Babul Supriyo losing the tourism department to Indranil Sen, the department’s pervious in-charge, and the Trinamul Congress leader from North 24 Parganas, Jyotipriyo Mullick being entrusted with the crucial public enterprises and industrial reconstruction department formed the highlights of the portfolio reshuffle in the Bengal state cabinet which was notified on Monday.
Finalizing the changes hours before leaving for her official trip to Europe and the Middle East, chief minister Mamata Banerjee said: “The Governor put his signature on the changes last night. That’s why we are notifying the reshuffle today.”
Supriyo, who currently holds charge of the Information Technology and Electronics was given the additional charge of the department of non-conventional and renewable energy sources. Sen, on the other hand, was given back independent charge of his former department besides technical education and Information & Cultural Affairs departments of which he continues to remain minister-of-state.
Mullick continued to hold charge of the state forest department alongside fresh charge of industrial reconstruction which Mamata Banerjee has entrusted him with. The latter department was removed from senior cabinet minister Sashi Panja’s portfolio.
Arup Roy, the ruling party leader from Howrah, also stood to look a tad clipped of responsibility after his co-operation department was snatched and handed over to panchayat minister Pradip Mazumdar. Roy has now been handed over charge of the comparatively less-prominent department of food processing industries and horticulture.
The party’s Uttar Dinajpur MLA Ghulam Rabbani was stripped of his food processing portfolio and replaced with charge of the state environment department.
Supriyo, a two-time MP from Asansol and former junior minister in the Narendra Modi government, had switched camps from the BJP to the Trinamul in September 2021 after he was stripped of his portfolio in the union council of ministers. The crooner-turned politician won the state Assembly bypolls from Ballygunge in April 2022 and assumed his position as a cabinet minister in the Mamata Banerjee government in August that year.
Taking a dig at Supriyo in the wake of Monday’s developments, state BJP leader and MLA from Asansol South took to the social media to debunk the turncoat. “Someone joined TMC because he wanted to play in first 11. Today that player had been sidelined. Is the player planning to leave TMC also?? JUST WAIT & WATCH,” she posted on her X timeline, without naming Supriyo.
