Deb ready with list but silence on names

Deb in Siliguri on Sunday. Picture by Kundan Yolmo

TT, Siliguri, July 31: Darjeeling district (plains) Trinamul president Gautam Deb will hand over a list of names for the proposed committee members and also other committees to be formed in lower levels in Calcutta tomorrow.

"We have held talks with district leaders and also leaders who are working in blocks and Assembly segments. Also, a core committee of the party would be formed in the district. According to instructions of our party chief Mamata Banerjee and state leaders, I have prepared a proposed list of the new district committee, the core committee and other committees to be formed at the lower levels. Tomorrow, I will hand over the list to my party colleague Aroop Biswas, who is the party's observer in Darjeeling," Deb said today.

Deb did not mention any names included in the list.

Party sources said names of many of the second-rung leaders were expected to figure on the list.

"There are chances that these leaders might not be provided with important portfolios. Also, a core committee, likely to be a five-member of seven-member group, would be formed in the district and would be an important body to take decisions. There is always a probability that the leaders, about whom questions were raised by Bhaichung and state leaders, might be left out of the core committee," a Trinamul source said.

After the abysmal results of Trinamul in Darjeeling in the Assembly polls, Mamata dissolved the district committee. Ranjan Sarkar, who had been the district president since November last year, was removed from his post. At the end of last month, while Mamata was on an official tour, Deb was made the new district president of the party.

"Gautam Deb has been made the new district president in Darjeeling (plains). He will prepare a proposed list of other district committee members and portfolio holders and will submit it to the state committee. The state committee will go through the list and will approve it," Biswas said, while making the announcement.

Deb had said the entire process of forming the new district committee and other committees would be done by the middle of August.

"The party here is functioning without a full-fledged district committee since May. Also, committees in the lower tiers, like in blocks, Assembly segments and panchayats were also dissolved. Now that around three months have passed, it is natural that the district president should have made the move," party insiders said.

"The recent meetings held with the leaders, followed by today's announcement indicates that the district president did not want to make any further delay."

"In fact, in past three months, no major political activity has been taken up by the party in Siliguri and surrounding areas due to absence of the committees," they added.