TMC’s latest: Won’t allow teachers with CPM link to teach

This comes close on the heels of Bengal Food and Supplies Minister Jyotipriya Mallik dictating to his party workers that their daughters should not be married off into CPM families and they should not mingle with the CPM men,not even over tea.

“With a crown of professor on the head,if anybody thinks that he can do politics with an allegiance to CPM,we will not allow him to teach at educational institutions,” Panda said yesterday. Panda’s statement was in defence of TMC leader and former MLA Arabul Islam who is alleged to have assaulted and abused a professor of Bhangar College a couple of days ago.

The latest TMC diktat has triggered criticism from various quarters,including academic,cultural and political circles,in the state.

However,Minister of Panchayat and Rural areas Subrata Mukherjee today sought to clarify the TMC’s stand on educational institution.

“A teacher can have allegiance to any political party. It is his democratic right and we have nothing to say about it. But it is better not to do politics in an educational institution.”

Mukherjee,however,supported Panda’s comment,“But if we see that a teacher is entering the premises of an educational institution with political posters instead of books,we will protest.”

Meanwhile,the state intelligentsia criticised the latest diktat.

Eminent academician Sunanda Sanyal said,“We always wanted depoliticisation of education. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also claimed that she would depoliticise educational institutions and that party rule will not be established in the educational system. But the way the TMCP president said that a professor having allegiance to CPM will not be allowed to teach,it implies that if a teacher has an allegiance to the TMC,he will be allowed to teach but a teacher with CPM background will not be allowed to teach.”

Suryakanta Mishra,Leader of the Opposition,said,“These diktats are of course supported by the senior leadership of the party.”