By IANS,
New Delhi : It is no secret that union ministers Mamata Banerjee and M.K. Alagiri are habitual absentees from union cabinet meetings, with concerns in their respective states keeping them away from Delhi for considerable periods of time.
Insiders point out that Didi – as Railway Minister Banerjee is popularly called – has attended just a handful of meetings since the United Progressive Alliance came to power, and this has even earned the displeasure of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Besides, important files have also been piling up at Rail Bhavan as she is preoccupied with engagements in Kolkata.
On the other hand, Chemicals and Fertiliser Minister Alagiri – upset not only at the Lok Sabha secretariat’s refusal to let him speak in Tamil but also after being compelled by the government to drop his Officer on Special Duty A.K. Viswanathan – has been playing truant for a while now.
In the last cabinet meeting as many as nine ministers were absent!