Ranchi, March 11: Differences in Babulal Marandi’s Cabinet surfaced today with three ministers engaging in a slanging match on the floor of the House.
Industry minister Pashupati Nath Singh and his party and Cabinet colleague Raghubar Das (labour) took on Samresh Singh for contradicting their statement on the industrial policy.
The issue was raised by the MCC’s Arup Chatterjee, who told the government to ensure that if it was not in a position to reopen closed units in Dhanbad, it should hand over the job to private persons.
Replying to the query, Pashupati Nath Singh accused the legislator’s party of being responsible for the closure of these industries.
He said most units had to shut shop because of labour unrest and that Chatterjee’s trade union played a major role in the closure. This triggered heated exchanges between the industry minister and Chatterjee.
In the meantime, CLP leader Furqan Ansari wanted to know from the minister whether the industries referred to by the member were closed or sick. Singh clarified they were closed.
However, even as deliberations were on, science and technology minister Samresh Singh, of the Jharkhand Vananchal Congress, intervened and contradicted the industry minister. He said it was not correct to say that all of them were closed. “The Kumardubi-based KFS still has a chowkidar who is paid on a monthly basis. The industry has huge assets,” he said.
Samresh Singh said the government should “seriously think” about the reopening of closed industries in Jharkhand.
Not happy with the statement, the labour minister said it was not the work of the government to run an industry. He added that the government could consider it only if a promoter approaches it for reopening any particular industry.
Even agriculture minister Devi Dayal Kushwaha suggested that the government should follow the Maharashtra pattern for the reopening of the closed industries.
“The government should announce a package for it,” he said. Das was seen asking Kushwaha not to say such things which he thought were going against the government.
Human resource development minister Chandra Mohan Prasad drew flak in the House with even the Speaker making observations about the unsatisfactory reply to the query of JMM member Hemlal Murmu. The issue generated much heat since it related to non-payment of salaries to teachers of regional languages.
Murmu alleged that the government was apathetic towards the regional languages and hence was not taking interest in appointing teachers.
But the minister said he could not do much since the matter was sub-judice. At this, Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari intervened and said the government had taken a decision in this connection which the minister has not mentioned in his reply to the question.
“The file has already been sent to the finance department and the finance minister has assured me that he would give the sanction in a day or two,” Namdhari pointed out.
