The apex court had on
April 3 invalidated the appointment of 25,753 teachers and staffers in
state-run and aided schools in Bengal, calling the entire selection process
"vitiated and tainted". "I
will stand by those who have lost their jobs in an unjust manner. I don't care
what others think. I will do everything to restore your dignity," Banerjee
said at a meeting with affected candidates and school staffers. "We have
separate plans in place to ensure that the eligible candidates do not face any
break in service. We will not allow them to remain jobless," she
said.
Reiterating that the
state government respects the Supreme Court ruling, Banerjee said the
administration is taking proactive steps to handle the situation with
"utmost care and fairness".
The
chief minister also claimed that her name was being dragged into something
about which I have no inkling, referring to discrepancies in the school job
appointments. I am ready to even go to jail if anyone wants to penalise me
for standing with those who lost school jobs, Banerjee asserted. There is a
conspiracy to break the entire education system.
A dirty game is being played by some people,"
she said, in an apparent reference to opposition BJP and the CPI(M).