Dilip Ghosh slams Mamata for SSC 'unpaid work' remark, blames Kashmir Govt for Pahalgam attack

BJP leader and former MP Dilip Ghosh on Wednesday criticized West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over her recent remarks to terminated SSC (School Service Commission) teachers. Referring to Banerjee's suggestion that the sacked educators return to school, Ghosh questioned the justification for such advice, stating, “Have they received salaries this month? Why should they work without pay?”

Ghosh accused the government of treating qualified individuals unfairly and highlighted that many of them had secured jobs through the formal process. He stated, “Your party workers take money to attend rallies. Why should these teachers, who studied and got jobs, work for free?” He also claimed that the Chief Minister had not followed the court’s directives regarding payment, adding, “She cannot even pay their salaries. Who will restore their dignity?”

The BJP leader expressed support for the ongoing sit-in protests by the dismissed teachers outside the SSC office in Kolkata. He alleged that the state government had failed to act fairly and transparently in dealing with the issue. “Mamata Banerjee snatched jobs from 26,000 people and is now saying she will give jobs to 10,000 more. All industries are shutting down. Corruption in government recruitment has reached new levels,” Ghosh said. He urged the aggrieved teachers to continue their legal and street-level fight.

On the matter of eligibility lists, Ghosh questioned Education Minister Bratya Basu’s inaction. He claimed that the protesters already possessed a list of 18,000 eligible candidates and asked why the state was not verifying it. “Why is the list not being compared and verified? Submit it to court and let verification happen. Exclude the remaining 8,000 from the process if they are ineligible,” he said, further alleging that financial transactions may have influenced the retention of ineligible candidates.

Commenting on the recent terrorist attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, where three tourists from West Bengal were killed, Ghosh said, “Kashmir had seen normalcy for 3-4 years with 1–1.5 crore tourists annually. The local economy had recovered.” He linked the recent rise in violence to the current government in Kashmir, stating, “After this year’s election, the government that came to power has failed to contain terrorism. I believe they are responsible for this incident.” He also said that similar patterns of unrest were being seen in West Bengal.