BJP, CPI-M trying to ensure collapse of education system in Bengal: CM Mamata

Kolkata, April 3 (IANS) West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) are trying to get the entire education system in the state collapsed.

She said this while reacting to the verdict by the Supreme Court to uphold a previous order by the Calcutta High Court last year cancelling all the appointments in the teaching and non-teaching categories made by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) for 2016.

She, however, did not make it clear whether the state government would make a review petition to the Supreme Court on the recent order.

She targeted CPI-M Rajya Sabha member and senior advocate of Calcutta High Court Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya, who had been involved in the entire legal process in the matter since the beginning and indirectly targeted for Calcutta High Court judge and the current BJP Lok Sabha member Abhijit Ganguly, who was first one to order a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the multi-crore cash for school job case.

However, the Chief Minister refrained from taking the name of Ganguly even once.

At the same time, she also targetted the state BJP president and the Union Minister of State, Sukanta Majumdar.

“A former judge of Calcutta High Court for the first time spoke about this cancellation of job. He is a BJP Lok Sabha member now. I do not know his name or surname. So everyone understands what has happened,” the Chief Minister said while interacting with the reporters on Thursday afternoon.

She also targeted Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya, who had been representing the deprived candidates since the beginning at various courts, including the Supreme Court in the matter.

“He filed the case for the first time as a result of which so many jobs were cancelled. He is the world's most high-profile lawyer. He should get the Nobel Prize. I am thinking of recommending his name,” the Chief Minister said.

She also lambasted Sukanta Majumdar for his comments earlier in the day holding the Chief Minister as solely responsible for the plight of many candidates on grounds that there was no scope for segregation of “genuine” candidates from “ineligible” ones getting jobs paying money.

"Why did he target me? What sort of illegal work have I done? When the first case in the matter was filed, then it should not have been considered who is eligible and who is not. Why is Bengal always targeted?” the Chief Minister questioned.

Speaking on the occasion, she expressed apprehension that if so many teachers lose jobs, then the academic system in the schools they are teaching at might collapse.

"That is why I am saying that there is a conspiracy to destabilise the education system in the state," the Chief Minister said.

On the question of the review petition possibility, she said that the matter is being reviewed by the legal team and nothing can be said about it now.

--IANS

src/pgh