Click to play videoKolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee on Saturday defied the Forward Bloc's objection of renewing a licence of a German retail giant in the state. The CM has issued an order reinstating the licence of the company.
The Forward Bloc on Saturday reiterated its threat of withdrawing its ministers from WB cabinet if the CM does not withdraw his order by September 30.
A day before it threatened to pull out from the WB Left Front government for its decision to renew the business licence of a German retail giant.
The party-controlled State Marketing Board had decided not to give a renewal letter to Metro Cash & Carry's outlet in Kolkata, but Bhattacharjee overruled the board.
While, the licence is expected to come through by the end of this month, the Forward Bloc has demanded the CM to review his decision.
The company has invested Rs 140 crore and employs 350 people at its Kolkata store, but the Forward Bloc claims retail traders would suffer if the firm does business in the state.
Angry at Bhattacharjee’s decision, the Forward Bloc on Friday threatened that all its four ministers would resign if the renewal letter was not withdrawn immediately.
When asked if the ministers would resign, Forward Bloc state secretary Ashok Ghosh on Saturday said, "We are opposed to the renewal of licence of Metro Cash & Carry because it will affect poor farmers. If the directive concerning the renewal of licence is not withdrawn, our ministers will resign.”
CNN-IBN correspondent Sougata Mukhopadhyay reported on the situation from Kolkata. Here's the gist:
CNN-IBN: Could the Forward Bloc actually pull down the WB government?
Sougata: The Forward Bloc has only four ministers in the Left Fronts so it is unlikely that the Forward Bloc would be able to pull down the government unless it gets further support from the other Left Front partners.
CNN-IBN: Has the company reacted at all?
Sougata: No, we don't have any responses from the company. They have already said that they are going to wait till Monday because the CPI(M)-Forward Bloc bilateral meeting was suppose to be held on Sunday and the Chief Minister has requested the Metro Cash & Carry’s authorities to wait till Monday before we take a final call and the Metro people have decided to honour this request.
CNN-IBN: Two other parties- RSP, CPI - comprise the Left Front coalition, how are they reacting?.
Sougata: Both CPI and RSP have said that they are little surprised that why Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee bypassed the Forward Bloc and the Left Front to issue a unilateral order and they have also criticised but they haven't gone to the extent the way the Forward Bloc has done.
CNN-IBN: Why is that Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has taken on the Forward Bloc and didn't take on Mamata Banerjee?.
Sougata: Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee has made it clear that he would be providing the required licence to Metro Cash & Carry which was actually given to the company and later it was decided by the Forward Bloc, who dominates and runs the Bengal Agricultural Marketing Board and the CM has committed before the Metro Cash & Carry authority that he would grant the licence. So, under the circumstances that the Forward Bloc decided not to renew the licence, the CM has no other option than to use his special powers and issue that licence.
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