Controversial Bengal Minister Akhil Giri asked to resign

Kolkata, Aug 4 (IANS) Trinamool Congress leadership on Sunday directed West Bengal Minister of State Akhil Giri to resign from the cabinet after he abused and threatened a woman forest officer at Tajpur Sea resort in the East Midnapore district. 

Party sources said that the Trinamool state president and Rajya Sabha member, Subrata Bakshi personally spoke to Giri over the phone and told him that the leadership does not approve of such an unwarranted behaviour towards a woman government officer.

Besides directing Giri to resign from his ministerial chair, sources said, Bakshi also told Giri to personally tender an apology to the woman officer.

Till the time the report was filed, there was no reaction from Giri in the matter. In such a situation the meeting of the state cabinet on Monday becomes extremely crucial, which will be chaired by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and attended by Giri as a member of the state cabinet.

All eyes will now be on what the Chief Minister will instruct Giri at the crucial meeting on Monday.

Admit Trinamool Congress insiders that the derogatory statements made by Giri had often been a factor of inconvenience for the party. Last year, his derogatory statements concerning the looks of the Indian President Droupadi Murmu created a nationwide uproar.

Then, Giri was severely reprimanded by the Chief Minister following which he had to tender an unconditional apology.

This time he has abused a woman forest officer. State BJP leader and the counsel of the Calcutta High Court Koustav Bagchi has forwarded a communique to Governor C.V. Ananda Bose requesting the latter to initiate the removal of Giri from his ministerial chair.

Earlier in the day, stopping short of saying sorry, Giri said that he should not have used threatening words against the woman forest officer, but added that her behaviour was unwarranted.

“The words that I uttered in the heat of the moment were not appropriate. I should not have uttered those words towards a government official,” Giri told mediapersons in the afternoon.

However, he was not ready to accept his fault and indirectly blamed the woman forest officer for his unwarranted behaviour. “Her way of speaking was not appropriate. The current forest ranger is not liked by anyone in the administration. She made the situation complicated,” Giri said.

On Saturday, a purported video went viral on social media showing Minister Akhil Giri abusing a woman forest department officer.

In the video, the Minister could be seen threatening the forest officer using abusive language, “You are a government employee, bow down your head (in front of me) while speaking. See what happens to you within a week… Mend your ways. You will see what happens when people beat you with sticks.”

Giri was heard alleging that following instructions from the woman officer, the forest department staff demolished shops of local people late into the night when it was raining torrentially.