WB BJP urg gov.to disqualify assembly membership of minister

Kolkata, Apr 25 (PTI) The West Bengal unit of BJP today urged Governor M K Narayanan to disqualify the assembly membership of Industry Minister Partha Chatterjee for 'holding an office of profit'. The BJP in a memorandum said that that the state government's recent exemption to ministers and MLAs to become chairpersons or directors of any company by amending the West Bengal Legislature Act, 1952, was an attempt to pre-empt any legal challenge to Chatterjee's appointment as chairman of HPL. The party claimed that this would amount to holding an 'office of profit' in the company, a joint venture between the Chatterjee Group and West Bengal Industrial Development Corporation. The memorandum urged the Governor to disqualify Chatterjee as an elected member of the Assembly from March 27, 2012, when he first chaired the board meeting of HPL. The seven member delegation was led by former state BJP president Tapan Sikdar and party national executive member Tathagata Roy.