Teacher recruitment scam: Partha drops bombshell, names BJP, CPM leaders

KOLKATA:  Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, who was arrested last year in connection with alleged hiring irregularities in schools, on Thursday dropped the names of Suvendu Adhikari, leader of Opposition, Dilip Ghosh, former BJP state president, and Sujan Chakrabarty, CPM’s 
central committee member, linking them  to teacher recruitment scam. 

Chatterjee, while being produced in a Kolkata court, alleged that the three leaders had recommended several names for jobs in schools but he did not entertain them. Partha’s allegation came minutes after Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh tweeted saying whether these three leaders will be brought under the scanner of the investigating agencies.

“Dilip Ghosh, Suvendu Adhikari and Sujan Chakrabarty are talking big. Look at them. In north Bengal what did they do? Read the CAG’s report in 2009-2010. Ask Suvendu what he did in 2011-12. Am being the education minister, I received a lot of recommendations from them, but I declined to help because I was not authorised to recruit anyone. There were recruitment boards to look after recruitment in schools. I couldn’t even offer assistance because that would have been unlawful,’’ said Chatterjee.

Asked whether there was any connection between Chatterjee’s allegation and his tweet, Kunal Ghosh said: “I have been saying these on many occasions previously. Even last night, I raised the same issue. How should I know what Chatterjee will allege in court?’’

During the hearing, Chatterjee pleaded before the magistrate. “I was not the recruiting authority. Recruitment would have been overseen by three recruitment boards and I was not in any. Where will I flee? Only political leaders are influential?” asked Chatterjee.

Chatterjee was remanded to judicial custody till March 30. Reacting to his allegation, BJP’s Ghosh said Chatterjee has lost his mental balance as he is behind the bars. “I was not in politics during the period he mentioned. I met him first time in the Assembly in 2016. If he can prove his allegation against me, I will go to jail,’’ he said.

‘Recruitment of over 3,500 teachers unlawful’
Chatterjee and many top-level functionaries of education department, including a 
vice-chancellor of north Bengal University, were arrested in the past one year in connection with the recruitment scam. The Kolkata High Court ordered recruitment of more than 3,500 teachers and non-teaching staffs unlawful and asked the education department to terminate them immediately. 

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