Sujan, Mannan in state's baby racket probe panel

KOLKATA: Chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday formed a baby trafficking probe committee, including two senior opposition leaders -Abdul Mannan and Sujan Chakraborty. She, however, left BJP out of the panel.
The committee, to be chaired by parliamentary affairs minister, Partha Chatterjee, has been asked to suggest a roadmap to prevent such incidents.
Apart from Chatterjee, the other menmers of the committee would include chief secretary Basudeb Banerjee, home secretary Moloy De, DGP Surajit Kar Purakayastha and Kolkata Police commissioner Rajeev Kumar.Breaking her silence on the issue since the racket was unearthed on November 21, Mamata said the incident was unfortunate and worrisome.
She said the moment the matter came to the government's notice, strong action was taken.Twenty people, including doctors, quacks and traffickers were arrested and licences of three nursing homes and two NGOs wre suspended.
Initially the CM said that the panel would be headed by the chief secretary , but changed her decision after Sujan Charaborty asked if it was possible for Chatterjee -a cabinet minister -to stay in the panel headed by a bureaucrat. The chief secretary was made the convener of the panel. She directed the panel to meet once a month. Mamata said efforts should be made to extend humanitarian aid to the poor, who were forced to sell their children for money . But those who are doing this out of greed will be dealt with strongly , she added.
During the day , the chief minister reached out to the opposition several times. She asked for suggestions to end the cash crisis. Later, when the Congress legislators walked out in protest after dissident leader Manas Bhuniya figured in the list of speakers, Mamata praised the Left MLAs for participating in the demonetization debate. “We shouldn't let petty politics divide us.We all should be together.“
she said.
I admire Mao and Castro, says Mamata
It was a rare admission from chief minister Mamata Banerjee which left even the difficult-to-please communists speechless.The CM on Monday “withdrew her comments“ in the assembly equating Hitler with Stalin and said that she admired communists.
“It is a decision even Hitler, Stalin or Muhammad bin Tughluq, wouldn't have planned at this scale,“ Mamata said, criticising Narendra Modi. The moment she said it, a Left MLA said, “Hitler and Stalin are not same.“
Mamata paused for a moment and said, “I take it back. I shouldn't have said that. Please excuse me. But being a Congress party worker since childhood, I am always used to naming both together. But I admire communists. I admire Mao Tse-tung and I also admire Fidel Castro.“