The BJP government in West Bengal has decided to bar newly government-recruited school teachers from engaging in active politics, triggering a debate over the rationale and implications of the move. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced the decision after a Cabinet meeting at Nabanna on Wednesday, clarifying that the restriction would apply only to future recruits and not to existing teachers.Adhikari said the decision had been incorporated into the recruitment process of the School Service Commission (SSC). “We are not curtailing the rights of those who are already associated with politics. However, those who will be appointed as teachers in the future will not be able to engage in direct politics,” he said.AdvertisementThe state School Education Minister, Dipak Burman, who had been a teacher of a school in North Bengal, backed the decision, arguing that teachers who wish to enter active politics should give up their profession, as is the case with other government employees.“It is not that teachers cannot be involved in politics. But they have to quit the profession, like other government employees, if they decide to contest an election or enter active politics. This practice exists in several states, and we cannot have a separate rule,” Burman said.Political participation by teachers and advocates has traditionally been common in West Bengal, with members of the Congress, CPI(M), BJP and Trinamool Congress (TMC) among those involved in mainstream politics. A senior BJP leader said the decision could affect all political parties but argued that it was necessary in the interest of education.AdvertisementMust Read | ‘Will defeat you in your Diamond Harbour seat in 2029 polls’: Bengal CM challenges TMC MP Abhishek“Teachers who have already entered politics are not being targeted. But, for the sake of education, this decision is necessary and all political parties should support it,” the BJP leader said.Teacher bodies question moveHowever, the Adhikari government’s announcement has drawn questions from several teachers’ organisations, particularly over the scope of the proposed restrictions and their applicability to even teachers in government-sponsored and government-aided schools.Sujit Das, general secretary of the Left-backed All Bengal Teachers’ Association (ABTA), said the Chief Minister’s announcement lacked clarity. He argued that teachers did not neglect their professional responsibilities by participating in politics and questioned how the government could impose such restrictions on teachers in grant-in-aid schools, who are not government employees.Kinkar Adhikari, general secretary of Shikshanuragi Oikya Mancha, said the decision could eventually affect teachers’ right to protest. He also sought clarity on whether expressing views on education policy, professional concerns and legitimate demands, without being affiliated to any political party, would be treated as political activity.Swapan Mandal, general secretary of the Bengal Teachers’ and Employees’ Association, questioned the justification for imposing restrictions by citing rules followed in other states. He argued that such comparisons were inappropriate unless teachers and non-teaching staff in those states enjoyed the same employment status as their counterparts in West Bengal.Mandal also pointed out that teachers in government schools already face restrictions on political participation. Teachers of institutions such as Hindu School and Hare School, he said, cannot contest elections.Also Read | Bihar tigress moves between Assam villages, Bengal weighs tranquilising itThe RSS-linked Akhil Bharatiya Rashtriya Shaikshik Mahasangh (ABRSM), however, welcomed the government’s announcement. Its general secretary, Bapi Pramanik, said the proposal had been under consideration for a long time and that similar provisions existed in several states. “This had been a long-standing idea. This rule is in force in several states. Now, this provision will be incorporated into the service rules for aspiring teachers in Bengal,” he said.Opposition slams moveThe Opposition however slammed the government’s move. Senior Congress leader and former professor Pradip Bhattacharya described it as a direct attack on teachers’ democratic rights and said the decision could face a legal challenge.“This unilateral decision of the state government is unacceptable. If the government attempts to implement it, it will certainly face a legal challenge in court,” he said. Bhattacharya also disputed the Chief Minister’s claim that teachers were barred from direct political activity in all other states.CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty questioned the government’s priorities, arguing that the focus should be on filling vacancies and improving school infrastructure rather than restricting teachers’ political participation.“First, adequate teachers must be appointed in government schools. There are no teachers in schools, yet a debate is being created over whether teachers can engage in politics,” he said.Referring to the prescribed student-teacher ratio of 30:1 under central guidelines, Chakraborty alleged that the state had failed to meet the target and was attempting to divert attention from its shortcomings.“What schools actually need is an overall improvement in infrastructure. It is also necessary to protect democracy in administration. Teachers are primarily meant to teach in schools. Yet they are being assigned duties such as SIR and census work, which are unrelated to their core responsibilities. The government should pay attention to these issues instead,” he added.