House panel chairmanships have always been decided informally, so it’s unclear what the rules are about settling a standoff. Government sources, however, said they would not “allow things to reach such a pass”.

“The Left leaders are reasonable and understand the nuances of a situation. We hope the matter will be sorted out by next week,” a source said.

Today, as chairman of the outgoing committee, Acharya shot off a letter to Mamata urging her to modernise the railway printing presses, which employ more than 5,000 workers, instead of outsourcing the ministry’s printing jobs.

The 40 House standing committees have two main tasks. One, to examine the various ministries’ demands for grants during the budget session. Two, to study the bills the House cannot debate in detail.

The committees’ recommendations are not binding. At worst, their reports can embarrass the government by exposing major flaws in a bill or hinting at a conflict of interest.