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Irregularities in education system biggest crime of TMC govt: Dharmendra Pradhan
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan said ‘Siksha’ has turned into ‘Asikhsa’ under the Mamata Banerjee regime in West Bengal
Union education minister Dharmendra Pradhan Saturday lashed out against the Trinamool Congress (TMC) alleging that the biggest crime of the TMC government in West Bengal is that they allowed all kinds of irregularities in the education system.
“The biggest crime of the TMC-government is that they have allowed all kinds of irregularities in the education system in this holy land of Goddess Saraswati - irregularities in recruitment of teachers, corruption in mid-day meal, irregularities in the funds for school dresses and books for kids. They consider education as a means of tolabaji (extortion) and cut money,” Pradhan told reporters in Kolkata.
The Calcutta high court ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into the school recruitment scam in May last year and the agency lodged a first information report (FIR) in the same month.
Later, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) also initiated a probe into the money laundering in the case and arrested former state education minister Partha Chatterjee. Around ₹50 core was seized by the central agency from two flats of Arpita Mukherjee, a close aide of Chatterjee.
TMC legislator Manik Bhattacharya and the party’s youth wing leader Kuntal Ghosh have also been arrested.
“Top leaders are in jail today. Crores of rupees have been siphoned. The people of West Bengal have seen it all. Under the Mamata Banerjee regime ‘Siksha’ has turned into ‘Asikhsa’,” Pradhan said.
On Friday, the CBI arrested six more people, including key suspect Chandan Mondal in connection with the West Bengal school recruitment scam.
The TMC, however, has hit back saying that Pradhan should reveal something on ED raids going on in schools in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-ruled Uttar Pradesh.
“ED raids are going on in Uttar Pradesh. There have been massive allegations of irregularities in students’ scholarships. We demand a detailed investigation. Pradhan should first reveal these things,” TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, told media persons.
