Bengal Minister Among 30 TMC MLAs Required to Explain Absence on Final Assembly Session Day
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Synopsis
The Trinamool Congress in West Bengal has summoned 30 MLAs, including a minister, to explain their absence on March 20, the final day of the budget session, for disregarding the party whip. They must justify their absence to the internal disciplinary committee this month.
Key Takeaways
- 30 TMC MLAs, including a minister, absent on March 20.
- MLAs required to explain their absence to the disciplinary committee.
- Meeting scheduled for March 29 was postponed due to Eid.
- Trinamool Congress issued a whip for mandatory attendance.
- Attendance was nearly full on March 19.
Kolkata, April 1 (NationPress) The internal disciplinary committee of the Trinamool Congress’ legislative faction in the West Bengal Assembly has officially identified 30 party MLAs, including a state cabinet member, for their absence on March 20, the concluding day of the second phase of the budget session, in defiance of the party whip.
The absent MLAs failed to provide any prior notice regarding their absence to the office of the Speaker, Biman Bandopadhyay.
These legislators, including the state minister, are mandated to personally appear before the disciplinary committee this month to explain why internal disciplinary measures should not be instituted against them for disregarding the party whip.
The list includes Manoj Tiwari, a cricketer-turned-politician and the current West Bengal Minister of State for Youth and Sports Affairs, who is also required to justify his absence during the House proceedings and for ignoring the party whip, as per a member of the disciplinary committee who requested anonymity.
Tiwari joined the Trinamool Congress in 2021 before that year's state Assembly elections and was elected as a party legislator from the Shibpur Assembly constituency in the Howrah district, adjacent to Kolkata. His name appeared in the cabinet list after the new state cabinet was formed.
Initially, the meeting of the internal disciplinary committee was scheduled for March 29. However, it was postponed due to the commitments of the MLAs, including the committee members, related to the Eid festival.
The committee is led by Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister. Other committee members include Chandrima Bhattacharya, the West Bengal Minister of State for Finance (independent charge), Firhad Hakim, the state Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister and Kolkata Mayor, Arup Biswas, the state Power Minister, and Nirmal Ghosh, the chief whip of the Trinamool Congress’s legislative party in the state Assembly.
The Trinamool Congress had issued a whip, making attendance of all party legislators compulsory on the last two days of the second phase of the budget session on March 19 and March 20.
While attendance was nearly 100 percent for the legislators on March 19, several lawmakers, including the minister, were absent on March 20.
