A government school event was used for political propaganda in Salt Lake on January 21.

Laban Hrad Vidyapith for Boys in AD Block had organised a programme to celebrate the inauguration of a wing of the school building. 

Two days before the event, residents and guardians of students were appalled to see huge flexes bearing images of state education minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamul Congress flags being put up, lining the area around the school building and the pavements opposite the school.

The minister was scheduled to come but did not make it. Bidhannagar MLA Sujit Bose and Anindya Chatterjee, councillor of ward 41, attended the ceremony.

Once the MLA and the councillor were introduced to the students, the ceremony turned into a Trinamul Congress show. Chatterjee started by heaping praise on the MLA for his achievements. Then after thanking the education minister for extending help to complete the new wing of the school, he listed out the work done by the education department. 

Bose also did not fall behind. “Partha Chatterjee has changed the face of education in West Bengal. Only he could ensure that the school building could be extended. I am sure this will help the students. The progress that we have made in the field of education after coming to power is commendable,” he claimed.

Parents and teachers were shocked to see an event where students formed the lion’s share of the audience being turned into a political meet. “What will my son, who studies in Class VI, understand of Trinamul and its achievements?” wondered a parent who did not wish to be named.

“The school is government-funded so we are not surprised that the event turned into a Trinamul show,” said a schoolteacher who did not wish to be named.

Laban Hrad Vidyapith for Boys, founded in 1980, is one of the first schools in Salt Lake. The new wing was constructed to provide better classrooms for students. It is also likely to house a computer room.