means, ensuring no delays occur and that work can proceed swiftly toward a resolution. The chief minister has sincerely instructed the task force to expedite the efforts to resolve the difficulties faced by those affected.
Junior union minister and president of the BJP’s Bengal unit Sukanta Majumdar accused senior party leaders of corruption and job scams, and called for extreme measures to recover the alleged misappropriated funds.
Addressing a press conference after the Chief minister’s meeting with unemployed teachers, Majumdar lashed out at CM Mamata Banerjee.
Referring to Mamata's assurance to the unemployed teachers as a mere distraction, Majumdar said, “Forget about lollipops, there will be bigger corruption in the future.”
He termed Mamata Banerjee’s comments during the meeting as a “lollipop,” indicating that the promises were superficial.
Majumdar questioned the CM’s decision to allow the dismissed teachers to continue in their roles despite a Supreme Court verdict, stating, “If you can’t abide by Indian laws, go to Bangladesh.”
He held Mamata Banerjee responsible for the current situation, claiming, “If there is only one person responsible for this job loss and corruption, then her name is Chief minister Mamata Banerjee. The CM should go to jail with her team.”
The BJP leader went on to allege that jobs had been distributed in exchange for money, benefitting the economically privileged while ignoring the needs of the underprivileged.
“The CM only thinks about the upper class and the rich of the society. Their children do not go to government schools. They think that the poor and economically backward people of the society send their children to government schools. There, it doesn't matter if you make an incompetent teacher in exchange for money. That's how the current state government thinks,” he said.
Calling for strict action against the accused, Majumdar asserted, “Thieves have no right to be outside.”
Earlier on Monday, Kolkata Police detained BJP functionaries, including BJP leaders Locket Chatterjee as they attempted to lead a protest march.
The rally, organised by the BJP’s youth wing Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), was meant to protest Mamata’s failure to protect the interests of teachers.
Chatterjee and others were detained at the Exide Crossing in South Kolkata, the starting point of their proposed march to Kalighat — where Banerjee’s residence is located.
The former BJP MP kept shouting from inside the prison van, "The innocent youth of West Bengal are having to pay the price for the organized job theft by the Trinamool Congress government. That's why we were conducting a drive to Kalighat against the Trinamool's education recruitment corruption. But the police stopped us."
Locket Chatterjee further said, "Chief minister Mamata Banerjee could not separate the eligible and ineligible candidates. She went to the Netaji Indoor Stadium and staged a drama. She is doing a drama to cover up the names of the thieves. If she had shown such interest in separating the eligible and ineligible candidates, then 26 thousand teachers and non-teaching staff would not have lost their jobs. In the upcoming 2026 assembly elections, the Trinamool government will be destroyed by the curse of these 26 thousand candidates."
As police moved to prevent the protest, a scuffle broke out between BJP workers and law enforcement officers. Four members of the BJYM were arrested by Maidan police station officers.
The dismissed teaching and non-teaching staff have called for a 'Nabanna Chalo' campaign on April 21. The Bengal BJP has decided to join the campaign without the party flag.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday assured unemployed teachers affected by the Supreme Court’s recent verdict that no "eligible" candidate would lose their job.
Banerjee sought to calm the rising unrest by declaring that her government would seek an explanation from the apex court regarding the cancellation of the recruitment process.
“If the issue is not resolved in court, the state government will make alternative arrangements for the eligible ones as per the law,” she said.
For now, she has urged the affected individuals to continue their voluntary services in schools.
