Attend Assembly, CM tells ministers

Kolkata, March 10: A red-faced Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee today reportedly told cabinet colleagues to be present in the House for the question-answer session after several Left MLAs complained about their non-cooperation.

“Our ministers should not play truant during the question-answer session. The Speaker himself has expressed his unhappiness over our ministers’ absence from the House during the question-answer session. Keeping this in mind, you should all try to be present in the House to answer questions from the legislators,” a Left Front legislator quoted the chief minister as telling MLAs after the House session.

On several occasions, Speaker Hashim Abdul Halim hauled up a number of ministers, including Mrinal Banerjee, the late power minister, for not being present in the House during the question-answer session. He also reprimanded half a dozen ministers for coming late to the House.

A CPI(M) legislator today told the chief minister: “We have to bear the brunt in the villages, particularly as guardians of Madhyamik and ICSE examinees regularly complain about long power cuts. What have we done to complete rural electrification? Why doesn’t the minister concerned take initiatives to address the issue?”

A legislator from the RSP echoed the CPI(M) MLA. “The power situation is dismal and we see reports in the media that say the power shortfall is a few hundred megawatts everyday. This is tarnishing the government’s image.”

Bhattacharjee then looked at industries minister Nirupam Sen, who now oversees the power portfolio after Mrinal Banerjee’s death, and said: “We are suffering a power crisis and our minister is doing his bit. There were some technical problems in our power plants and that led to tripping and subsequent load shedding. There is also an acute coal shortage and that is creating problems as well.”

A CPI(M) MLA said Bhattacharjee told them: “Nirupam will sit with you outside the Assembly to address your problems. This has to be done on a war footing.” Finance minister Asim Dasgupta, panchayat minister Anisur Rahman, health minister Surjya Kanta Mishra and a host of other ministers were present.

“The chief minister has asked his ministers to sit with the Left Front MLAs and work out ways to finish pending projects within two to three months,” said government chief whip Syed Mohammed Masih.


The Telegraph