Mamata alleges birth certificate irregularity in CPI(M) regime; party hits back

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wondered whether some Kolkata people who were issued birth certificates during the mayorship of CPIM leader Bikash Bhattacharya, now a Rajya Sabha MP, were eligible to get them.Addressing the July 21 Martyrs Day rally here, Banerjee also asked if she would bring out the file concerned.Bhattacharya who was the mayor of Kolkata from 2005 to 2010 challenged the Trinamool Congress supremo to form an enquiry committee headed by her and prove her allegation.Without elaborating, the chief minister said, Who were given birth certificates during Bikash Bhattacharyas tenure as mayor

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday wondered whether some Kolkata people who were issued birth certificates during the mayorship of CPI(M) leader Bikash Bhattacharya, now a Rajya Sabha MP, were eligible to get them.

Addressing the July 21 Martyr's Day rally here, Banerjee also asked if she would bring out the file concerned.

Bhattacharya who was the mayor of Kolkata from 2005 to 2010 challenged the Trinamool Congress supremo to form an enquiry committee headed by her and prove her allegation.

Without elaborating, the chief minister said, “Who were given birth certificates during Bikash Bhattacharya's tenure (as mayor)? Were those people at all eligible for getting birth certificates?'' She claimed that the TMC, whose slogan before the 2011 Assembly election was 'Bodla noy bodol chai' (want change, not revenge), had not raked up the issue as the party is not vengeful.

The TMC ousted the CPI(M)-led Left Front from power in the state in that election. Reacting to the allegation, Bhattacharya who is also a senior advocate said that an investigation committee be formed on the issues raised by the chief minister.

''Let Mamata Banerjee head the committee and its report be made public after a fortnight. I will not plead my case there and will treat her to rosogollas (a popular Bengali sweetmeat) after the report is brought out,'' he said.

Bhattacharya told PTI over the phone from New Delhi that the issue raised by the chief minister relates to a programme for granting birth certificates to street children by the Kolkata Municipal Corporation in collaboration with an international children's welfare organisation.

''Thousands of street children were given birth certificates and it was found some time later that there were discrepancies in the registration number of some of these, which were soon corrected,'' he said. Addressing the rally, Banerjee criticised the CPI(M) for pointing fingers at the TMC over recruitment of teachers and in other state government departments, and questioned the role of the Left party in giving jobs during its 34-year rule in West Bengal.

''Bikash (Bhattacharya) babu is questioning appointments and seeking removal of appointees from their jobs every day,'' she said.

Bhattacharya is representing petitioners challenging appointments of teaching and non-teaching staff by the TMC government before the Calcutta High Court, which has passed several orders directing the CBI to investigate the recruitments and also annulled jobs of hundreds of such appointees.