Mamata assures 'no eligible candidate will lose their job'; Calls it a 'conspiracy'

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has strongly opposed the Supreme Court’s verdict on the teacher recruitment case linked to the School Service Commission (SSC), alleging a conspiracy since 2022 to remove teachers from service. Addressing a gathering at Netaji Indoor Stadium, she said, “This is a crisis for teachers. Even if I’m jailed for speaking against the court, I don’t care.” She demanded that the Supreme Court provide a clear list of eligible and ineligible candidates and added, “The Supreme Court has not yet said who is eligible and who is not.”

Banerjee claimed that the SSC case was deliberately dragged from a single bench to a double bench and accused the previous Left government of sowing the seeds of the issue. “I want that no eligible person loses their job. I have not snatched anyone’s job, not even those from CPI(M),” she said. She criticised the BJP’s statement that jobs would be returned if the party came to power in 2026, calling it “just a lollipop.” She also asked how schools would function if teachers were removed and demanded the court answer that.

She announced that senior advocates Abhishek Manu Singhvi, Kapil Sibal, Rakesh Dwivedi, Kalyan Banerjee, and Prashant Bhushan would represent the eligible candidates in court. Mamata said teachers should return to schools and continue their duties as no termination letters had been issued yet. “I have alternative arrangements. Those who lost their jobs need not worry—I will take care of it,” she said. She further alleged that Bengal was being selectively targeted and stated, “Two months of struggle will give peace for the next twenty years.”

During her speech, some teachers attempted to disrupt the gathering. Mamata asked them to remain peaceful and allow others to listen. BJP leader Hiran Chatterjee responded by stating that a review petition cannot be filed against a Supreme Court full bench verdict and alleged that Mamata had read out a pre-written script. Reactions among terminated teachers remained mixed. Some said they would return to schools from the next day, though it remained unclear whether they would be paid. Mamata concluded, “My promises are everything to me. If I say jobs will be arranged, they will be.”