At Bengal Rally, PM Gives Another 'Modi Guarantee': 'After June 4...'

lok sabha election: at bengal rally, pm gives another 'modi guarantee': 'after june 4...'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday hit out at the Trinamool Congress for "indulging in scam over recruitment of teachers" and warned that his government will take strict action against those involved in corruption after it forms the government at the Centre after winning the Lok Sabha elections.

"I am giving another gurantee. After 4th june, when new government is formed, the brashtacharis (corrupt) will be spending their life in jail. More strict action will be taken. I will return the money to the people they have looted from," he said at an election rally in Purulia.

"I will not allow corrupt people to stay outside jail," he said.

Earlier this month, the Supreme Court, in a scathing rebuke to the West Bengal government, described the scam as "nothing but a systemic fraud". A bench led by Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud stated that such actions could erode public faith in the system.

The remarks came during a hearing on a petition filed by the West Bengal government challenging the Calcutta High Court verdict that nullified the appointment of 24,000 teachers.

"The public job is so scarce.... Nothing remains if the faith of the public goes. This is systemic fraud. Public jobs are extremely scarce today and are looked at for social mobility. What remains in the system if their appointments are also maligned? People will lose faith, how do you countenance this?" the CJI asked the lawyers representing the state government.

Last month, the High Court pronounced cancelation all appointments of teaching, non-teaching staff in various government sponsored and aided schools in the state. These recruitments were done through the 2016 state-level test conducted by West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC).

Over 23 lakh candidates had appeared for the 2016 SLST for 24,640 vacant posts.

The order was passed following writ petitions by some candidates who appeared in SLST-2016, but did not get jobs.

A single bench presided by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay also ordered CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in the recruitment process.

CBI arrested former state education minister Partha Chatterjee and some functionaries, who held positions in the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) when the alleged scam took place.