Kolkata, Dec 19 (IANS): There are clear indications that the Trinamool Congress leadership has started distancing itself from West Bengal Forest Minister Jyotipriya Mallick.

Mallick, who was also the Food and Supplies Minister at one time, had been arrested by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) sleuths recently in connection with the multi-crore ration distribution scam.

An invitation letter that went out on Tuesday for a programme of the state forest department within the state Assembly premises this weekend, did not name Mallick as the sitting minister.

Incidentally, in the first meeting of the Cabinet after his arrest in October, no replacement for Mallick as the state forest minister was announced and instead it was said that in his absence the affairs of the department would be managed by Minister of State, Birbaha Hansda.

This was perceived as an attempt to send a message that the party was beside Mallick in his moment of crisis. However, now, with his name missing from the invitation letter of the forest department, there is speculation whether this is the first sign of the ruling party leadership distancing itself from the tainted minister.

However, a senior official of the state forest department said on condition of anonymity that the decision to drop Mallick’s name from the invitation was taken to avoid any further controversy in the matter, where the Opposition could have got a chance to attack the state government over it.

The website of the state forest department still has Mallick’s name as the state forest minister. His nameplate at the door of his room at the state forest department headquarter at Aranya Bhavan in Salt Lake is also intact.