Minutes after CM Suvendu’s claim on ‘forged’ signatures, TMC expels MLAs Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay, Sandipan Saha
The decision was announced minutes after Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told media persons in Nabanna that these two MLAs had complained that signatures of TMC MLAs were forged to show support for the TMC Leader of Opposition and Chief Whip.
TMC chief and former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee addresses the media in Kolkata on Monday. (PTI) The Trinamool Congress (TMC) Monday expelled two MLAs – Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay (Uluberia-Purba) and Sandipan Saha (Entally) – on grounds of anti-party activities. The Opposition party wrote a letter to Speaker Rathindra Bose communicating its decision.
The decision was announced minutes after Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari told media persons in Nabanna that these two MLAs had complained that signatures of TMC MLAs were forged to show support for the TMC Leader of Opposition and Chief Whip.
Reacting to his expulsion, Sandipan Saha said, “The party supports those who do unethical things. And it expels those who do ethical things. We did not even know that a signature in an attendance register would be passed off as a signature on a proposal.”
Bandyopadhyay was a CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP before joining the TMC.
Incidentally, both Saha and Bandyopadhyay had asked the TMC leadership to expel Jahangir Khan after he withdrew his name from the Falta repoll without consulting the party leadership.
When contacted, a senior TMC MLA, requesting anonymity, said, “We came to know these two MLAs were involved in propping up a rebel group of MLAs within the party. So, before they could organise such a group, the party leadership decided to expel these two leaders.”
The senior TMC MLA further said, “We came to know that a group of TMC MLAs had planned to give a letter to the Speaker announcing support for a new set of Leader of Opposition and Chief Whip claiming to represent the ‘real’ Trinamool Congress.”
Sources said the TMC’s decision to expel the two MLAs will prevent them from leading any dissident group of MLAs within the party.
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