Bengal Job Scam: Mamata Banerjee Requests Court Not to Cancel Appointments

GG News Bureau

Kolkata, 15th March. West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Tuesday that while “mistakes” in the recruitment process should be corrected, no one should be fired because they have families to support.

Banerjee’s remark came as the Calcutta High Court dismissed the services of thousands of people who were illegally appointed as teaching and non-teaching staff at state-sponsored and state-aided schools across West Bengal through recruitment fraud.

“If I have made any mistake, you can slap me and I will not mind. I have not wronged anyone, knowingly. After I came to power, I have not taken away the jobs of CPI(M) cadres, but why are you doing this? You don’t have the ability to give a job, but you are snatching away people’s livelihoods,” she said, apparently targeting CPI(M) MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, a lawyer who was fighting many of these cases in the court.

Urging the court to reconsider its decision to terminate the services, CM Banerjee stated that such people may be re-examined.

“I will ask you to rethink. Even yesterday, two people died by suicide in Jalpaiguri. If someone else did something wrong, why will these people suffer? If someone loses his job suddenly, how will they look after their family? Give that person a chance. If needed, allow him to take another test. We will prepare another setup as per the court’s order,” she said.

Banerjee was visibly emotional as she spoke about the issue at the Alipore Judges’ Court campus during Sri Aurobindo’s 150th birth anniversary celebrations.

“Not everyone is a TMC cadre. A government employee can be a supporter of any political party. If any of them has done anything wrong, I will take action against them. I do not have any sympathy for them. But, we must see that those who got the jobs are not victimised,” she said.

The ED and CBI have arrested former education minister Partha Chatterjee, as well as several top-ranking education officials and senior TMC leaders, as the two central agencies begin their investigation into allegations of illegal appointments made in the state’s schools in exchange for crores in exchange for rupees.

Bhattacharya, a senior CPI(M) leader, stated that instead of asking the court to reconsider its decision to terminate the services of undeserving candidates, Banerjee should resign and accept responsibility for the entire saga.

“During the Left Front government, appointments were done following the due procedures. She has no power to take away any job,” he said.

Meanwhile, the BJP claimed that Banerjee was complicit in the irregularities.

“The statement proves the chief minister’s involvement in the irregularities. Now, she is trying to save her face,” senior state BJP leader Rahul Sinha alleged.