Mamata Banerjee faces intense criticism as the opposition slams her government over the loss of 24,000 teacher jobs in Bengal due to alleged recruitment irregularities. The controversy has sparked widespread outrage, with political leaders and affected educators demanding accountability and immediate action.
In reaction to the job loss, leaders of the Bharatiya Janata Party demanded the Chief Minister’s resignation.
On April 3, opposition parties accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of canceling the appointments of around 24,000 individuals in the matter of the school teacher recruitment scandal.
Senior barrister and Rajya Sabha MP for the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, claimed that the situation had worsened since the entire hiring process was “rotten,” making it impossible to distinguish between the legitimate and contaminated candidates.
This was in response to the Supreme Court’s 2016 ruling that the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) had to fire over 24,000 employees, including both teaching and non-teaching staff. In 2024, the Calcutta High Court made the same ruling.
Mamata Banerjee Under Fire as Opposition Blames Govt for Teacher Job Scam & Uncertain Futures
According to some opposition party leaders, the Trinamool Congress government had more than a year to identify and separate the worthy from the undeserving candidates, yet thousands of candidates now face unclear futures as a result of the government’s failure to do so.
Many legitimate applicants were unwittingly drawn into this fraud. It is difficult to identify those involved in the scam and those who are not if the hiring process lacks democratic transparency, Mr. Bhattacharya continued. He added that starting over is the only way to make the process cleaner. He went on to say that the candidates’ current state of despair is all the result of the corruption in the administration, and they ought to oppose and protest it.
Teachers gathered at Kolkata’s Shahid Minar grounds shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling, and several of them started crying.
On April 3, opposition parties accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of canceling the appointments of around 24,000 individuals in the matter of the school teacher recruitment scandal.
Senior barrister and Rajya Sabha MP for the Communist Party of India (Marxist), Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, claimed that the situation had worsened since the entire hiring process was “rotten,” making it impossible to distinguish between the legitimate and contaminated candidates.
Mamata supports teachers whose employment has been terminated following a Supreme Court ruling in the West Bengal school recruiting scam.
This was in response to the Supreme Court’s 2016 ruling that the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) had to fire over 24,000 employees, including both teaching and non-teaching staff. In 2024, the Calcutta High Court reached the same conclusion.
Mamata Banerjee Faces Backlash Over Teacher Job Scam & Uncertain Futures
According to some opposition party leaders, the Trinamool Congress government had more than a year to identify and separate the worthy from the undeserving candidates, yet thousands of candidates now face unclear futures as a result of the government’s failure to do so.
Many legitimate candidates were unknowingly drawn into this hoax. It is difficult to identify those involved in the scam and those who are not if the hiring process lacks democratic transparency, Mr. Bhattacharya continued. He added that starting over is the only way to make the process cleaner. He went on to say that the candidates’ current state of despair is all the result of the corruption in the administration, and they ought to oppose and protest it.
Teachers gathered at Kolkata’s Shahid Minar grounds shortly after the Supreme Court’s ruling, and several of them started crying.
“Bikash Babu filed the case,” Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee stated, criticizing Mr. Bhattacharya. He is an excellent attorney. Why hasn’t he received the Nobel Prize, I wonder?
In response, the senior advocate stated that it is his responsibility as an attorney to pose pertinent questions. Mr. Bhattacharya added, “They can blame me all they want.”
Suvendu Adhikari, an MLA for the Bhartiya Janta Party and the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, said that the ruling party had made numerous unlawful hirings between 2018 and 21. “We demand the resignation of Mamata Banerjee. Her cabinet ought to be imprisoned. Numerous defenseless young people have been forced onto the streets. We want Mamata to pay for bringing them to the road. On April 4, he also called for a state-wide demonstration.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth wing in West Bengal also held rallies and sit-in demonstration in the heart of Kolkata to protest against the job loss. They blocked roads and burnt tires and asked for the resignation of the Chief Minister stating that she is responsible for putting the lives of so many people at stake. Later in the evening, the LoP also joined the protests.
Senior CPI(M) leader, Sujan Chakraborty said that the Mamata government has ruined the futures of thousands of deserving candidates.
Former Congress West Bengal State president, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury accused that the West Bengal’s education system is crumbling due to lack of teachers and infrastructure. “This huge loss of jobs will add to the woes of the already failing education system. All of the people who have lost jobs should be accommodated because there are a lot of vacancies,” Mr. Chowdhury added.
The West Bengal school recruitment scam came to the fore with the arrest of former Education Minister Partha Chatterjee in July 2022. Several officials of the State Education Department and School Service Commission were arrested for the involvement in the scam.
