TMC national secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday broke his silence on the April 3 Supreme Court verdict that dismissed 25,753 school jobs, saying he saw in the judgment a reflection of the BJP's stepmotherly attitude towards Bengal.
“We respect the Supreme Court. We trust that the judiciary... remains impartial. However, if I don’t agree with a judgment, the Constitution grants every citizen the right to criticise it. I believe this verdict reflects the Bharatiya Janata Party’s persistent step-motherly mentality and attitude towards Bengal,” said the TMC’s second-in-command at the launch of a private hospital in Sodepur, North 24-Parganas.
“Funds for around 59 lakh job cardholders were blocked because a few individuals made mistakes. Similarly, even if 10, 100, or 1,000 people made errors in the rural dwelling unit scheme, it is necessary to punish them specifically. But you can’t stop funds for 17 lakh people because of a few. Likewise, if any ineligible candidates have secured jobs, strict action should be taken against them. But you can’t snatch away the jobs of 16-17,000 people because of mistakes made by a few,” Abhishek said, explaining why he brought the job dismissal verdict and central deprivation on the same page.
“I see this as part of the BJP’s consistent practice — if one person makes a mistake, dismiss everyone,” he added.
Following the Supreme Court verdict that led to the dismissal of thousands over a tainted SSC recruitment process, Abhishek's silence had become a topic of discussion in the party.
But after he spoke on Saturday, a TMC leader said Abhishek’s attempt to link the judgment to central deprivation added a political dimension to counter the BJP, even though Bengal's ruling party remains on the back foot in this issue.
Another senior TMC leader said Abhishek aptly compared the verdict with central deprivation as the narrative of the Centre withholding funds for Bengal had helped the TMC electorally. “No other party leader connected the judgment with central deprivation. That’s why we believe his role is crucial in countering the narratives of the BJP and the CPM,” said the leader.