As her Government continued to sink in the recruitment quagmire — in an election year — with thousands of judicially sacked school staff including teachers camping for the past more than 36 hours outside the West Bengal State School Service Commission — braving sweltering heat — demanding the publication of the list of "eligible" and "ineligible" candidates Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday appealed to the protesting employees to go back to their schools and "stop bothering about "tainted and non-tainted candidates till you get your salaries."
Even as a teeming army of dismissed school staff continued their sit-in demanding their jobs back from the Government and publishing list of the "tainted" and "untainted" employees the Chief Minister said, "it is not the duty of the teachers to bother about untainted or untainted staff… till they are getting their salaries… their job is to teach… we are here… the Government is here… the Court is here to distinguish between tainted and non-tainted… you (teachers) don't need to bother about who is tainted and who is not." Banerjee was speaking at an administrative programme in Midnapore.
"I stand by your side and am
trying to find out a solution… we assure that your jobs are safe for now, and you will get your salaries. Please return to your classes," Banerjee said reminding how in BJP ruled State Madhya Pradesh 69,000 candidates had lost their jobs in Vyapam Scam.
About 25,762 school employees lost their jobs as the Supreme Court early this month declared void the entire recruitment panel of 2016. The Court termed recruitment process a "tainted" one after the SSC failed to submit the list of candidates who had cleared the exams through questionable means. The Apex Court judgment came in an appeal filed against an earlier Calcutta High Court order which had cancelled the entire panel on charges of rampant corruption in appointment process.
The Court also directed the Government to hold fresh recruitment exams. Subsequent to the order the State Government had again petitioned the Apex Court to consider reinstating the teachers for now as mass removal of them from service would hamper the entire academic calendar and put students in trouble. Consequently to the Court granted a nine-month relaxation and allowed the present teachers to continue till December 31.
The teachers however would not relent saying they had tried to keep faith in the Chief Minister for the past several years but in vain. "We believed in her but she has always bluffed us… we are in a big trouble and we are not going to leave this place till the Government shoots us down," the teachers said.
When contacted Education Minister Bratya Basu advised the agitating teachers to return home and allow the Government to do its bit. He said "you (the teachers) should not do anything that will jeopardize your cause … you should not come into the provocation of vested interests like CPI(M) or BJP … you should not walk into any trap … this may invite contempt of court."