Kolkata: Congress on Saturday expressed anguish at
Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee's absence in Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's engagements at Science City and described her
public outbursts against UPA government policies as "an
embarrassment".
"It is sheer embarrassment for the Congress party when a
major ally of the UPA government, particularly its seven
ministers in the Union ministry, criticises central government
policies in public and it is regrettable that Railway Minister
stays away from Prime Minister's function," a 37-member WBPCC
delegation told Singh at Raj Bhavan.
State Congress legislature party leader Manas Bhuniya
said that the delegation during its 45-minute audience
with the Prime Minister pointed out it was unfortunate that
the railway minister preferred to "stay away" from his
programmes in the city and even decided not to meet him.
"It is ridiculous too that seven ministers in the Union
ministry have been publicly vocal against the UPA government
and bringing out processions," Bhuniya said.
Bhuniya said the prime minister had heard them (the
delegation) with rapt attention, but refrained from
commenting.
Banerjee was earlier reported to have decided to stay
away from any programme of the prime minister "which is
attended by Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee".
Neither Banerjee nor any of her party leader was
available for comment.
The PCC delegation, which included two working presidents
Pradip Bhattacharya and Subrata Mukherjee, told Singh that the
WBPCC had expected Banerjee to meet him while he was in the
city.
"Instead, Banerjee busies herself with party programmes,"
the delegation members said.
The TC chief today led a procession of her party workers
and sympathisers in the metropolis from S C Mullick Square in
the south to Esplanade in the heart of the city to project
issues like price rise and law and order problem in left-ruled
West Bengal.
Kolkata Museum of Modern Art
The Centre is examining a West
Bengal government proposal for setting up a Kolkata Museum of
Modern Art here, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Saturday.
"Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has written to me
proposing the setting up of a Kolkata Museum of Modern Art
through public-private partnership. We are examining this
proposal," he said at a programme at the Science City.
Singh said National Gallery of Modern Art in Delhi has
recently increased its space by six times and also opened a
branch in Bangalore.
The Centre, he said, was also keen on converting the
Acharya Bhawan associated with great scientist J C Bose into a
science heritage museum and steps were being taken for
improving the Sir Jadunath Sarkar archives and museum.
Singh said his government was working to revive the
cultural heritage in West Bengal and Kolkata has been a major
centre of inquiry and research in modern India.
The Ministry of Culture, he said, would also assist in
revival of other historic cultural institutions of Kolkata
like the Academy of Fine Arts and Government College of Art.
He said modernisation of the National Library was
underway and the entire catalogue of 24 lakh books would be
available in digital format online within the next six months.
Launch mass movement: PM to WBPCC
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh
advised the Pradesh Congress leadership in West Bengal
to launch a mass movement and campaign against alleged law and
order problem and political violence in the state.
Singh is reported to have said this to a delegation of
PCC leaders who met him at the Raj Bhavan here.
PCC leaders requested him to explore invocation of
Article 355 in the state in view of the "throttling of
democracy and spurt in political violence in left-ruled West
Bengal".
WBPCC working president Subrata Mukherjee said
that Prime Minister had listened to the delegation's views and
advised the PCC leadership to embark on a mass movement.
Congress Legislature Party leader Manas Bhunia was
also in the delegation.
PTI
First Published: Saturday, January 16, 2010, 17:46