Suvendu Adhikari blames TMC for SSC scam, alleges job-for-vote in Diamond Harbour | Watch

Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, on Monday held Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee responsible for the cancellation of nearly 26,000 school jobs. He accused the state government of repeatedly failing to submit the list of eligible and tainted candidates to the Supreme Court despite multiple opportunities. Addressing a press conference outside the Assembly, Adhikari said, “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.” He added that the march would be a non-political, people’s movement and warned that the government would be “pushed out of power” if the issue remains unresolved.

Adhikari urged all terminated teaching and non-teaching staff to file review petitions before the Supreme Court and announced that BJP MLAs would bear their legal expenses if required. He challenged the Chief Minister to personally submit the merit list before the court, saying, “You claim that only the eligible were hired. If that's true, submit the list yourself. Let the court decide.” He said that the failure to comply could result in 2.3 lakh candidates being forced to sit for fresh examinations. Adhikari alleged that the Chief Minister destroyed the autonomy of the School Service Commission and prevented it from functioning independently. He claimed that if the state had accepted Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay’s earlier order, around 19,000 teaching jobs would not have been terminated.

He further alleged that only about 7,000 out of 26,000 affected candidates were selected to meet the Chief Minister at Netaji Indoor Stadium, while many eligible candidates were not allowed to enter the venue. Adhikari claimed that several of those granted entry were TMC workers involved in vote rigging in places like Diamond Harbour during the 2024 elections. “Those who got jobs by paying money were the ones voting in Diamond Harbour in 2024. I will go to court against this,” he said. He also criticised the government’s alternative offer of civic teaching jobs with a monthly salary of ₹10,000, rejecting it as a substitute for regular appointments. Adhikari concluded by stating that if the merit list is not submitted in court, the government will be held accountable, and justice will be ensured if a new government comes to power in 2026.