Out on bail in the school jobs scam case, former minister and suspended TMC MLA Partha Chatterjee has been included in several important committees of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
According to the Assembly bulletin, released on Tuesday, the Behala West legislator has been appointed as a member of the Assembly’s Housing and Fire Emergency Services Committee, Disaster Management Committee, and Library Committee.
Chatterjee was arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in July 23, 2022, after the central agency, probing the alleged irregularities in the appointment of government teachers in 2016, recovered more than Rs 50 crore in cash from his friend Arpita Mukherjee‘s flat. Chatterjee was the state Education Minister between 2014 and 2021. At the time of the arrest, he was the Industries and Parliamentary Affairs Minister.
Following his arrest, the TMC government removed him from the state Cabinet. The party also suspended him for six years.
Last September, he was granted conditional bail by the Calcutta High Court, but he could not walk out of jail due to a Supreme Court order that required charges to be framed and statements of witnesses to be recorded in his pending cases.
Last November, the final eight witnesses recorded their statements, after which a special CBI court ordered Chatterjee’s release.
Since his release on November 11, Chatterjee has been keeping a low profile. Recently, he had said that he would attend the Assembly session, the last before the state election, which is likely to take place in the March-April period.
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“According to the Assembly Rules, the chief minister, any minister and the Leader of the Opposition cannot be made members of any Standing Committee or Committee of the Assembly. After becoming an MLA for the first time in 2001, Partha Chatterjee was a part of several House panels. However, after becoming the Leader of the Opposition in 2006 and after the TMC came to power in 2011, he was not a member of any House committee due to his long tenure as a Cabinet minister. As he is not currently in any ministry, he has returned to the Assembly committees,” said a TMC leader.
Two motions on SIR submitted, one by Govt, another by ISF
With Assembly elections due in March or April, the TMC government will present a vote-on-account in the Assembly on February 5 (Thursday).
Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee said the Governor will address the House in the first half of the day on Thursday, followed by a vote-on-account in the second half.
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The Speaker also said that a motion on the Election Commission’s Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls will be taken up in the 7-day session that began on Tuesday.
“Two motions on the SIR exercise have been submitted – one by the government, which was placed by minister Shovandev Chatterjee, and the other by lone ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui.
“Generally, when the ruling party proposes a motion, their motion is accepted. In this case, TMC’s motion was accepted. However, Naushad Siddiqui’s motion will also be mentioned,” a senior Assembly official said.
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
