Malda's point man no more

Manas R Banerjee

MALDA, April 14: “You are not the minister of Malda, mind it, you are the minister for India,” the late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had told Ghani Khan Choudhury at a public rally at Katihar in Bihar.Mr Khan Choudhury’s reply, said Masidur Rahman, was: “No madam, I am the minister of Malda. I always think of Malda first and then think about India.”Mr. Rahman was the only election agent of Mr Khan Choudhury since 1969 and looked after his election work till the last parliamentary election. Mr Rahman said: “He was a large-hearted man, and was also broadminded. After Bidhan Chandra Roy, he was the only popular leader in West Bengal. His death marks the end of an era. It is a gap that can neveer be filled. I couldn’t go to see him in Kolkata due to election preparations and nomination of all Congress candidates. I am in deep shock.” Mr Rahman told reporters. Mr Sailen Sarkar, minister food processing industries and horticulture, who contested thrice against him in the Lok Sabha election, said: “I am shocked after hearing the news. “He had extended full cooperation for developmental work in Malda,” Mr Sarkar said.The CPI-M leader, Mr Pranab Das, who had contested the last Lok Sabha election against Mr Khan Choudhury also expressed his grief at his death. “His death is a great loss not only for Malda but also for Bengal,” said Mr KN Choudhury, who joined the Congress and got a ticket for English Bazaar.

Pic: Pralependu Sanyal

Noor puts lid on quarrel over body
Statesman News Service

MALDA, April14: Minutes after the veteran Congress leader, ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury’s death, local leaders were visibly divided over the place where his body would be kept for people to offer their last respects.Mrs Rubi Noor, his sister, informed the workers from Kolkata to make an arrangement at his Kotowali house, but the local leaders were planning to keep his body in the Malda Town Hall. Mrs Noor turned down the workers’ proposal and told them that she would chalk out the programme. It was also said that his body would be flown to Malda tomorrow morning. The helicopter will land at the Police Lines field. Leaders including the Congress candidate, Mr KN Choudhury, are planning to take out a rally in English Bazaar town.Sources said, at a meeting of Congress leaders at the party office, Mr Choudhury had argued that this place will be appropriate for thousands of people to pay their homage.People will not face any problem to go to Kotwali after coming in Malda town by bus or train, he said. But Mrs Noor ended the argument and asked her close associates and leaders to cancel the plan of keeping his body in the Town Hall.A leaders’ group has instructed all mosques and madrasas to organise a namaz called janza. Mr Masidur Rahman, vice president of the Malda Congress, informed the heads of mosques to organise janza from today.The Malda CPI-M today announced that party workers would not organise any open-air programme for the election campaign in the district today and tomorrow.

Security at English Bazaar stepped up
Statesman News Service

MALDA, April 14: At least 500 policemen will be deployed across English Bazaar town to manage the huge rush of people who would throng the town to have a glimpse of Ghani Khan Choudhury’s body, the Malda SP, Mr K Mondal, said today.He said besides various spots of the town, police would be deployed in the Malda policelines right up to the Malda Town Hall and on the way to Mr Khan Choudhury’s residence and burial ground at his village. “His body will be kept at Malda Town Hall as a huge rush of people are expected,” Mr Mondal said. Mrs Rubi Noor was initially not ready to keep his body at the Town Hall for the people but the programme was changed. Local leaders were divided and were involved in a quarrel at the party office after his death.His body may go to a school, Sahela Memorial, built after the name of his mother and set up by Mr Khan Chowdhury. “Barkatda used to follow his mother’s instruction rather than his father to take important decisions in his life,” a senior Congress leader said.Congress leaders and workers of Kaliachak, from where Mr Khan Choudhury had contested in the Assembly election for the first time, demanded that his body be brought to Kaliachak. But no decision has been taken yet, according to police.

The master parliamentarian
Obituary/ ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury (1927-2006)Veteran Congress leader and MP, Abu Barkat Ataul Ghani Khan Choudhury, who was admitted to a city nursing home on 3 April after multiple organ failure, died around 11.31 a.m today. He was 79 and is survived by two siblings, Mr Abu Hashem Khan Choudhury and Ms Ruby Noor, both legislators. He fell ill in Malda on 2 April and was airlifted to Kolkata the next day. From the nursing home, his body was brought to Bidhan Bhavan, Pradesh Congress office, where his body kept till 8.30 p.m. From Bidhan Bhavan, his body would be kept at Peace Haven in the night. The leader’s body will be flown to his residence at Kotwali in Malda district at 7 am tomorrow and his last rites will be conducted there in the evening. Born into an aristocrat family in Malda on 1 November, 1927, ABA Ghani Khan Choudhury, earned the rare distinction of being elected to the West Bengal Assembly six times, besides making it to the Lok Sabha eight times between 1980 and 2004. Known as Barkatda, Khan Choudhury first became power minister in the SS Ray government in 1972, during which he ensured jobs for thousands of youths in Malda. In 1980, he was elected to the Lok Sabha and was selected by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi to look after the energy department with additional charge of irrigation. Between 1982 and 1984, Khan Choudhury was railway minister and earned popularity for zonal projects which provided jobs to youths of the state in general and Malda in particular. He also handled the coal ministry with his controversial style of functioning. It was largely due to his personal initiative that both the Metro Railway and the Circular Railway became operational in Kolkata. As power minister both in the state and at the Centre, he was instrumental in getting clearance of projects for building the Kolaghat and Farakka super-thermal power stations for which he was criticised. He became a member of the Congress Working Committee and Congress Parliamentary Party during 1981-85.