In an apparent effort to rebuild her party’s sagging image --- post arrest of senior minister Partha Chatterjee and Trinamool Congress national executive member Anubrata Mondal --- Bengal Chief Minister on Thursday issued a code of conduct for her ministers asking them not to sign certain specific files without thoroughly scrutinising them.
The Chief Minister’s advice to her ministers, particularly the new ones who were inducted very recently after a Cabinet reshuffle came after the arrest of Chatterjee charged with in the cash-for-job scam and Mondal accused of cattle smuggling.
“The BJP has been trying to trap us … they have already trapped us … so I ask all the minister, particularly those who joined recently to exercise utmost vigil while signing some specific files … those files must not be signed without thorough scrutiny,” the Chief Minister said prompting the opposition to wonder whether she had lost faith in her bureaucrats and the office staff who act as filters before the files reach the ministers.
The Chief Minister also asked the ministers not to use pilot vehicles and hooters or red lights while travelling. No minister even if they were traveling from the districts to Kolkata must use pilot vehicles, hooters or red beacons in order not to pick up people’s annoyance, the Chief Minister said, asking the ministers and peoples representatives to maintain a humble image.
Banerjee has recently dropped a number of senior leaders including jailed leader and former number two in her cabinet Partha Chatterjee, Paresh Adhikari and slashed responsibilities of many other senior ministers like Firhad Hakim and Jyotipriya Mullick. She inducted some new less controversial faces like Partha Bhowmick, Babul Supriya, Birbaha Soren and others.
The Chief Minister also asked the Cabinet ministers to divide responsibilities among their deputies and ensure their performance. Asking her senior minister and North 24 Parganas district president JP Mullick to “travel less and perform more” Banerjee said the ministers should strictly concentrate on their work.
Banerjee’s advice to her ministers came in tandem with a parallel development where Partha Chatterjee while appearing before a designated court said “no one will be spared,” adding “truth will come out and everything will be proved in time.” His comment when no question was hurled at him by the media.
His comment is also being taken as a continuation of an earlier comment made more than a fortnight ago when he told the media that he was being made a victim of conspiracy. “I am a victim of conspiracy … things will come out in time,” he had told then.
Incidentally according to the Enforcement Directorate officials Chatterjee had denied the ownership of Rs 50 crore and many more crores worth of jewellery recovered from his close aide Arpita Mukherjee’s apartments. Mukherjee too had disowned the cash saying some unknown people would regularly visit her apartment and put the bags in particular rooms.
Chatterjee who was on Thursday produced before the court at the end of his 10-days remand was again remanded to another ten-days custody by the court.
While at the court the former Education, Industries and Parliamentary Affairs Minister prayed before the judge with folded hands to grant him bail, advocates said adding while making his submission his voice trembled suddenly he made the comments apparently to the media.
The former minister considered closest to the Chief Minister apart from Mukul Roy had also served as the Opposition Leader of the State during the Left Front.
According to sources Chatterjee was upset with the Chief Minister for not standing by him and sparing a word of support for him during a public meeting at Behala, the jailed minister’s constituency.
The Chief Minister had not spent a word for him but had firmly stood by Mondal saying he was being victimised by the BJP government as he was an able party man who had banished the saffron outfit from Birbhum and other parts of the State.
Mondal who is charged with cattle smuggling had also been named in sand and stone and coal smuggling cases. In the same case the ED has earlier questioned Chief Minister’s nephew and party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee too. Critics feel that Banerjee had no way but to side with Mondal because he too is named in the coal scam and must be kept from opening his mouth.