Dharmendra Pradhan attacks TMC: Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan attacked West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Bengal government over alleged scams in state recruitments. Speaking to reporters in Kolkata on Saturday (February 18), Pradhan said, “Education has been turned into illiteracy in the Mamta Banerjee government. TMC’s tolabazi and cut money dominate the education department.”
The Union Education Minister said, “There were scams during state recruitments and even in the mid-day meal scheme. People have seen all this.” The Union minister’s target was on former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee and his aide Arpita Mukherjee, who are facing probe in the West Bengal School Public Service Commission (WBSSC) recruitment scam.
Allegations of tolling and cut money
The Union minister had reached West Bengal on a one-day visit as part of BJP’s Lok Sabha stay. The education minister claimed that tolabaazi (extortion) and cut money dominated the state. Pradhan claimed that the investigating agencies would expose the entire scam. Not a single culprit will be able to escape. Mamta government of the state has made the holy land of Saraswati in the field of education also a place of corruption.
Last year, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) filed a prosecution complaint against eight accused, including Partha Chatterjee and Arpita Mukherjee, in the teachers’ recruitment scam in West Bengal before the PMLA Special Court, Kolkata.
ED had arrested
On July 23, 2023, the ED probing the recruitment scam in the state raided the house of Arpita Mukherjee, an aide of minister Partha Chatterjee. Arpita has worked in many Bengali and Oriya films. During this, the ED seized more than 20 crore rupees kept in Arpita’s house. Suspicion was expressed that these rupees were obtained from the recruitment scam in the Board of Education.
Arpita Mukherjee was arrested by the ED after cash was found in the house. After this, the then minister Partha Chatterjee was also arrested.
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