West Bengal recruitment scam: Mamata Banerjee must resign, she will go to jail, says BJP

BJP demands Mamata Banerjee's resignation over teacher recruitment scam, threatens legal action if elected in West Bengal.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday (April 4, 2025) demanded that West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee resign following the Supreme Court's decision to uphold a Calcutta High Court's order scrapping the recruitment of nearly 26,000 teachers and non-teaching staff in the State.

Union Minister and West Bengal BJP president Sukanta Majumdar claimed that Ms. Banerjee will be the second CM after Haryana's O.P. Chautala to go to jail in the recruitment of teachers, with party's spokesperson Sambit Patra asserting that the full force of law will come upon her if the BJP is elected to power in the State.

Mr. Patra said, "Mamata Banerjee has no right to stay in power now. If she is left with an iota of sense of responsibility, she should quit... She will definitely go to jail." Mr. Majumdar noted that nearly 20,000 of the nearly 26,000 recruited were genuinely selected, while the rest benefitted from the scam allegedly masterminded by the State's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders.

“He demanded that the worthy employees, now sacked with the rest, should be paid salary by the government through either the ruling party’s fund or the CM relief fund, as they and their families have been left staring at a bleak future. The credibility and legitimacy of Banerjee has been put to shred following the verdict,” Mr. Patra said.

Future uncertain for Bengal’s ‘sacked’ teachers as Supreme Court confirms cancellation of over 23,000 appointments

Noting that Ms. Banerjee said she cannot accept the judgment on humanitarian grounds, he said she should be charged with contempt of court by the Supreme Court. Citing the strictures made by the apex court against the State Government in its decision on Thursday (April 3, 2025), he said INDIA bloc leaders would have cried "murder of democracy" if even a district court had made an adverse comment against the Modi government.

Mr. Majumdar said the entire Cabinet of the State Government should be behind bars as it saved those involved in corruption but left genuine candidates to their fate. The Calcutta High Court, he said, had suggested to the State Government to identify those candidates who were recruited due to corrupt means.