How professors' union affiliated to TMC is campaigning for panchayat polls in Bengal
Even as the state government is gearing up to introduce a bill, which has been termed as an attempt to gag college and university teachers, the professors' union affiliated to the Trinamool Congress is busy "campaigning" for the ruling party ahead of the panchayat polls.
Members of the West Bengal College and University Professor's Association, or WBCUPA, have published a booklet - "Jata Mot, Toto Poth/Joraphule Janamat", and are going about distributing it at prominent long-distance bus and train terminals such as Howrah, Sealdah and Dharmatala.
But, why bus terminus? Well, because commuters who come to Kolkata city from villages are voters of the panchayat elections, scheduled soon. The idea is to provide these long-distance travellers with some material to browse through. The book is a record of what the government has achieved over the years and the doles it has distributed among the rural voters.
WBCUPA president Krishnakali Basu feels there's no harm in doing that since it's a commitment of the teachers to campaign for the government, without neglecting their primary responsibility.
"We will do it till the panchayat polls are over," said Basu. She, however, made it clear that this initiative might seem new and innovative, but involvement of college and university teachers in the state's electioneering process is nothing new.
The Left-dominated unions in the past did the same thing - take out processions, campaign for the party in whatever way they could, with or without the party banner.
Meanwhile, the Left and the BJP have come down heavily on the WBCUPA for taking active part in politics, especially when the election process is on. "At a time when the government is trying to curb our constitutional rights and impose a gag on us, a section of college and university teachers are stooping to the level of party cadres," said a teacher of the Left-affiliated West Bengal College University Teacher's association (WBCUTA).
The WBCUTA is already considering to go on a war path once the bill is tabled.
As reported by India Today earlier, according to the draft rules of the West Bengal Universities and Colleges (Administration and Regulations) Act 2017, restrictions are likely to be imposed on employees for interacting with the media. The proposed law also seeks to stop any aggrieved teacher from going to the court against the government. At best he/she can go to a government-appointed committee and tribunal.
The WBCUTA representatives said that such a bill cannot become a law since the clauses will not be tenable in the court of law. According to them, this was the government's strategy to punish teachers affiliated to the WBCUTA.
Notwithstanding the call of the ruling party, most of the teachers have not crossed over to the WBCUPA, despite it calling the shots in the education system. All said and done, the strength of the Left-controlled WBCUTA is much higher than that of the WBCUPA, and no amount of coaxing or threat of punishment is likely to succeed in increasing its foot soldiers.