The Enforcement Directorate (ED)’s arrest of West Bengal Industry and Commerce Minister Partha Chatterjee in the alleged School Service Commission (SSC) recruitment scam has put the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in a tight spot. More than the embarrassment of the recovery of cash and jewellery worth ₹21 crore from the house of Arpita Mukherjee, an associate of the Minister, the allegations of the money being taken for appointments in State-run schools have posed difficult questions for the TMC leadership.
This is not the first time that the ruling party has had to defend allegations of corruption. But unlike earlier occasions, the TMC has distanced itself from the Minister. West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee has kept herself away from the controversy by saying that she had no idea about the scam and that the Minister should be sent to life imprisonment if found guilty. Her remarks were also a way of absolving the party and the government of the deed. This marks a departure from the Narada sting videos and Saradha and other chit fund scams where the party alleged a conspiracy, and defended its leadership.
Allegations of irregularities in the recruitment of teaching and non-teaching staff in State-run schools have been flying thick and fast for the past few years. Job seekers have staged protests for days and months on end in Kolkata. However, the State government turned a blind eye to such allegations and protests.
