Opposition ‘stealing jobs of people’ in difficult times: TMC

Kolkata: The recent termination of service of 36,000 primary teachers has led to a political slugfest in the state with the ruling party accusing the Opposition of “stealing jobs of people in difficult times”.

The termination came following an order issued by the Calcutta High Court. Trinamool Congress though did not want to make any direct comment on the order of the court but remarked that no teacher should “become a victim of the court’s decision”.

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Monday, assured that the state government will lend all support to the people who have lost their jobs since every one of them have families to run. She said that the state government will fight the decision legally in court but those who have lost their jobs must not lose confidence in them and should not take any rash decisions. She has accused the Opposition parties, CPI(M) and the BJP, for the plight of these 36,000 primary teachers.

TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the party has always been claiming that only qualified people should get jobs but at the same time it is also not fair that so many people lose their jobs at a time when unemployment throughout the country is at its worst due to the failure of the BJP-led Central government.

He said that the counsels for the state government and the concerned departments will surely review the order of the court. “I am not in a position to make further comments on this issue,” he said.

CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty said that although he feels bad that the services of 36,000 primary teachers have been terminated, it is the state government which is responsible for it.

He said those that sold jobs against money should be arrested and the money should be recovered from them. BJP national vice-president Dilip Ghosh alleged that breaking the law is rampant in all the departments of the state government under Trinamool’s rule. “The court is now pointing out the irregularities one after the other. I wonder where this tunnel of corruption ends,” he said.