West Bengal: Mayor ignores duties for Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata,(29/08/11)(Tehelkanews)

Municipal Corporation (KMC) mayor Sovan Chatterjee is a man of many talents - a part-time civic boss and a full-time \"Man Friday\" to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.He is often seen carrying Didi\'s handbag or capturing her varied moods on his camera.Historically, the Calcutta mayor\'s post has been an exalted one with luminaries such as Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose, Deshbandhu Chittaranjan Das and Bidhan Chandra Roy serving as mayors.

But Chatterjee appears unmindful of the prestige of this chair in unabashedly projecting himself as the chief ministers \"stooge\" - all thanks to Bengal\'s power politics.After Mamata took over as the CM, the mayor has been shadowing her wherever she goes - be it Didi\'s visits to the hospitals or vegetable markets, meetings at the state secretariat building or the signing of the tripartite Gorkhaland agreementThe files in his office have at times piled sky-high during his long absences.

Clad in a starched, white dress on Saturday, Chatterjee followed Mamata with an SLR camera during her visit to the vegetable markets in the city - like a personal photographer on assignment. He jostled among the crowd to capture every moment of the CM speaking to the vendors and the customers at the markets.



It appeared as if the mayor had no important work at hand while as many as 141 municipal wards were flooded with civic problems and the monsoon wrecked havoc on the roads.



Some questions were also raised about what the mayor was doing with Mamata at a programme organised by the state government in Siliguri last month. His role then was no better than that of an errand boy carrying Didi\'s signature blue handbag and applauding at her every announcement.



Known as a trusted lieutenant, Chatterjee accompanied his party chief and eventually became close to the populist CM. Party sources said the mayor acts as a mere facilitator to the CM in every possible way - be it carrying her handbag and files to passing a cup of tea during meetings.



Earlier, Mamata had asked the mayor to arrange for packed food at the Writers\' Buildings on May 21 - the second day of the new Trinamool Congress cabinet at the secretariat building. The canteens were closed on that day.



The same day, while Mamata was on her way to the Writers\' Buildings from her Kalighat residence, her convoy was allowed free passage at a busy traffic crossing. Chatterjee, who had been following the convoy, stepped out of his swanky SUV, hopped into Didi\'s rickety black Santro and went along with Mamata\'s convoy instead of going to his office.



In December last year, the mayor was also pushed by Mamata into a swimming pool on the occasion of laying the foundation for a new booster pumping station at Chetla.



After the ceremony, Mamata playfully went to a newly inaugurated children\'s swimming pool next to the dais.



While Chatterjee watched his daughter swim, Mamata gave him a shove which made him lose balance. He helplessly fell into the waistdeep water. However, the mayor somehow managed to get over the embarrassment and started playing with his daughter - perhaps to appease his political mentor.


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