Kolkata, April 9 -- A scheduled meeting between state Education minister Bratya Basu and BJP MP and former judge Abhijit Ganguly was abruptly called off on Wednesday after Ganguly pulled out at the last moment, prompting Basu to hint at possible political pressure behind the move.

The meeting, scheduled for 2 pm at Bikash Bhawan, was intended for Ganguly to submit a letter regarding thousands of jobless teachers affected by a Supreme Court order. The apex court had recently scrapped the appointments of nearly 26,000 teaching and non-teaching staff recruited by the West Bengal School Service Commission (WBSSC), leaving many in distress.

Basu, who arrived at around 1:20 pm, said he was informed at the last moment that Ganguly would not attend. "He himself had expressed the desire to submit a letter to the Chief Minister through me, putting aside party affiliations," Basu told reporters. "Now he has backed out without offering a valid explanation."

The minister suggested that internal party dynamics may have influenced the decision. "Whether he faced some party-related trouble, whether the party created any obstacles or asked him not to come, only he can clarify," he added. Basu also questioned Ganguly's decision to visit the WBSSC office earlier in the day, where he met chairman Siddhartha Majumder. "If he was truly protesting against state action, why go to another government-affiliated body?" Basu asked.

After the meeting with the WBSSC, Ganguly was seen tearing up the letter he had planned to submit to the minister. He cited the police crackdown on protesting teachers in Kasba and Barasat as his reason for pulling out. "We saw visuals of teachers being lathi-charged across the state. We were hoping for a civilised, apolitical approach to this issue. But when the government behaves like this, there is no point in taking a gentleman's approach," he said.

Basu dismissed the explanation. "The Education department has no connection with the police. We were ready and waiting with open hands," he said.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.