Opposition targets CM Mamata Banerjee over 25,000 job losses

Aggrieved teachers gathered outside Netaji Indoor Stadium in anticipation of their meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday in Kolkata.
| Photo Credit: Debasish Bhaduri

The Opposition in West Bengal has stepped up the heat on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the cancellation of 25,000 teaching and non-teaching jobs. Bharatiya Janata Party supporters took out a march to the Chief Minister’s residence, but many were detained on the way, including senior leader Locket Chatterjee.

This came as Ms. Banerjee met with the aggrieved candidates on Monday (April 7) at the Netaji Indoor Stadium to discuss the next plan of action and hear their grievances. Clashes were also seen outside the venue where distressed teachers said the CM’s assurances were like a “lollipop”.

The BJP’s youth wing had called a march to Kalighat (Mamata Banerjee’s residence) on Monday to protest against the job losses. The march started from Exide crossing in Kolkata but was intercepted by police at the start, which led to clashes on the road and ended with many being arrested.

Amidst heavy barricades, many of the workers were put inside a bus and reportedly carried away to the Kolkata Police headquarters. While being detained, Locket Chatterjee screamed and called the Trinamool Congress party ’chakri chor (job thieves)‘.

According to sources, many of the BJP youth wing workers were hiding inside local shops to avoid police action, but police searched across multiple locations to identify the people and detained them. They raised slogans of “Mamata must resign immediately” while facing detention.

Leader of the Opposition in Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari said that Ms. Banerjee killed the futures of over 19,000 teachers to save the few candidates who “bought” jobs with bribes. He also assured that if the aggrieved candidates want him to be present at their march to Nabanna (State Secretariat) on April 21 then he will be there to support them.

“I will be there without any party flag or banner with over one lakh people,” Mr. Adhikari added.

The Leader of Opposition interacted with many of the aggrieved candidates who lost their jobs outside the Legislative Assembly and assured them of support. He also raised questions about why the term jogyo (deserving) was written on the 7,000 cards distributed to the candidates who were allowed to meet the CM. He called the term derogatory and asked how the ruling party decided that only these 7,000 were deserving.

In her address to the candidates, CM Mamata Banerjee had attacked senior Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and called for his “political isolation” for filing a case at the Supreme Court against the corruption in the West Bengal recruitment scam. To this, Mr. Bhattacharya said that the CM stands for corruption and he is against it, so this call for his isolation can be the right way for people of Bengal to choose which side they want to stick with.