The Hindu : National : Buddhadeb rules out removal of Kolkata Mayor

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Wednesday, May 04, 2005

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National

Buddhadeb rules out removal of Kolkata Mayor

Special Correspondent

Government to wait for outcome of municipal elections

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has ruled out dismissing Subrata Mukherjee from the post of Mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) even though the ruling Trinamool Congress — Bharatiya Janata Party combine in the present board has been reduced to a minority and the Trinamool virtually split over the choice of partners to contest the coming civic elections.

Mr. Bhattacharjee said here on Tuesday that his Government would rather wait for the outcome of the polls to the KMC due on June 19 to see whether there is a change in the incumbent for the post. The KMC is an autonomous body and has a constitution of its own which should be respected, he added.

Mamata vociferous

Interestingly, among the most vociferous in the demand for the removal of the Mayor was his Mr. Mukherjee's party colleague and chairperson of the Trinamool, Mamata Banerjee. She has charged the civic board run by him with massive misappropriation of funds over the past few years and has even called for a probe into the matter by the Central Bureau of Investigation. Relations between the two have reached a nadir ever since Mr. Mukherjee set up a separate forum that has decided to forge an alliance with the Congress for the coming elections. The Trinamool leadership has, however, stopped short of any disciplinary action against Mr. Mukherjee and others in the rebel faction.

The question of removing Mr. Mukherjee from the post simply because the leadership of his party is demanding so does not arise, according to the Chief Minister.

The ruling combine in the KMC board was reduced to a minority when at least seven councillors belonging to the Trinamool joined the Congress. This was well before the setting up of the new forum by councillors and legislators of the Trinamool led by Mr. Mukherjee.

The CPI(M) leadership feels that the civic board has lost the moral right to continue with rival factions of the Trinamool at each other's throats. But the CPI(M) does not want the board to be dismissed as it had been formed after democratic election, according to the party's State Secretary, Anil Biswas.

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