West Bengal government bars newly appointed teachers from active politics
The Trinamool Congress and Left parties criticised Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari's decision to prevent new recruits from participating in political activities.
The West Bengal government has decided that newly appointed school teachers will no longer be permitted to participate in active politics, according to The Pioneer.
Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated that teachers recruited through the School Service Commission will be prohibited from contesting panchayat, municipal, Assembly, or Lok Sabha elections. He added that they will not engage in direct politics like other government servants, suggesting the state should follow examples from Bihar or Uttar Pradesh.
School Education Minister Dipak Barman said the State Cabinet has made this decision and rules will soon be framed. He clarified that the restriction will only apply to future recruits and not to senior teachers currently in service.
Barman also mentioned that the government is looking into a system for the next academic year where primary school teachers' performance would influence their promotions and annual increments.
The Trinamool Congress and the Left have criticised the move. Senior TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the ban is a step towards targeting intellectuals, while CPI(M)’s Shatarup Ghosh claimed the BJP wants to exclude educated professionals from politics.
Ghosh noted that several former leaders, including Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, Pranab Mukherjee, Manmohan Singh, and Rajnath Singh, were teachers.