Disciplinary committee for TMC legislature party show-causes absent MLAs

MP | 12 Sept 2023 | Kolkata: The disciplinary committee for Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) legislature party is learnt to have asked party MLAs, who were absent in the Assembly during the state foundation day session, to show cause for what is being considered a violation of party discipline. 

On September 7, the Assembly passed a resolution to observe Bengal’s foundation day on ‘Poila Baisakh’ (Bengali New Year Day) while selecting the Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore’s ‘Banglar Maati, Banglar Jol’ as the state song. The resolution was passed with 167 members, out of a total of 294, voting in favour of it. 

All 167 MLAs were from the ruling party which has more than 200 MLAs. It is now learnt that questions have been raised by the disciplinary committee about the reason for the absence of the rest of the party MLAs on that day since their presence would have led to the passing of the resolution with a greater number of votes. 

Party sources said that all the MLAs were informed beforehand that the party’s chairperson Mamata Banerjee would be present in the Assembly on that day for the said purpose. Sources said that over 40 MLAs were absent on the day. 

The committee has treated the absence as a violation of the party’s discipline code, hence the step was taken. Party insiders revealed that if their answers were unsatisfactory then appropriate action would be taken. 

The answers from the MLAs concerned have been sought by senior TMC MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, who is chairing the disciplinary committee formed at the instructions of Mamata Banerjee. 

Other members of the committee include Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Birbaha Hansda. This committee is, however, not to be confused with the disciplinary committee of the party which is a separate body, said party insiders. 

https://www.millenniumpost.in/bengal/disciplinary-committee-for-tmc-legislature-party-show-causes-absent-mlas-532537