When 'Madam' calls

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is known for subjecting her ministers to her beck and call and it is a measure of her power that even the most powerful of them readily comply with her summons. State Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee (pictured) was briefing journalists on an important meeting on Haldia Petrochemicals when Banerjee called him on the phone. The impact was immediate. Within seconds, Chatterjee started babbling to “madam” and then abruptly told reporters to leave. “Madam is calling and Mithun Chakrabarty has come to Writers’ Buildings, so I have to rush now. We will talk in detail later.” No doubt the fate of a troubled joint venture that was once the state’s signature project was less pressing than the demands of an actor meeting the chief minister.