With CPI (M) reports showing that primary school teachers and West Bengal government employees are fleecing the poor by lending them money at exorbitant interest rates, the party is doing a rethink on nominating school teachers as candidates for the panchayat polls next month.‘‘We’ll ask interested teachers to give up their jobs before jumping in the fray,’’ said CPI(M)-led Left Front chairman Biman Bose. One of the studies by former ADB director D. Bandhpadyaya reveals that while the land reforms have cleared the villages of money-lenders, primary school teachers and state government employees have replaced them. Even a CPI(M-L) Liberation study had revealed similar results. Obviously, the party leadership feels it’s time they clipped the wings of primary school teachers by denying them nominations.
