Senior Congress leader Niranjan Patnaik on Tuesday blamed the State Government for forcing teachers to take to the street by not fulfilling their demands and thereby jeopardising the interest of students.
"Schools were closed in August and September due to teachers' strike. Now more than three thousand teachers are on strike again. It would affect the Class X students severely as the HSC Exam is just two months ahead," he said in a statement.
He too further alleged that the education sector in the State has witnessed maximum decline in the 15 years of BJD rule.
"The elected Government cannot absolve itself of liability by saying that the illegality was committed by a bureaucrat. If babus today neither listen to the Government nor abide by directions of the High Court, then Naveen Patnaik is responsible for this as he has made bureaucrats feel invincible and above the law. For their faults, futures of nearly 3,500 youths are in jeopardy," Patnaik pointed out.
He demanded that the Government accept full accountability for the fracas and make sure that justice is done to agitating teachers who were competed in a transparent recruitment test and secured regular jobs in a fair way.