Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata
Kolkata, Apr 3: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) of attempting to collapse the state’s education system. Her remarks came in response to the Supreme Court’s decision to uphold the Calcutta High Court’s 2023 ruling, which had canceled all appointments made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) in 2016 for teaching and non-teaching positions.
While Banerjee refrained from confirming whether her government would file a review petition against the Supreme Court order, she launched a scathing attack on key figures associated with the case. She criticized CPI(M) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, who has legally represented affected candidates since the case began, and indirectly took a swipe at former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijit Ganguly, now a BJP Lok Sabha MP, who had initially ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the school recruitment scam.
“A former judge of the Calcutta High Court first spoke about the cancellation of jobs. He is now a BJP MP. I don’t know his name or surname, but everyone understands what has happened,” Banerjee remarked while addressing reporters.
She also took aim at Bhattacharya, sarcastically stating, “He filed the case that led to so many job cancellations. He is the world’s most high-profile lawyer and deserves a Nobel Prize. I am considering recommending his name.”
Additionally, the Chief Minister condemned state BJP president and Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar for blaming her government for the fiasco. Majumdar had earlier held Banerjee accountable, citing that there was no way to differentiate “genuine” candidates from those who secured jobs through bribery.
“Why am I being targeted? What illegal act have I committed? When the first case was filed, why was eligibility not considered? Why is Bengal always singled out?” Banerjee questioned.
Expressing concern over the Supreme Court verdict’s implications, she warned that mass job cancellations could disrupt Bengal’s academic system. “If so many teachers lose their jobs, the education system in the state could collapse. This is a conspiracy to destabilize our schools,” she asserted.
Regarding the possibility of filing a review petition, Banerjee stated that the state’s legal team was evaluating the situation and that no decision had been made yet.