Bengal Minister skips ESIC event, draws flak

Kolkata, July 13 (IANS) West Bengal Labour Minister Moloy Ghatak on Thursday stayed away from an Employee's State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) event here, which was decried by Union Ministers Bandaru Dattatreya and Babul Supriyo.

Union Labour Minister Bandaru Dattatreya rued that there was no state representation at the apolitical event.

"I am unhappy that the state Labour Minister and the state government representatives did not attend the programmme. It is an event of labourers, not a political one," Dattatreya said while addressing a gathering at the inauguration of the new regional office building of the ESIC.

He laid the foundation stone for upgradation of two ESIC hospitals in West Bengal.

Union Minister of State Supriyo said Ghatak's absence "Is an insult to the federal structure. No representatives of the state government attended the programme."

"Shameful behaviour by WB State Govt. that talks big abt (about) MaaMaatiManush? MalayDa is not only Labour MIN (minister) but Asansol MLA," Supriyo tweeted.

He said the Minister's absence is "deplorable and dirty politics by the West Bengal government".

On constructing a new building of an ESIC hospital in his constituency in Asansol, Supriyo said: "We have been waiting for more than a year but Moloy (Ghatak) is not able to give time."

"We are supposed to finalise some proposals (relating to the project) which came from the state government after this programme. We have agreed to the state proposal so that the project gets through."

"The Centre will go ahead with the project," Supriyo added.

Dattatreya said the Centre did not want to mix politics with development but the state government's thinking is different.