Out of the picture

Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, an MLA from Malda who recently switched loyalties to the Trinamool Congress from the Congress and was awarded with tourism ministry by Mamata Banerjee has created quite an uproar in Writers' Buildings, the state secretariat in Kolkata. Though unsure of the consequences, his Cabinet colleagues and other officers unanimously describe it as "a daring act". Choudhury's department has come out with a "Subho Nababarsha" (Bengali New Year) greeting card that stands out because it has neither a photograph nor a mention of Banerjee. People in the know point out never before in the last two years has there been any government banner, advertisement, greeting or invitation card without a mention of the chief minister. Will this have any bearing on the tourism minister's future? Bureaucrats, at least, give Choudhury the benefit of the doubt on account of his lack of experience in Banerjee's Cabinet.