For the first time in West Bengal, there will be no cabinet minister in charge of finance in the state. Ahead of the budget day, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, on Tuesday, recommended to Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar that Chandrima Bhattacharya, minister of state for finance, be made minister of state for finance with independent charge. Governor has approved the same and issued an order.
This comes years after Bhattacharya was scolded for talking over her mobile phone in a public meeting when Banerjee was addressing the gathering. Bhattacharya was asked to leave the stage by the CM and the former never returned the dais. Almost five years later, she has been rewarded, and insults seem forgotten.
Bhattacharya has been in-charge of the urban development department and was also minister of state.
Bhattacharya, a lawyer, is close to Banerjee. She is an MLA from Dum Dum in Kolkata. A former Congress leader, who was groomed by late Congress stalwart Somen Mitra, Bhattacharya joined the TMC before the 2011 elections in which Banerjee registered a historic win, defeating the left which has been ruling the state for 34 years.
The appointment would mean that Banerjee will not be holding the portfolio anymore, and Bhattacharya will present the budget in the assembly. For the past two years, Banerjee had presented the budget.
Bhattacharya also got a promotion in the party when she was included into the disciplinary committee of the TMC along with Subrata Bakshi, Abhishek Banerjee, Partha Chatterjee and Arup Biswas.
There has been rejig in the party organisation with Abhishek Banerjee loyalists have either been sidelined or given joint responsibilities. Kunal Ghosh, who was close to Abhishek, will not be be the sole state general secretary. There would be four more state general secretaries apart from him. Interestingly, the high profile entrant, Mukul Roy is yet to get any post. Other BJP turncoats, Sabyasachi Dutta and Rajib Banerjee have been taken out of the state and given responsibilities in Northeast, and would work under Manas Bhuyian, a cabinet minister.
Sources in the party said Bhattacharya’s elevation as independent minister of state for finance wold not mean much, as a shadow man (Amit Mitra) would draft the budget which she would just read out. With no cabinet minister in charge of finance department, finance secretary and chief secretary, along with Bhattacharya, would coordinate with Mitra to draft the budget.
A political observer pointed out that the move by the chief minister sends out a “wrong signal”.
“The state is debt-trapped and there is no revenue generation as there is lack of industrialisation in the state. At this time, having a minister of state with independent charge as finance minister sends a wrong signal,” said the observer.
