Sending out a tough message to rebels, Trinamool Congress on Thursday expelled former minister Humayun Kabir for six years for making anti-party statements. “Humayun Kabir, who was already served showcause, was expelled from the party for six years for continuing to make anti-party statements,” Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee told mediapersons in Kolkata. Reacting to his expulsion, Kabir said: It was inevitable as they did not like my comments. The truth is always unpalatable. Anyway, I am now weighing all options and will soon decide on my future course of action.” [related-post] Kabir, who was suspended and sent a showcause notice last week for alleging that Indranil Sen — a popular singer and Trinamool observer for Murshidabad district — was extorting money from people, had on Thursday said that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was grooming her nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee for the CM’s post. “It will be difficult for her to come back to power. There will be lot of defection from the party,’’ Kabir added. A one-time confidant of state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Kabir had parted ways with him and joined Trinamool in November, 2012, following which he was inducted as animal resources development minister in the Mamata cabinet. Kabir had lost the Assembly bypoll from Rejinagar in February, 2013, which made it untenable for him to continue as a minister. Trinamool, on Wednesday had suspended its MLA from Suri, Swapan Kanti Ghosh, who had embarrassed the party by staging a demonstration outside the Assembly levelling charges of corruption against party-run Suri municipality.
