Model code upsets leaders

Statesman News Service

MALDA, March 14: Both CPI-M and Congress leaders are upset at cancellation of a series of inauguration programmes just before panchayat election due to the model code of conduct, which came into force yesterday following notification of the Kharba Assembly by-election in the northern part of this district. The by-poll will be held on 12 April. Filling of nomination forms will begin on 19 March and continue till 26 March. Counting of votes will begin on 16 April. The model code of conduct will remain in force till electionday. Interestingly, the political leaders do not have a scope to organise the cancelled inauguration programmes after the by-poll because by this time another model code of conduct would be coming into force for panchayat polls which are scheduled to be held in May. The ruling parties plan-ned to organise two such major programmes with the help of the government officials just before panchayat election. Similarly the Congress, BJP and Trinamul led Malda zilla parishad had planned to execute a series of inauguration programmes of various schemes before panchayat polls. After receiving notification from the election commission the district magistrate Mr C R Das said: “The model code of conduct for by-poll will be coming into force in the entire district and all programmes including the inauguration of the arsenic free drinking water treatment plant at Balupur in Ratua and foundation laying ceremony for the Gour Vishwavidyalay in English Bazaar have been cancelled. Chief minister Mr Bud-dhadeb Bhattacherjee , foreign minister Mr Pranab Mukherjee, rural development minister Mr Raghub-ansh Prasad Singh , information and broadcasting minister Mr Priya Ranjan Das Munshi and other ministers from the states were scheduled to attend the inauguration programme of the arsenic free drinking water treatment plant on 16 March. For foundation laying ceremony of the Gaur Banga Vishwavidyalay, the Lok Sabha Speaker Mr Somnath Chatterjee and other dignitaries were scheduled to attend the programme on 23 March. The resource mobilisation committee for the university today circulated thousands of leaflets to inform the people of the programme. The district magistrate also received the invitation letter for this inauguration programme from the principal secretary of education department Mr Prasad Ranjan Roy today. Interestingly, the district magistrate, superintendent of police and chief medical officer of health today opened a three day health fair in Malda district hospital cancelling the inauguration programme which was sch-eduled to be inaugurated by Malda MP Mr. A H Khan Choudhury. The district magistrate, over phone, today asked the sabhadhipati Malda zilla parishad Mr. Goutam Chakraborty and the Malda M P Mr. Choudhury not to come here ... ‘please'. “In the interest of people and medical service to the public we opened the fair today”, said Mr. CR Das, the Malda D M. #