BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar on Wednesday said his party would extend legal assistance to eligible persons who had lost their jobs after Calcutta High Court had cancelled the appointments of 25,753 teaching and non-teaching employees at state-aided schools.

“This happened only because the Mamata Banerjee government did not submit a list containing the names of the ineligible persons, who had secured jobs by giving money to Trinamool leaders…. So, those who got the jobs in a proper manner are also suffering. We will stand by the eligible persons, who lost jobs because of the irregularities in the recruitment process. We will also extend legal support to them,” Majumdar said in Balurghat on Wednesday.

His comments, multiple sources in the BJP said, were triggered by an apprehension in the party that the high court order could leave an impact on its prospects in the Lok Sabha polls. The Trinamool Congress and Mamata Banerjee spun a narrative holding the BJP responsible for the large-scale job losses.

The CPM, which brought out a rally on a sweltering Wednesday, also made it clear that the party would fight for a fair deal for the eligible persons and punishment for those involved in the alleged scam. The rally was organised to demand punishment for those involved in the alleged scam and justice for eligible appointees.

The clamour by the Opposition parties for a fair deal for the "eligible persons" marks the beginning of a new chapter in the politics surrounding the "recruitment scam" as the primary demand of the BJP, CPM and the Congress was the cancellation of "illegal appointments".

The Opposition parties seem to be redrawing their strategies after a realisation that the high court order ended up causing "irreparable collateral damage" to 20,000-odd persons, whose appointments were legitimate.

“These people are getting sympathy from the society at large as questions are being asked on why they should suffer.... As the Opposition forces had made the recruitment scam an issue against Trinamool and were perceived as the crusaders against illegal recruitments, they have to stand by those who got the jobs in a legitimate matter," said a senior state government official.

Multiple sources in Trinamool said although the party had been in a spot during the hearings in the high court on the recruitment "scam" when judges came down heavily on the ruling party, the situation turned after Monday's verdict.

"The manner in which Didi turned the tables on the Opposition ended up creating an impression that they were interested in job losses for political gains," said a Trinamool insider.

Within hours of the court verdict on Monday, the chief minister — while addressing a rally in North Dinajpur — spun a new narrative as part of a larger strategy to contain the damage. The entire Trinamul establishment, jittery after the order, was asked to track her comment to understand the party's stand on the verdict.

“They have been using the excuse of legality to cancel recruitments made by us. This verdict is an illegal order.… We are going to move the Supreme Court. Our teachers and youths should not worry. Even if nobody else stands by them in such times of trouble, I always will,” she had said.

While it is too early to gauge whether Mamata's narrative will eclipse the Opposition charges, those behind the legal battle hold the state government responsible for the fiasco.

Firdous Shamim, the petitioners’ lawyer in the case, said the situation turned complex only because the School Service Commission (SSC) did not submit a list of candidates who had secured jobs bypassing all rules and regulations.

“The deliberate attempt of the SSC to guard those who secured jobs illegally has made the eligible candidates suffer,” said Shamim.

Several legitimate candidates told this correspondent that they wanted the political parties to spare a thought for them, instead of using them as scapegoats in a political battle.

“If 5,000 people had got jobs through irregular means, more than 20,000 people had been posted after cracking the exam properly. Now, as they also lost their jobs, altogether 1 lakh people, including family members of the eligible, could be in trouble. The political parties should stop doing politics over our plight and instead do something to help us," said one of the job losers.