FB Ministers threaten to resign over Metro Cash and Carry

Kolkata, Sep 26 (UNI) Taking great exception to the renewal of licence to German firm Metro Cash and Carry, Left Front constituent Forward Bloc today threatened that all its four Ministers would resign if it was not withdrawn immediately.

Addressing newsmen after the party's state committee meeting, state secretary Ashok Ghosh said Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee should immediately withdraw the letter of renewal, otherwise all its four Ministers will stop going to Writers' Buildings from September 29.

''We have unanimously decided that our Ministers will have no option but to resign if the renewal letter is not withdrawn,'' he stated.

Scores of retail traders would suffer a severe beating if the firm started its business in the state, Mr Ghosh said adding the foreign capital would spell a doom for these small traders.

''Both CPI(M) and Forward Bloc were supposed to sit for bipartite talks on this issue. But suddenly Chief Secretary Amit Kiran Deb under the instruction of Mr Bhattacharjee issued a letter to our party's marketing board chairman Naren Chatterjee, asking for issuing licence to the German firm by September 30,'' Mr Ghosh said.

''We were surprised by the sudden decision of the Chief Minister, who categorically stated that he would take the decision himself. But we are not bound by his decision,'' he asserted.

''We want to know from Left Front chairman Biman Bose whether the CPI(M) is associated with this renewal of licence. How the Chief Minister can issue the letter without sitting for the bipartite talks. Even a Left Front meeting was not called to discuss over the issue. Until and unless this letter is withdrawn, we will not sit for any talks further,'' Mr Ghosh averred.

Metro Cash and Carry had served a 100-hour notice on the state government yesterday to sort out the vexed Agriculture Produce Marketing Commitee (APMC) problem or face the prospect of its pulling out of the state.

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