MAMATA – AN ABSENTEE MINISTER
A great uproar has been created in Lok Sabha over the railway minister’s failure to resolve motormen’s strike and her continued absence from the Parliament when it was most needed.
Mamata is conspicuous by her absence in Parliament, at Rail Bhavan and at the Cabinet meetings. She is so preoccupied with her West Bengal affairs that she finds little time to attend her obligations of national importance at New Delhi. Already confirmed as an anti-industry and anti-development due to pushing out Nano and TATA to Gujarat, she has now added new tag almost a fact as an ‘Absentee Minister’. ‘God is in heaven and all is right with the… (Railways?)’ Said the poet Browning to express the optimistic attitude where God works for good of the society and the nation if noting else works. The railway is doing all well while Mamata stays at KolKota. How does it matter if the Minister is not present in the Parliament? Every body new about the fact that as a Minister she assumed office in May 2009 not at Rail Bhavan, New Delhi, but at Kolkota headquarters of the Railways. Where is the time for her for such matters? The Parliament should device ‘Conferencing Mechanism’ through which a Minister can reply for the queries from wherever he or she is stationed. In times to come, these Bhavans - like Rail, Krishi, Udyog etc would be redundant for Ministers. The globalised world of 21st Century would have open field remote offices, ministries and work places far off from their capitals with no need of receptionists, security checks or control rooms. By a click of button, the Minister would appear on the screen and it would almost like a ‘Live Programme’ of the Parliament.
Well, it is going to be the future, if other things remain the same. It is because a long list of absentee ministers is sure to be swelled. At the time of scorching heat of Delhi (or for that matter, during chilling winters “Hai! Dilli ki sardi”) who is going from distance constituencies to Delhi? They have greater obligations to their voters in their home towns that enabled them to get into the Parliament. I hope Hon’ble the Speaker and Hon’ble the Minister of the Parliamentary affairs should develop a device where the absence of a Minister would not matter or affect the working of the Parliament or the government. I still feel that there is time to rethink and reshuffle the ministries. Lalu, Mulayam and Maya are trusted friends to be roped in. They have helped the UPA’s first term government at the time of great adversity. Such calamities may fall again on the government before West Bengal Assembly polls. Precaution is always better than cure.
