MZP budget passed , courtesy L F leaders

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Feb. 19: Two Left Front leaders ~ Mr Suresh Saha from CPI and Mr Khoka Orao from Forward Bloc ~ today helped the Congress-led Malda Zilla Parishad (MZP) board to pass its annual budget.Mr Orao, meanwhile, has been suspended from Forward Bloc on the charge of breaking the party whip.Earlier, the Opposition members of the MZP boycotted the budget session today following an instruction from the Malda district Left Front convenor, Mr Jiban Moitra.The step was apparently taken to teach the Congress a lesson for opposing the English Bazaar Panchayat Samiti budget.It may be recalled that the CPI-M-led English Bazaar Panchayat Samiti had recently failed to pass its annual budget following the Congress’s opposition. In the 65-member Malda Zilla Parishad general body, the Congress board is still far from majority.Hence, the Congress-led board was looking for the LF leaders’ support to pass the budget. Mr Moitra, however, said the decision to oppose the MZP budget was not at all related to the English Bazaar Panchayat Samiti budget.“We opposed the budget session because the ruling board did not record our comments in the lead up to today’s meeting,” Mr Moitra, said, adding that the matter has been brought to the notice of the Jalpiguri divisional commissioner and the Malda district magistrate. The MZP sabhadipati, Mr Goutam Chakraborty, said: “We had sought cooperation from all members of the MZP in the interest of development in the district. As a result, Mr Saha and Mr Orao today extended their support to us. The MZP today passed an estimated budget of Rs 68.77 crore for the year 2007-2008. Meanwhile, the Malda district Forward Bloc leaders today suspended its member, Mr Khoka Orao, from the party for going against the party whip. “We have sent a letter to the state committee, recommending Mr Orao’s expulsion from the party. The Congress leaders actually purchased Mr Orao with money. For the last five days, Khoka was out of station and we failed to contact him during this period. Today, he suddenly reached the MZP office along with the English Bazaar MLA Mr KN Choudhury and supported the budget,” Mr Jiaul Hossain, the Malda district general secretary of All India Forward Bloc, said.