Not satisfied with Humayun Kabir’s reply, TMC disciplinary committee summons him

“We are not satisfied with Kabir’s showcause reply. He has been summoned on Tuesday to explain to the committee his statement to the media on the issue,” Senior TMC leader and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chatterjee said on Monday.

Apart from Chatterjee, the other three members in the disciplinary committee are ministers Chandrima Bhattacharya, Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim. All three were present in the meeting on Monday held at Chatterjee’s chamber in the Assembly premises.

Kabir, the TMC MLA from Bharatpur, had slammed Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari for his remark that TMC’s Muslim MLAs would be “thrown out” of the Assembly if the BJP came to power. The TMC MLA had dared Adhikari for his comment and demanded that he take back his words or face protests. Kabir had said that if Adhikari did not withdraw his comments, he would “be treated in an appropriate manner,” and “face protests from Muslim MLAs either in the House or wherever he goes including Murshidabad district.”

Kabir had given Adhikari a deadline of 72 hours, from March 12, to take back his comments.

Following this, Kabir was served a showcause notice by the four-member disciplinary committee of the TMC Legislature party.

Stating that Kabir in his showcause reply claimed that he had commented as a member of a community, Chatterjee said: “But he (Kabir) cannot forget that being a people’s representative, having taken oath under the Constitution, he cannot make comments emphasising his religious identity to criticise someone else’s condemnable remarks, which is equally unconstitutional.” “We are not here to speak as Hindus or Muslims,” the minister added.

When asked whether any disciplinary action will be taken against Kabir after he appears before the committee on Tuesday, Chattopadhyay said, he will be given certain directives. “We will take appropriate action keeping in mind party discipline,” he said.

Meanwhile, reacting to the latest summons, Kabir said: “I was served one-page showcause notice, and I have submitted a two-page reply. I have been asked to present in front of the disciplinary committee. But when Siddiqullah Chowdhury or Boby Hakim made controversial remarks, they were never issued showcause notice. I have no problem presenting my side in front of any committee of the party.”

He also said that he has “no enmity” with the CPI(M) or Congress or the BJP in his home district Murshidabad. “But some TMC leaders, which is 5 per cent of the party leaders, are always after me and are trying to tarnish my image in front of the party leadership,” Kabir added.

—with PTI