BJP's Suvendu blames Mamata for school job terminations, threatens Nabanna march

Kolkata: Leader of the Opposition in West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Monday blamed Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the termination of nearly 26,000 school jobs and accused her government of repeatedly failing to submit the list of eligible and tainted candidates to the Supreme Court.

Addressing a press conference outside the Assembly, Adhikari alleged that despite getting multiple chances, the state government never submitted the list demanded by the apex court.

He urged the terminated teaching and non-teaching staff to file review petitions before the Supreme Court and announced that BJP MLAs would bear the legal costs if necessary.

"The state still has a chance. Submit the list by April 15. Otherwise, on April 21, we will march to Nabanna with one lakh people. This will be a non-political, people's movement. We will sit in dharna, and if needed, we will push this government out of power," Adhikari said.

He also challenged Banerjee to personally submit the list of eligible candidates before the court.

"You claim that only the eligible were hired. If that's true, submit the list yourself. Let the court decide. If you can't do that, 2.3 lakh candidates will be forced to sit for fresh exams," he said.

Adhikari alleged that the CM destroyed the autonomy of the School Service Commission (SSC) and prevented it from functioning independently.

"Thanks to the CBI, many deserving candidates have finally been identified. Otherwise, the social unrest would have been far worse," he said.

The senior BJP leader said had the state accepted Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay's earlier order, 19,000 teachers would not have lost their jobs.

"Instead, Mamata's government has a Plan B and C — turning the jobless into civic teachers with Rs 10,000 per month. We want Plan A: justice and restoration of jobs," Adhikari asserted.

He accused the ruling party of favouring only a select few.

"She's not the CM of Bengal, she's the leader of TMC. A true CM would have met all terminated teachers, not just a handful," he said.

Earlier in the day, a protest was held by BJP MLAs led by Adhikari outside the Assembly, shouting slogans and holding placards that read 'TMC Chor'.

He claimed that out of 26,000 affected candidates, the government handpicked only around 7,000 for an interaction with the CM at Netaji Indoor Stadium.

"Banerjee did not allow any of the aggrieved teachers to speak. The interaction was staged. Many eligible candidates were not even allowed to enter the venue," Adhikari claimed.

He also alleged that many of those given entry cards were TMC workers who had helped rig votes in places like Diamond Harbour.

Meanwhile, the state government has said it will file a review petition before the Supreme Court challenging the order that cancelled the appointments.

Adhikari, however, insisted that Banerjee herself should fight the case as a lawyer and submit the merit list to the court.

"There is no three-month restriction. The government can still act. File the list on the day of the hearing, even technically," he said.

He concluded with a final warning, "If the merit list is not submitted, we will ensure this government goes. If we come to power in 2026, we promise to restore justice within a month."