West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday said that all the teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools, whose services are being terminated following Calcutta High Court orders, are not necessarily cadres or confidants of ruling Trinamool Congress.
Her comments came at a time when the Calcutta High Court gave subsequent orders for termination of thousands of teaching and non-teaching staff in state-run schools.
"I am not against strict action against those who are involved in corruption. I will support that. But because of their faults let us not penalise the youths by terminating their services.
Just today I heard that two youths have committed suicide after their services were terminated. Not each of those whose services have been terminated is my party cadre," the Chief Minister said while addressing a function commemorating the 150th birth anniversary of Rishi Aurobindo Ghosh.
Speaking on the occasion, she also issued an appeal to the judiciary to consider how those whose services have been terminated can be reinstated. "Let it be done under provisions permissible under the legal system," the Chief Minister said.
Mamata Banerjee visibly appeared quite emotional while issuing this appeal. "You might not like me. You might be against my party. You might be against my government even after so much development work.
You are free to abuse me. You are even free to hit me. But let not ruin the future of the youths of the state and give the state a bad name," the Chief Minister said.
The chief minister, who has a degree in law, said that at times she feels that she herself appears as a counsel in the course of arguments. "If I can appear in court, I can argue and express my own feelings," she said.
Describing the Chief Minister's arguments as baseless, senior advocate of Calcutta High Court and the CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member said that those secured jobs illegally are equally at fault like those within the system who facilitated that irregularity.
"There is no rectification as per legal provisions for an offence where money was both paid and received. The Chief Minister also knows that. But now she is resorting to such emotional outburst to divert attention from the main legal issue," he said.
Lambasting the Chief Minister for her comments, senior state BJP leader and former national secretary of the party Rahul Sinha said that this is her new ploy to protect her party leaders from the wrath of those whose services are being terminated following orders of the Calcutta High Court.
"These terminated candidates secured jobs by paying hefty amounts to the Trinamool Congress leaders. Now the Chief Minister is scared that these candidates will hound the Trinamool Congress leaders demanding return of money. Such emotional outbursts are nothing but dichotomy," Sinha said.