TMC to hit streets on Wed over ‘vulture politics’ by BJP-CPM
Times of India | 8 April 2025
12 Kolkata: Trinamool is set to hit the streets statewide on April 9 on the SSC issue, blaming a "BJP-CPM" nexus and their "vulture politics" for taking away jobs of 25,752 school staff. The party's student and youth wing will hold a rally from College Square to Esplanade from 3 pm on Wednesday, and similar rallies have been planned statewide.
With political tempers soaring over the school jobs issue, former BJP MP Locket Chatterjee, along with 80 party functionaries, were detained by police on Monday as they tried to march from Exide Crossing to Kalighat, halting traffic.
BJP functionaries, activists and supporters attempted to advance despite police resistance, sparking tension and breaking into scuffles with police officers. "While we managed to keep the northbound traffic towards Esplanade moving, diversions were made at Elgin Crossing and several Minto Park-bound buses were diverted from Moulali through Esplanade," said a police officer.
TMC scoffed at the protests. Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: "She (Locket) lost Hooghly Lok Sabha in 2024. She is trying to remain relevant."
On TMC's protests, Ghosh said: "As per the directions of Trinamool state president Subrata Bakshi, apart from the Kolkata rally, protest meetings will be held in every district, block and town across the state. The protests will be against the nefarious opposition politics to snatch jobs from the deserving."
The TMC spokesperson added: "The role of BJP and CPM in this is nothing short of vulture politics. At a time when CM Mamata Banerjee is trying to work out a solution for the affected staff, the Bengal opposition is only trying to prolong their agony and helplessness to exploit it politically. These are the same parties who, in a similar situation in Tripura, dumped the teachers. CPM did not help the 10,000-odd teachers who lost their jobs in Tripura, and BJP, who promised to help after coming to office in that state, also did not."
Speaking to reporters outside the assembly, leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari alleged that despite getting multiple chances, state govt never submitted the list demanded by the apex court. He urged the terminated teaching and non-teaching staff to file review petitions before the Supreme Court and announced that BJP MLAs would bear the legal costs, if necessary.
"The state still has a chance. Submit the list by April 15. Otherwise, on April 21, we will march to Nabanna with 1 lakh people. This will be a non-political, people's movement. We will sit on a dharna, and if needed, we will push this govt out of office," Adhikari said.