Doubts cloud Abhishek Banerjee outreach

Trinamul accuses Opposition of politicising a genuine attempt at finding a solution

Abhishek Banerjee: File Photo

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar   |   TT  |  Calcutta   |    31.07.22  : Trinamul national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s attempt to find a solution to the teacher recruitment fiasco prompted the Opposition and some job aspirants to ask whether the intervention was aimed at creating a rift among protesters. Trinamul accused the Opposition of politicising a genuine attempt at finding a solution, which began when Abhishek and education minister Bratya Basu met an eight-member delegation of SSC job-seekers on Friday.

Sources said Basu has convened an emergency meeting on Monday. Basu and senior officials of his department will meet protesters on August 8.

However, some protesters were unconvinced. SSC aspirant Sangita Sharma, who spoke at a news meet hosted by Left-leaning intellectuals on Saturday, explained why.

“This (attempt to create a split) has happened in the past. How do we know it isn’t being made again?” Sharma said.

She said that in a similar initiative chief minister Mamata Banerjee in the past engaged five SSC aspirants and five education department officials to resolve the issue. “But those representing the protesters got jobs for themselves and their kin while we continue to fight for jobs,” she said.

According to Shahidullah, one of the SSC aspirants present at Friday’s meeting, Abhishek assured them that he would try to “end their pain”. Reacting to Abhishek’s assurance, Sharma said: “We have had enough assurances. We want to see assurances being executed.”

CPM MP and lawyer for the job-seekers, Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said an attempt was being made to confuse protesters. Left-leaning intellectuals, including Prabitra Sarkar, also questioned Abhishek’s status and said the time had come to stand up to the corruption of the state government. The intellectuals gave a call for a citizens’ rally in Calcutta on Monday.

Trinamul leader and minister Tapas Roy countered: “The Opposition is trying to delay a resolution as they wish to stay afloat by clutching on to the recruitment row.”

The Opposition retorted that the government’s real mood was reflected in the “police attack on primary TET protesters” outside Abhishek’s office who sought an audience with him. A police force led by deputy commissioner (south) Akash Magharia on Saturday asked agitators to disperse. When they refused, police reportedly  dragged them into vans to clear the area. Magharia said: “Since they refused to leave, we had to resort to preventive detention.”

Criticising the government for “its brutal assault on job-seekers”, state BJP chief Sukanta Majumdar said it showed Trinamul was run by the police.