Kolkata: In a stern perform or perish message, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee today stripped Partha Chatterjee of his Commerce and Industry portfolio in a Cabinet reshuffle, giving the key department to Finance Minister Amit Mitra to give a boost to industrialisation in the state.
Though Chatterjee was ostensibly removed from the post to “lessen his burden”, the shake-up involving 12 ministers came on the heels of a meeting chaired by Banerjee last week when she pulled up several ministers for non-performance and failure to utilise funds.
The removal of Chatterjee, TMC General Secretary and considered second in rank in the Cabinet, followed muted criticism of his failure to deliver.
“Partha Chatterjee was retaining many portfolios and he has also to look after the party as he is the general secretary. He was under tremendous pressure. So in order to lessen his burden it has been decided that Amit Mitra, who is also the Finance Minister, will look after the Industry and Commerce Department,” the Chief Minister said. She said Chatterjee would retain IT, electronics and parliamentary affairs departments and will also assist the her in her departments.
