Fleeced by BJP leader, job aspirants demand justice

Around 4000 job aspirants – from whom Bharatiya Janata Party leader Jayprakash Majumder had allegedly taken money for providing assistance to secure jobs through School Service Commission (SSC) – have threatened to stage a sit-in-demonstration outside his house if they don’t get their money back within the next seven days in spite having lodged a complaint with the police.

According to Arup Ratan Roy, convenor of the agitating candidates who were demanding jobs as per the 2012 SSC panel, they had given Rs 7.20 lakh to the BJP leader in two phases after he had assured them support to get jobs and had advised them to move to court.

Roy lodged a complaint with the Bidhannagar North police station, alleging that Majumder had not extended any help to them despite taking the “huge amount” and the worst part was that he had been “threatening me when he was asked to return the money”. “Instead, he claimed that he had not taken any money,” the complaint reads. Roy went to the police station on Sunday afternoon again to submit some more documents.

According to the complaint, Majumder – who had turned out to become a well-known face in BJP after leaving Congress in September 2014 – “had met the job aspirants when they were on hunger strike outside Bikash Bhavan. He had assured support to help them get the jobs and advised them to move the court”.

Roy said that following his advice they had decided to move the court and started collecting money from all the youth whose names were in the 2012 SSC panel. “We all are from middle-class families. Many are from poor families as well. But everyone had contributed according to their capacity just based on his (Majumder’s) commitment,” said Roy, adding that they had managed to collect Rs 7.20 lakh in two phases.

Roy wrote in the complaint letter that they had initially given Rs 4 lakh to Majumder in August 2014 when the case was initiated. The candidates later gave him Rs 3.20 lakh on January 10, 2015 when the case was taken up in the Calcutta High Court. “Five to seven of us had gone to his office at Salt Lake to give him the money,” said Roy, adding that Majumder did nothing to help them even after taking the money.

“At present, our one point agenda is to get back the money as we haven’t received any help from him. In the complaint letter, I have sought help of the police to get our money back,” Roy said.

He also stated: “Being the convenor, I would like to say that we had meetings and a decision has been taken to go for a greater movement if we don’t get our money back within the next seven days. We will be staging sit-in-demonstration outside his house in Salt Lake.”

Dilip Ghosh, the state BJP president, said: “I think that there is some sort of conspiracy behind it as he had played a key role in filing two cases against the ruling party. Now they (job aspirants) have lodged a complaint with the police. Thus, the allegations have to be established legally and law will take its own course.”

Ghosh also added: “I had a discussion with Majumder on the issue and he told me that he had not taking the money, saying that there was no reason behind taking the money. The youth, too, came to me a week ago and I had asked them whether they are having any proof on the basis of which they are making the allegations”.

In a reply on the threat of agitating outside Majumder’s house, Ghosh questioned as to how an agitation and a legal battle could continue side by side. Majumder, however, could not be contacted regarding the issue.