Mamata Banerjee's plan B for sacked teachers is too little too late? Disgruntled teacher says ‘she handed us a lollipop’

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said on Monday a “conspiracy is going on to destroy the education system”. Her statement came after the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court’s order cancelling the appointment of over 25,000 staff by the School Service Commission (SSC) in Bengal schools.

Mamata Banerjee meets sacked teachers

Hundreds of people who lost their jobs as teaching and non-teaching staffers in West Bengal government-run and aided schools queued up at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in Kolkata on Monday for a meeting with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

Mamata Banerjee told the teachers, “There is a conspiracy going on to destroy the education system. Teachers of classes 9th, 10th, 11th, 12th are the gateways to higher education...”

“Many [teachers] are gold medalists; they have achieved great results in their lives, and you are calling them thieves. You are calling them incompetent; who gave you this right? Who is playing this game? ”Mamata Banerjee was quoted by news agency ANI as saying.

'I can be jailed...'

Banerjee said she could even be imprisoned for what she said while addressing the people who lost their jobs as teaching and non-teaching staffers in West Bengal government-run and aided schools after the Supreme Court verdict.

“Please don't consider that we have accepted it [SC decision]...we are not stone-hearted, and I can even be jailed for saying this, but I don't care…” said West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee.

‘Voluntarily resume teaching’

Mamata Banerjee said that as long as she is alive, she is not going to let any deserving person lose their job. “The Supreme Court has not yet given the list of those who are eligible and have lost their jobs,” she added.

Mamata Banerjee said that it is the government's responsibility to ensure employment for those who are eligible.

Banerjee also assured the aggrieved teachers that she would make alternative arrangements for all deserving candidates “within two months”.

“You can return to your schools and voluntarily resume teaching. You are still in service since no termination letter has been served to you yet," Banerjee told the teachers according to PTI.

“I will stand by those who lost their jobs in an unjust manner. I don’t care what others think. I will do everything to restore your dignity,” she said.

‘Two-phase plan to restore jobs’

Mamata Banerjee outlined a two-phase plan to “restore the jobs” of those whose appointments were annulled by the Supreme Court, according to PTI.

“In the first phase, we will look into the details of the deserving candidates and take all steps necessary to give them back the jobs they have lost,” Banerjee said.

“In phase two, we will take up the cases of the so-called tainted candidates. We will dig deep into why they were branded as ‘undeserving’, the grounds on which they were found tainted and how the investigations that found them guilty were conducted. I will hold a separate meeting with them,” the CM said.

State 'giving us lollipop', 'putting stain on me',

After meeting CM Mamata Banerjee, a teacher, Suman Biswas said that the CM, her cabinet, and the commission were all involved in corruption.

“The state government should be held responsible. The CM, her cabinet, and the commission are all involved in corruption,” she told news agency ANI.

Suman Biswas further alleged that bribes were taken in exchange for jobs, and hence, “she gave a 'lollipop' today, saying that the government will provide 'voluntarily' jobs to 25,000 and will look into the matter”.

“I appeal to the people of the country to look into what is going on in West Bengal,” Biswas said.

Another teacher, Meenakshi Singh, denied the allegation about her ineligibility to be school staff and said, “...I have all my documents. I have gone through every process. I am not ineligible.”

She said the state government should be held responsible and that the TMC chief, Banerjee, gave a ‘lollipop’ today.

“They have taken away our jobs by putting a stain on me that I am ineligible. They need to prove it. We haven't given anyone money for any job. Today, they [state govt] are giving us a 'lollipop',” Singh said.

She added, “Why will we do the social service? What will happen to our future? We have a family and kids. We are not in a mental state to appear for a re-exam...”

Another teacher said, “We hope that she will understand the pain of us—almost 19,000 untainted people... We lost in the high court but moved to the Supreme Court hoping to win, but sadly, the judgement was not in our favour.

“We are trapped in this scam, and we are the collateral damage... We will not appear for the re-examination, and why should we?... As per the order, the tainted [employees] have been asked to pay back whatever they have earned as salary with interest in the last 6 months...,” she said.

BJP protests: 'Mamata Banerjee should go to jail'

BJP MLA and West Bengal Legislative Assembly leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, along with other BJP MLAs, protested against the state government on Monday. They are demanding Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's resignation and accusing the TMC government of corruption.

“Mamata Banerjee should go to jail. She is the main beneficiary. Her nephew took a bribe of ₹700 crore...,” Suvendu Adhikari said during the protest on Monday.

Bengal govt to move SC? What's the school jobs case?

Mamata Banerjee confirmed that her government will move a review petition on the Supreme Court's judgment and “seek clarifications” on the April 3 ruling from the bench concerned.

A petition was filed by the West Bengal government that challenged an April 2022 order of the Calcutta High Court which had cancelled the recruitment of more than 25,000 teachers and other staff for state-run and aided schools.

The Supreme Court had reserved its verdict on the matter on February 10.

On April 3, the Supreme Court upheld the Calcutta High Court's decision to quash the recruitment of more than 25,000 teachers and non-teaching staff by the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) in 2016 for the state-run and aided schools.

The bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar found that the West Bengal SSC's selection process was based on large-scale manipulations and fraud.

“In our opinion, this is a case wherein the entire selection process has been vitiated and tainted beyond resolution. Manipulations and frauds on a large scale, coupled with the attempted cover-up, have dented the selection process beyond repair and partial redemption. The credibility and legitimacy of the selection are denuded,” the Supreme Court bench stated in its judgement.