Daijiworld Media Network – New Delhi
New Delhi, Apr 4: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday launched a scathing attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the teacher recruitment scam, alleging large-scale corruption under her leadership and declaring that she would “definitely go to jail.”
Addressing a press conference, BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra held Banerjee directly responsible for the irregularities in the recruitment of over 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff. “Didi jail jayengi, albat jayengi. Hindustan mein kanoon ka shasan hai (Didi will go to jail, definitely she will. India is a country of law),” Patra said, adding that once BJP forms the government in Bengal, strict action will follow.
The remarks came a day after the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s 2022 verdict cancelling the recruitment, citing widespread manipulation and fraud in the process conducted by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in 2016.
“The top court, through a bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, clearly stated that the selection process was vitiated by fraud and tampering. The entire system under Mamata Banerjee’s rule is tainted,” Patra alleged.
He further accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of “institutionalising corruption” and suppressing investigations into the scam. “A few days ago, Mamata Banerjee called herself a tigress during a visit to Oxford. But no tigress engages in corruption. Lakhs have suffered because of her government’s actions,” he said.
Referring to the High Court’s April 22, 2024 judgment, Patra highlighted the findings of tampered OMR sheets and bribes given by unqualified candidates to secure jobs. He also criticised the silence of opposition parties over the scandal. “Had this happened under an NDA government, leaders like Rahul Gandhi would have called it a murder of democracy. Where are they now?” he questioned.
The SSC scam is considered one of the biggest recruitment scandals in the state’s history, resulting in multiple arrests and major political uproar.
The Supreme Court, in its verdict, termed the entire process “irreparably tainted” and upheld the High Court’s directive to terminate the services of all 25,780 appointees — including both tainted and untainted candidates. However, the apex court allowed untainted candidates to reapply for government positions and ruled that they would not be asked to return their earned salaries.
The ruling marks a major blow to the Mamata Banerjee-led government and a significant political talking point for the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections.