'Must pay salaries of sacked teachers': BJP rakes up cash-for-jobs scam, demands Mamata Banerjee's resignation

BJP MP and spokesperson Sambit Patra. (File photo)

A day after the Supreme Court upheld Calcutta High Court's order invalidating the appointment of 26,000 teachers, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday slammed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her "dadagiri" and demanded her resignation.

Talking to the reporters, BJP MP Sambit Patra said, "Everyone is aware about what is happening in West Bengal, and the entire world has witnessed the corruption that is there and the 'dadagiri' of Mamata Banerjee. Recently, Mamata Banerjee went to Oxford and claimed that she is a tigress, but have you seen a tigress who is involved in corruption? A tigress will never kill her own children and a true leader will never make life hell for her own people."

VIDEO | Delhi: Speaking at a press conference, BJP MP Sambit Patra (@sambitswaraj) says, "Everyone is aware about what is happening in West Bengal, and the entire world has witnessed the corruption that is there and the 'dadagiri' of Mamata Banerjee. Recently, Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/PY2b33baeQ

Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) April 4, 2025

He added, "Mamata Banerjee's close aide, Partha Chatterjee is already in jail for his role in the scam. The Chief Minister, under whose watch this massive fraud ruined the careers of thousands of people, must also be held accountable. She must pay salaries of all the sacked teachers."

The apex court on Thursday invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and other staff in state-run and state-aided schools in West Bengal, terming their selection process "vitiated and tainted". The court directed the state government to initiate a fresh selection process.

Pinning responsibility for the teachers recruitment scam on Bengal CM, state BJP president and Union Minister of State for Education Sukanta Majumdar said in a post on X, "The sole responsibility for this massive corruption in teacher recruitment lies with the failed Chief Minister of the state, @MamataOfficial. The Supreme Court's verdict has made it clear how, under Mamata Banerjee's rule, the merit of educated unemployed youth in West Bengal was sold in exchange for money!"

'Can't accept verdict'

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 BJP to arrest her for supporting the affected candidates.

Accusing the BJP and the CPI(M) 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.

Teachers' recruitment scam

At the centre of the row are supernumerary posts created by the state government. More than 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the state-level selection test conducted by West Bengal School Service Commission in 2016. The number of vacant posts was 24,640, but 25,753 appointment letters were issued. It is alleged that these super numeric posts provided room for illegal recruitment.

Irregularities in the teachers' recruitment had opened a can of worms for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government. Several of its top leaders, including former minister Partha Chatterjee, are in jail in connection with the case.