WBSSC jobs matter: CPI-M leader accuses Mamata-led Bengal govt of making 'misleading promises'

Kolkata, May 24 (IANS) Senior advocate of Calcutta High Court and CPI-M Rajya Member Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya on Saturday accused the West Bengal government and the ruling Trinamool Congress of making “misleading promises" to the “untainted” and “genuine” teachers who lost jobs, claiming they were told that the jobs could be got back in the state-run schools in a legal way without appearing for fresh written examination.

A group of such “untainted” teachers, on Saturday evening, who had lost jobs following a Supreme Court order last month, met Bhattacharya at the latter’s residence to get an understanding of their legal position as regards to possibilities of getting back jobs.

Later speaking to the mediapersons, Bhattacharya said that the state government had been misleading these "untainted" job losers since the beginning that getting back their jobs through the legal process because of the review petition filed by the state government was possible.

“I have clearly explained to them that getting their jobs back in the way as promised by the state government is never possible after the order by the Supreme Court. They will have to appear for a fresh examination in the fresh recruitment process, prove their eligibility, and then get jobs. There is no other way out other than appearing for a fresh examination,” said Bhattacharya.

On April 3 this year, the Supreme Court upheld a previous order by the Calcutta High Court’s division bench of Justice Debangshu Basak and Justice Shabbar Rashidi cancelling 25,753 school jobs in West Bengal.

The apex court also accepted the observation of the Calcutta High Court that the entire panel of 25,753 candidates had to be cancelled because of the failure of the state government and the commission to segregate the “untainted” candidates from the "tainted" ones, who got jobs by paying money.

The state government and West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC) had already filed review petitions at the apex court on this issue.

After hearing Bhattacharya’s legal explanation, the visibly distressed “untainted teachers” said that it is high time now that the state government should at least publish separate lists segregating the “untainted” candidates from the "tainted" ones.

“Our protest demonstrations will now be directed solely on meeting this demand. We have earlier sent several communications to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the state education minister Bratya Basu seeking clarification on whether we would back our jobs in a legal way or not. Now, our only demand is publication of the segregated lists so that the names of ‘tainted’ ones surface,” said an “untainted” teacher after meeting Bhattacharya.

--IANS

src/pgh