West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said she respects the judiciary but disagrees with the Supreme Court's verdict on school appointments "on humanitarian grounds" and dared the Bharatiya Janata Party to arrest her for supporting the affected candidates.
Accusing the BJP and the Communist Party of India-Marxist of "hatching a conspiracy and influencing the verdict," Banerjee emphasised that while her government would abide by the ruling, it would explore all possible legal options.
"I have the utmost respect for the judiciary and judges, but from a humanitarian perspective, I cannot accept this judgment. As a citizen of this country, I have every right to express my opinion," Banerjee said at a press conference at the state secretariat.
"The ones whom you call tainted, we don't have proof regarding them. How can a single person's crime lead to punishment for all?" she said questioning the dismissal of all candidates, asserting that not all appointees were guilty of wrongdoing.
She also took a defiant stance against the BJP's criticism of her support for the dismissed teachers.
"Our lawyers will review this matter. If the BJP wants to send me to jail for supporting them, they can," she declared.
The development, ahead of next year's assembly polls, triggered a flurry of political reactions, with the opposition BJP demanding Banerjee's resignation for the "plight" of around 25,753 teachers and other staff of state-run and state-aided schools whose jobs were invalidated by the Supreme Court.
"The sole responsibility for this massive corruption in teacher recruitment lies with the failed CM of the state. She must resign immediately," state BJP president and Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar said.
Banerjee, however, alleged that the verdict was "influenced by a conspiracy between the BJP and the CPI-M."
Referring to the alleged recovery of large amounts of cash from a judge's residence in New Delhi, Banerjee questioned why such cases were treated differently.
"I have heard and read reports of huge cash being recovered from a judge's residence. If you recover money from a sitting judge's home, he is only transferred. Then why were these candidates not transferred? The first judge (former Calcutta high court judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay) to give this order is now a BJP MP," she said.
Banerjee highlighted that the ruling had impacted not just the candidates but also their families.
"It's not just 25,000 candidates; their families are affected too. Why should so many people be punished for a few?" she questioned.
A Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar upheld a Calcutta High Court order dated April 22, 2024, which annulled the appointments and directed the state government to initiate a fresh selection process.
Accusing the BJP of deliberately targeting Bengal, Banerjee asked whether being born in the state was a crime.
She raised concerns over the impact of the verdict on the education system.
"Over 11,000 of the affected teachers taught in Class 9 and 10, and more than 5,500 in Class 11 and 12. These are crucial years, the gateway to higher education. Many of them are correcting answer sheets of board exams. Do BJP and CPI-M want the education system to collapse?" she asked.
She defended her government's stance on the issue and slammed the BJP's criticism.
"Sukanta Majumdar said that I am responsible for this. Why are they targeting Bengal all the time? I was born in Bengal, and I know the intention of the BJP and the central government," she said.
Referring to the arrest of senior TMC leader and former education minister Partha Chatterjee in the school jobs scam, Banerjee compared it to the Vyapam scam in BJP-ruled Madhya Pradesh.
"Our former education minister is in jail, but how many BJP leaders were arrested in the Vyapam case?" she questioned.
She reiterated her belief that the BJP was deliberately trying to weaken Bengal's education system.
"Does the BJP want to ensure the collapse of West Bengal's education system?" she asked.
The CM assured the affected candidates that she would stand by them.
"I know candidates are depressed, if something happens to them, who will be responsible? I will meet them. I am with them on humanitarian grounds. I will tell them not to lose hope," she said.
Banerjee said she, along with state education minister Bratya Basu, would meet the candidates on April 7 at Netaji Indoor Stadium.
Meanwhile, the Raj Bhavan said the verdict had vindicated Governor C V Ananda Bose's stance in the matter.
In a communication to its staff, the Raj Bhavan said the irregularities "wreaked havoc in the lives of thousands of deserving candidates who were deprived of their rightful jobs."
BJP MP and former Calcutta high court judge Abhijit Ganguly blamed CM Banerjee for the situation, alleging that her administration's ineptitude worsened the crisis and victimised deserving candidates.
CPI (M) West Bengal state secretary Mohammed Salim warned that the state's school education system would be affected due to the large number of teachers losing their jobs and urged the state government to urgently fill the vacant posts.
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