New Delhi, June 02: Railway minister Mamata Bannerjee has landed herself in the middle of multiple controversies — be it skipping the cabinet meeting yet again or making unguarded remarks over the Gnaneshwari Express tragedy and the Kolkata municipal polls.
She did not attend the cabinet meeting that decided imposing President’s Rule in Jharkhand, despite being in New Delhi on Tuesday.
And her remark justifying her absence was that the meeting was “ only for Jharkhand” and she had a “ better job” to do.
This provoked an outrage from the Opposition.
The BJP and the Left were quick to criticise her response.
This cannot be the stand of a cabinet minister, they said.
The CPM won’t let go the opportunity to pillory its bete noire. Politburo member Sitaram Yechury called Mamata’s action “ irresponsible”. “ She is a minister bound by the oath of office. She is expected to participate in cabinet meetings.
By stating that she had another job to do and the meeting was only to discuss Jharkhand, she reveals her irresponsible nature,” he added.
The BJP was much more scathing. Party spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad said: “ It is absolutely inappropriate for a minister to say such things. Will she attend the cabinet only when it subject for discussion is the railways or Bengal? It is wrong. But I pity the PM and don’t want to complicate things for him further by asking for action against her.’’ The Congress, left to defend their powerful but temperamental ally in the UPA government, called the absence a mere “ triviality” and sought to deflect the blame on to the BJP. “ The last people to complain should be the BJP. They have reduced themselves to a laughing stock in Jharkhand. Instead of picking on trivialities, let them allow central rule to improve the situation from the tragi- comic farce that it has become,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.
The Congress defence probably came out of compulsion. Mamata was seen shaking her head in disgust when home minister P. Chidambaram opted to go with the CPM version on Maoists having a role in the train tragedy, rather than toeing the Trinamool Congress chief’s line.
Mamata has argued that the Gnaneshwari incident, in which more than 140 people died, was a political conspiracy of the CPM to tarnish her image. She was also pitching for a CBI probe.
She brushed off Chidambaram’s stand. “ I have no differences with Chidambaram. There are elements trying to create a problem within the UPA,” she said.
Yechury added more fuel to the fire — claiming that Chidambaram agreed with West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharya’s opinion that a CBI probe was not needed.
“ The West Bengal CM told the home minister that the state CID was almost through with its investigation into the incident.
Hence it was decided that a CBI inquiry was not immediately needed,” Yechury added.
The CPM also criticised Mamata’s statements on the Kolkata municipal polls. She said the CPM rigged the polls using “ goons and guns”. The reticent Yechury couldn’t hold back: “ Can’t they come up with new terms and phrases? And as for her statement that a person cannot die of a bullet wound in the leg, she should try it and find out.” But the hemming and hawing by the Left and the BJP had little effect on Mamata because she still enjoys support within the Congress ranks — out of compulsion or otherwise. Former Youth Congress chief M. S. Bitta, who heads the Anti- Terrorist Forum, endorsed Mamata’s views and threatened to move the Kolkata High Court if a CBI probe was not ordered.
Mamata skipped the cabinet meet, no doubt, but she did attend the “ all- important” UPA function in which its “ Report to the People” was released on Tuesday evening. She was around with Sonia Gandhi. Who else!
—Agencies