Ritabrata Bandopadhyay included in a WB govt committee

Expelled CPI-M Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay was today made a member of a committee constituted by the Mamata Banerjee government for the development of tribals in West Bengal, sources in the government said.

Bandyopadhyay, who participated in a meeting chaired by the chief minister, would be coordinating with the members of the panel, the sources said.

He was expelled by CPI-M in September last year for "grave anti-party activities".

Speculations are rife in political circles here about his joining the TMC but there is no immediate confirmation either from Bandopadhyay or the TMC.

More than 100 leaders from tribal-dominated pockets of Jhargram, Purulia, West Midnapore and Bankura participated in todays meeting where the chief minister spoke. She specially asked the women participants about the problems faced by them in their areas, tyhe sources said.

This was the first meeting held by the state government for the tribal communities after the May panchayat election in the state.

The chief minister in a Facebook post said, "Under our community development initiative, it is indeed a pleasure to hear local development issues from these young men and women who have come from all over the state including the far flung areas".

She stressed that her government is committed to provide an all round development for all the tribal communities in the state.

"Significant work has already been done in this regard and we are taking it forward in the days ahead with greater thrust", she added.

BJP had performed well in areas like Purulia and Jhargram in the rural poll. Party president Amit Shah in a public rally at Purulia on June 28 had slammed TMC acccusing it of unleashing violence against its political opponents.