kolkata

IIE DIGITAL DESK ; Kolkata, May 22: Less than 24 hours after issuing a controversial directive restricting government employees from making comments to the media or on social media without prior permission, the West Bengal government on Thursday clarified and limited the scope of the order. The fresh notification issued by Nabanna stated that the directive would specifically apply to employees and officers working in government boards, corporations, government-controlled bodies and other parastatal organisations.

The clarification came after widespread concern and criticism emerged following Wednesday’s notification, which had broadly stated that no opinions or comments could be shared with the media or on social media platforms without official approval. The wording of the earlier directive had raised fears that the restrictions might apply to all categories of state government employees, including those in the education sector and other departments.

Thursday’s revised notification, the Department of Personnel and Administrative Reforms explained that the earlier guidelines regarding the sharing of information by IAS, IPS, WBCS officers, police personnel and other state government employees would continue to remain in force. However, the new clarification specifically extended the directive to officers and employees serving in state-run boards, corporations, subordinate government institutions and other parastatal bodies, thereby narrowing the scope of the original order.

The clarification has led many observers to believe that employees in the education sector may not fall under the direct purview of the order. The state government’s move is being seen as an attempt to address confusion and criticism triggered by the earlier notification.

The opposition All India Trinamool Congress strongly criticised the directive, accusing the BJP-led state government of interfering with the fundamental rights and freedom of speech of government employees under the guise of maintaining administrative discipline. Speaking at a press conference at Trinamool Bhavan, party spokesperson and MLA Kunal Ghosh alleged that the order violated Article 19 of the Constitution, which guarantees freedom of expression.

Ghosh claimed that the directive would effectively prevent government employees from participating in protests or raising demands related to issues such as Dearness Allowance (DA) and other service-related matters. He further alleged that the government was anticipating large-scale protests over possible future decisions and was attempting to silence dissent by imposing restrictions on employees.

The political controversy surrounding the directive intensified as Nabanna altered the application of the order within a day of its initial release. The development has triggered debate over the balance between administrative discipline and the constitutional rights of government employees in West Bengal.