The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday expelled its MLAs Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee from the party, accusing them of engaging in anti-party activities and acting against the organisation’s interests.
The action came shortly after West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari stated at a press conference at the state secretariat that the two legislators had filed complaints related to the alleged “fake signature” controversy in the state Assembly. The dispute pertains to the TMC’s endorsement of Shobandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition.
In separate communications issued to the two MLAs, the party alleged that despite being elected on TMC tickets, they had repeatedly failed to attend meetings convened by the party’s authorised leadership.
“It has been brought to the notice of the All India Trinamool Congress through its competent authority that, despite having been elected as candidates nominated by the AITC, you have repeatedly failed to attend meetings convened by the authorised leadership of the party and have made yourself involved in anti-party activities,” the letter stated.
The party further accused the legislators of making statements and engaging in actions that were detrimental to the interests of the Trinamool Congress.
“It has also been observed that you have engaged in activities and made statements that are prejudicial to the interests of AITC,” the communication added.
The expulsion letters, signed by TMC Vice-President Chandrima Bhattacharya, stated that after reviewing the matter, the party’s competent authority had decided to expel both leaders from the primary membership of the Trinamool Congress with immediate effect.
The move marks a fresh political development within the ruling party and comes amid ongoing controversy surrounding the Assembly’s opposition leadership issue.
