West Bengal: 4 ministers not attended Cabinet meeting

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday called a cabinet meeting, but four ministers were found missing. Their mysterious absence raising eyebrows over the possibility of yet more Trinamool leaders switching political camps ahead of next year's Assembly election. Ruling party secretary general said  of the four, three offered perfectly valid explanations. Rajib Banerjee, the fourth, remained incommunicado till late in the evening.

Banerjee, the Forests Minister and the MLA from Domjur, has been striking discordant notes over the past few weeks. In November, at a public meeting in Kolkata, he spoke about nepotism and sycophancy in the party, alleging that "yes men" were rising to prominence and that this was a matter of great personal disappointment. Among the other missing ministers were North Bengal Development Minister Rabindranath Ghosh of Cooch Behar. Gautam Deb, the tourism minister from Darjeeling district, has been unwell, and Chandranath Sinha of Birbhum said he was occupied preparing for the Chief Minister's visit next week. The Trinamool has shrugged off the exits, describing them as "good riddance to liabilities".