Mamata Banerjee's minister refused to accept new post, threatened to quit politics

KOLKATA: A fresh trouble has erupted in West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress over the chief minister Mamata Banerjee's recent reshuffle of her cabinet.

The chief minister had brought some changes in her cabinet on last Wednesday and took away the agriculture ministry from her Singur MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharjee.

Instead of agriculture, Mamata has given an insignificant portfolio to Bhattacharjee which he had refused to accept. Aggrieved Bhattacharjee has resigned from Mamata's government and not attending his office since last Wednesday when changes in the cabinet was made.

On Saturday Mamata had sent one of her trusted MPs Ratna De Nag to Bhattacharjee's Singur residence to convince him about the recent changes and accept his new post in the government.

The MP held talks with Bhattacharjee for more than an hour, but failed to convince the Singur MLA who is stick to his stand of quitting the government. The new minister in Mamata's government and her Singur hero Becharam Manna held a meeting at Singur on Saturday and requested Bhattacharjee to attend the same. But Bhattacharjee did not accept the invitation.

Interestingly, Bhattacharjee has also refused to attend a function at Singur on November 30 when the chief minister will be present. "I shall not accept any invitation from any government officials. Even I am not ready to listen to any of our leaders. If Mamata Banerjee invites me personally, I shall attend the November 30 function at Singur," Bhattacharjee said on Saturday.

Bhattacharjee's refusal to join his new post and resign from active politics has certainly put Mamata in trouble and embarrassment. Singur played a crucial role in organising land movement against the previous Left Front government and evict them from power.

Rabindranath Bhattacharjee-- the two-time Trinamool Congress MLA from Singur has naturally embarrassed Mamata Banerjee by not accepting her decision to take away the agriculture ministry from him. A popular teacher in Singur, Bhattacharjee enjoys love and respect from the local people and it might be difficult for Mamata Banerjee to take any drastic action against him for violating her decision regarding the cabinet reshuffle.

Mamata is also facing another silent criticism from within her party for giving ministerial berths to two Congress MLAs---Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury and Humayun Kabir. "We don't understand why the two Congress MLAs who had left their party only a couple of days ago, were given so much importance. We also don't understand why Didi (read Mamata Banerjee) made them ministers," said a senior Trinamool Congress MLA on condition of anonymity.