Kolkata (The Hawk): On Monday afternoon, there was a significant uproar in the West Bengal Assembly as Speaker Biman Bandopadhyay rejected an adjournment motion from opposition BJP lawmakers seeking to examine the state's "scam" in teacher recruitment and the recent findings of the Calcutta High Court.
The issue "cannot come up for discussion within the House" because it is still pending before the Calcutta High Court, according to the Speaker. The Speaker's decision alarmed the BJP legislators, who began shouting protests and staging a walkout.
Later, the opposition MLAs gathered on the Assembly grounds' lawn and organised a protest.
The fact that the case is still ongoing in court, according to Suvendu Adhikari, leader of the opposition, "cannot be just a rationale for disallowing a discussion within the Assembly, which is the only place for the Opposition to raise the issue."
"The conversation could go on without getting into the parts about the court observations. The Speaker had the option, if necessary, to omit some of the discussion from the House's proceedings. However, a complete denial of the plea for adjournment was unacceptable "Adhikari proclaimed.
He added that it is obvious that the "state cabinet, in the presence of Chief Minister, Mamata Banerjee, decided to create additional teacher jobs for accommodating individuals recruited illegally against some consideration." The BJP leader continued, "We want the entire ministry in jail."
On November 25, state education secretary Manish Jain informed the Calcutta High Court's justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay's bench that the state government had decided to establish more teaching positions to accommodate people who had allegedly been handed appointments unlawfully.
The court questioned how the state Cabinet could make such a decision to accept individuals who had been unlawfully appointed after receiving the submission.
"If necessary, I will summon each cabinet member and include the entire state cabinet as a party in the dispute. I'll give everyone a show-cause notice if necessary "Judge Gangopadhyay made a note.
He added that he might have to request the Election Commission of India (ECI) to revoke Trinamool Congress' status as a political party and to remove the party's emblem.
(Inputs from Agencies)