Departments held by the late Subrata Mukherjee, ailing Sadhan Pande distributed among others
Arnab Ganguly, Calcutta: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee has a new adviser in the former state finance minister Dr Amit Mitra, who was appointed as the principal chief adviser to the CM and the state finance department. Mitra, who will get benefits and emoluments equivalent to a cabinet rank minister, will not only advise Mamata who handle the state finance department herself, but also represent the state government in key meetings. “There is no doubt there is a dearth of talent when it comes to managing finance in the government and the party. That is why Mamata di could not let go of Amit da,” said a Trinamul source.
In her third term, Mamata now has three advisers. The other two are former state chief secretary Alapan Bandyopadhyay as and another adviser in the agriculture department.
The decision on Mitra was taken in a cabinet meeting held at the state Assembly on Tuesday.
While Mitra’s retention happened on predictable lines, Mamata reorganised departments that were earlier held by Subrata Mukherjee, who passed away last week, and the ailing Sadhan Pande. Both departments held by Pande—consumer affairs and self-help group— were being handled by the late Mukherjee, who was heading the panchayat department.
“Didi told the ministers (after the reshuffle) that she has taken these decisions for now. After December she will take a relook and decide afresh,” said a minister.
Pulak Roy, the state public health engineering minister, has succeeded the late Subrata Mukherjee in the panchayat department, while the water resources department minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia gets additional responsibility of the consumer affairs department. Pande’s self-help group department has been added to the kitty of the women and child development minister Shashi Panja, while Chandrima Bhattacharya will be Mamata’s junior in the finance department.
In addition, Mamata has appointed the minister of state (independent charge) for labour Becharam Manna as junior minister in the panchayat department. The department already had a junior minister in Siuli Saha. The panchayat department has representatives from Howrah (Rural), Hooghly and Pashchimanchal, where the Trinamul had performed badly in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
The results in the Assembly polls were, however, overwhelmingly in favour of the Trinamul and neither of the ministers showered with largesse had any major role to play. The only other factor is that all these leaders in the party are known for their proximity to Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata’s heir apparent and Trinamul’s all-India general secretary. Bhunia had switched over to the Trinamul from the Congress holding Abhishek’s hand.
In the first term of the Mamata Banerjee-led government, the late Subrata Mukherjee was minister in charge of both the panchayat and public health engineering department. With the reallocation, the two departments are once again to be led by one minister.
Bhunia’s water resources department office is in the same building where the consumers affairs department is located. The minister of state for forests, Birbaha Hansda, will also be the junior minister in the consumer affairs department.
