Congress pulls out six ministers from Mamata Banerjee ministry

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As a counter to the withdrawal of support to the UPA government by the Trinamool Congress on Thursday, the Congress on Saturday pulled out its six ministers from the Mamata Banerjee ministry.

The ministers, who submitted their resignation letters to the chief minister, were Manas Bhuinya (Irrigation, SMEs, Micro Industries, Textiles) and Abu Hena (Fisheries), both of them of cabinet rank.

Ministers of state Sunil Tirkey (Consumer affairs), Abu Naser Khan Chaudhury (Science and Technology and Parliamentary Affairs), Sabina Yasmin (Labour, ESI) and Pramathanath Roy (Planning and Development) were the others.

Party leaders, including WBPCC chief Pradip Bhattacharya, would meet Governor M.K. Narayanan at Raj Bhavan to formally withdraw support to the state government.

Bhuinya later told reporters that they submitted their resignation letters since the Trinamool Congress pulled out its six ministers from the UPA government and withdrew support.

"Our submission of resignation letters was a sequel to that and as per the decision of party high command and our state unit," he said.

Bhuinya said that the chief minister expressed satisfaction at their performance during their tenure as ministers and told them to contact her if they required anything.

Bhuinya, an important WBPCC leader and former party's state unit chief, said that Congress hoped that the state government would work in the interest of the people.

"But if we find that the government is working against the interest of the people, we will not waste a single moment to declare a jihad against this government," he said.

Stating that it had been the desire of the people of Bengal that Congress and Trinamool Congress work together, he alleged that during the 34-years of Left Front rule, 17,000 Congress workers lost their lives.

"Congress will play a very important role for the people of the state," Bhuinya said.

Sabina Yasmin said 'the chief minster treated us well'.