TMC, BJP trade charges over arrest of MLA by ED in Bengal school job 'scam'

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday accused the BJP of pursuing “vendetta politics” after TMC legislator Jiban Krishna Saha was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with alleged irregularities in the recruitment of teachers in government-run school through the School Service Commission (SSC). The party claimed the move was intended to influence the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.

The BJP, however, welcomed the arrest, asserting that it demonstrated that the state’s ruling party and corruption were “two sides of the same coin”.

Earlier in the day, ED officials took Saha, the MLA from Burwan in Murshidabad, into custody following raids at his residence and at properties linked to his relatives. According to officials, he attempted to flee by climbing over a wall and was seen throwing mobile phones into a drain, which were later recovered. He was arrested under provisions of the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) for alleged non-cooperation.

The TMC launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led Central government following the arrest. In a post on X, the party alleged, “@BJP4India runs on an E² policy! The first ‘E’, the @ECISVEEP is used as a weapon to strip citizens of their voting rights. If that fails, the second ‘E’, the @dir_ed, is unleashed as a political weapon.”

The party also added: “As exposed by our Parliamentary Party Leader Shri @abhishekaitc, the 130th Constitutional Amendment Bill is not aimed at fighting corruption. Its sole purpose is to crush the Opposition. This is dictatorship in disguise.”

TMC state vice-president Jaiprakash Majumdar argued that the arrest was politically driven. “Saha was earlier arrested. But even after keeping him in custody for nearly a year, he got bail as a Central probe agency couldn’t prove anything. But now, ED has arrested him. This only proves that ED is working at the behest of the BJP ahead of the polls,” he claimed.

The BJP dismissed the allegations, pointing instead to a wider pattern of corruption cases linked to the TMC. “TMC and the school service commission scam are two sides of the same coin. Not just Saha, earlier education minister Partha Chatterjee, MLA Manik Bhattacharya and others have been arrested. The SSC aspirants who lost their jobs keep asking why they are being punished for the corruption of TMC leaders. Why should those who looted the future of students not be arrested?” senior BJP leader Jagannath Chattopadhyay asked.

Dramatic footage from Monday’s raid showed a soaked Saha being escorted by ED and CRPF personnel through a garbage-strewn patch of land.

The ED’s probe is based on a case initially registered by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on the orders of the Calcutta High Court. It concerns alleged irregularities in the recruitment of Group C and D staff, assistant teachers for Classes 9 to 12, and primary teachers in state-aided schools. While the CBI has been examining the criminal aspects, the ED has been investigating possible money laundering.

The alleged “school jobs scam” has been a major controversy in West Bengal politics for more than two years. Several senior TMC leaders, including former education minister Partha Chatterjee, have been arrested, and thousands of teaching aspirants claim they were denied jobs despite qualifying.

Critics argue that the scandal has undermined faith in the state’s education system, while opposition parties have repeatedly accused the TMC of presiding over large-scale corruption in recruitment.

With PTI inputs