Cong calls review meeting in Malda

Statesman News Service

MALDA, Aug 8: To mend the fissures that have appeared among the party rank and file over the controversial issue of retrenchment of casual workers at the English Bazaar Municipality, the Malda district Congress president, Ms Rubi Noor has convened an emergency meeting on Sunday. The district leaders including the chief of Malda Zilla Parishad, chief of English Bazaar Municipality, all congress MLAs and block level leaders have been summoned in the meeting. It is learnt that the district president Ms Noor and the Malda MP Mr AH Khan Choudhury would seek explanation from the warring factions their action on the EBM retrenchment issue. Though Ms Rubi Noor today blamed the CPI-M for the current situation, a section of the Congress leadership complained her that the English Bazaar Congress MLA, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury, was the real conspirator. It was learnt that the date and time of the proposed meeting has been rescheduled so that Mr Krishnendu Choudhury cannot avoid the meeting citing his preoccupation as an MLA. The EBM chairman, Mr Narendranath Tiwari and the vice-chairman, Mr Biswanath Guho, complained to Ms Noor that the English Bazaar MLA is being guided by CPI-M leader and minister for environment and state parliamentary affairs minister Mr Sailen Sarkar. The chairman of the EBM has reportedly collected information about a discussion that was held between Mr Choudhury and minister Mr Sarkar aboard the Gour Express a few days ago. “Our MLA saheb was the chief conspirator behind the retrenchment issue but I do not know about the minister,” Mr Biswanath Guho, vice chairman of the EBM, said. Rejecting the insinuation, the English Bazaar MLA, Mr Krishnendu Choudhury, said over telephone: “A chairman of a civic body cannot ignore or violate a government order. Holding some one responsible for it is unwise.” It may be recalled that a group of councillors belonging to the Left and the CPI-M backed EBM Employees’ Union had lodged a complaint with the directorate of local bodies regarding the casual workers, which triggered the retrenchment order.