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43-member Bengal cabinet takes oath
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee retained some of the most important portfolios such as home and hills affairs, health and family welfare, land and land reforms, personnel and administrative reforms and information and cultural affairs, among others.
West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee retained six portfolios for herself while inducting 20 new faces on Monday in the 43-member cabinet for her third stint in office.
Banerjee retained some of the most important portfolios such as home and hills affairs, health and family welfare, land and land reforms, personnel and administrative reforms and information and cultural affairs, among others.
“We have inducted 20 new ministers in the cabinet. There are nine women ministers (including Banerjee herself), seven ministers representing the minority community and four each from the SC and ST communities,” Banerjee said.
While the ruling Trinamool Congress returned to power for the third time with a thumping victory, winning 213 of the 292 seats that went to the polls in the 294-member state assembly, party supremo Banerjee lost to her protégé-turned-adversary Suvendu Adhikari by fewer than 2,000 votes at Nandigram in East Midnapore district.
Soon after distributing the berths, Banerjee held the first cabinet meeting and hinted that her government prefers not to impose a lockdown despite a sharp rise in Covid-19 cases.
“We have imposed multiple restrictions. Without imposing a total lockdown, I would urge people to behave as if there is a lockdown. If you impose a total lockdown then people won’t be able to earn a living. There are many poor people who depend on daily wages,” she said.
On Banerjee’s team are 24 ministers of cabinet rank, 10 ministers of state with independent charge, and nine other ministers of state.
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Among the new ministers sworn in was former finance minister Amit Mitra. Even though he didn’t contest the elections because of his poor health, he was sworn in as finance minister. Among the new faces given ministerial berths were former IPS officer Humayun Kabir and ex-cricketer Manoj Tiwari.
Though the TMC had fielded several Tollywood actors and nearly all of them won, none were inducted in the cabinet.
The chief minister also made some important changes in the cabinet. Jyotipriyo Mullick who was the former food and supplies minister was made the forest and renewable sources minister. It was during Mullick’s tenure that the TMC had to face allegations of a ration scam.
Firhad Hakim who was the former mayor of Kolkata and at the same time looked after the urban development department was given transport and housing, while minister of state for health Chandrima Bhattacharya was given the additional charge of urban development. Bratya Basu was returned the ministries of school and higher education.
Adhikari, on his part, said the BJP’s priority was ensuring peace in the state.
“As the main opposition party in the assembly our first priority would be to ensure that there is no violence and to establish democracy. We would attend the sessions and raise our voice against injustice and torture,” said Adhikari, after being chosen as the leader of the opposition in the assembly.
For the first time, the Bengal assembly doesn’t have anyone from the Congress and the Left Front, projecting a bipartisan shade of political representation that was unthinkable in the state till 10 years ago.
The chief minister, however, said: “Nothing has happened in Bengal. Bengal is peaceful. There was only one genocide which took place at Sitalkuchi (where central forces had shot dead for persons).”
Later in the day, Banerjee also held a meeting with religious leaders, market associations and puja committees while urging them to issue public statements, advising people to follow Covid-19 protocols during festive seasons.
While Eid is scheduled later this week, members of the Calcutta Khilafat Committee have decided not to hold prayers on Red Road, which usually witnesses a gathering of more than 200,000 people on the festival. The state has put on a cap of 50 people on religious and cultural gatherings.
