As a Bengali, I will have a tilt towards Bengal: Minister Babul Supriyo

, Nov 11: Singer-politician

on Sunday completed a rare hat-trick for Bengal after he was inducted in the ministry of Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the Minister of State for urban affairs. He became the third representative from the state to become the MoS of this very ministry in the last six years, after Trinamool Congress's Sougata Roy and Congress's Deepa Dasmunshi during the days of the United Progressive Alliance government.

Supriyo, 44, met his senior minister Venkaiah Naidu at the Nirmaan Bhavan here on Monday before formally taking over. Naidu briefed him about the ministry's work.

When asked about what were his plans for Bengal, Supriyo said there was a big gap between the urban and rural lives in Bengal and he already had a talk to one of his predecessors Sougata Roy on this. He also expressed a desire to speak to Dasmunshi, his Congress predecessor from Bengal, said a report published in Bengali daily Anandabazaar Patrika.

Supriyo also said that he was looking to a positive start to his stint, according to the report. He also said as a representative from Bengal, he would have a soft corner for the state but for the development of Bengal, he would work as a bridge between the Centre and state. He said the relation between the Centre and the state is like that of the husband and wife and expected full co-operation from the Mamata Banerjee government in the state.

Supriyo completed a hat-trick by succeeding Sougata Roy and Deepa Dasmunshi

Will he be the BJP's face in the West Bengal assembly elections in 2016? To this, Supriyo told PTI, "I have a face but whether that face is going to be the face for elections in West Bengal is something party high command has to decide."

Babul Supriyo won from Asansol constituency in this year's Lok Sabha election. He is one of the two BJP MPs elected from Bengal, the other being SS Ahluwalia from Darjeeling.

Oneindia News