Mamata Banerjee shunts industry minister Partha Chatterjee in drive against non-performers

KOLKATA: With an eye on Lok Sabha polls, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee delivered a stern message to non-performers in her Cabinet by shunting out key party aide Partha Chatterjee from the industry portfolio in a major reshuffle of her 31-month-old ministry.

Chatterjee, second in rank after Mamata Banerjee, will be replaced by Finance Minister Amit Mitra, in a move also being seen to give a boost to industrialistation in the state.

Chatterjee will, however, continue to hold Information and Technology and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios.

Speculation was rife in political circles for some time about Mitra replacing Chatterjee after Banerjee expressed dissatisfaction over the performance of the department in review meetings.

Mitra's proximity to industry captains during his stint as FICCI Secretary-General is touted in the industry and political circles as the reason for the change in the midst of Banerjee's industry drive following her party's sweeping rural poll victory.

Though Chatterjee was ostensibly removed from the post to "lesson his burden", the shake-up involving 12 ministers came on the heels of a meeting chaired by Banerjee last week when she pulled up several ministers for non-performance and failure to utilise funds.

The removal of Chatterjee, TMC General Secretary and considered second in the rank in the Cabinet followed muted criticism of his failure to draw in big-ticket investments into the state.

Apparently peeved at his demotion, Chatterjee said, "People of Bengal will decide what work has been done during my tenure. Whatever decision the Chief Minister has taken for the development of industry is right."