By TCN Staff Reporter,
Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, surprising her Muslim ministers as well as Muslim voters, has decided to keep the portfolio of Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education with her. She will hold some other portfolios also including Home and Land Reforms. She distributed the portfolios Friday night.
Masters in Islamic History from Calcutta University, Mamata apparently has something special in her mind regarding the Muslim community in the state. That’s why, it seems, she has not allotted the minority welfare portfolios to any of the Muslim ministers though all are well educated, including Retired Calcutta High Court Judge Noore Alam Chiowdhury and former IPS officer Hyder Aziz Safwi.
Mamata Banerjee taking oath as CM of West Bengal on Friday
Mamata took oath as the first woman chief minister of West Bengal on Friday afternoon. Along with her, 37 ministers – 33 cabinet rank and 4 state minister rank – also took oath. Of 37, Trinamool Congress has 35 ministers while two are from Congress. Congress will have five more ministers in Mamata cabinet.
Late last night, Mamata allocated portfolios to her council of ministers, keeping to herself nine departments, including Home, Land and Land Reforms, Information and Cultural Affairs, Health and Family Welfare, Agriculture, Hill Affairs, Minority Affairs and Madrasa Education, Personnel and Administrative Reforms and Power.
Economist and former FICCI general secretary Amit Mitra has been given the departments of Finance and Excise, while Mamata’ close associate Partha Chatterjee was allocated Commerce and Industries, Public Enterprises, Industrial Reconstruction, Parliamentary Affairs and Information Technology.
Of the 37 ministers, there are six Muslims – all cabinet rankers. Five are from Trinamool and one from Congress.
Muslim Ministers———-Portfolio
Noore Alam Chiowdhury——–Animal Resources
Hyder Aziz Safwi————-Cooperation and Inland Water Transport
Abdul Karim Chowdhury——–Mass Education Extension and Library Services
Javed Ahmed Khan————-Disaster Management, Fire and Emergency Services, Civil Defence
Firhad Hakim—————–Municipal Affairs and Urban Development
Abu Hena———————Fisheries, Food Processing Industries and Horticulture