West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday assured that she will stand by the teachers “no matter what” who lost their school jobs after a Supreme Court order, asserting that the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) government will ensure that they don’t remain jobless or have a break in service.
Banerjee even went on to say that she is ready to go to “jail if anybody wants to penalise” her for supporting those who lost jobs. “I am ready to even go to jail if anyone wants to penalise me for standing with those who lost school jobs,” the Bengal CM asserted.
Supreme Court verdict on Bengal school teachers
The Supreme Court on April 3 invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and staffers in state-run and aided schools in Bengal, calling the entire recruitment process "vitiated and tainted".
Following this, the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) said it would abide by the Supreme Court directive and soon initiate the process of conducting fresh exams for all teaching and non-teaching candidates who took part in the now-invalidated 2016 job recruitment exercise.
Don’t care what others think: Bengal CM
Mamata Banerjee on Monday said that she does not care what others think of her supporting the teachers who lost their jobs but she will. “I will stand by those who have lost their jobs in an unjust manner. I don’t care what others think. I will do everything to restore your dignity,” Banerjee said here at a meeting with affected candidates and school staffers.
“We have separate plans in place to ensure that the eligible candidates do not face any break in service. We will not allow them to remain jobless,” she said. “There is a conspiracy to break the entire education system. A dirty game is being played by some people," she said, hinting at the opposition BJP and the CPI(M).
(With PTI inputs)
