Decision on Punishment for Trinamool Leaders, Including Minister, Scheduled for April 8
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Synopsis
On April 8, the internal disciplinary committee of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal will determine the punishment for 30 legislators, including a Cabinet member, for ignoring the party whip and being absent on March 20 during a critical assembly session.
Key Takeaways
- Decision on punishment set for April 8.
- 30 legislators, including a minister, face consequences.
- Absence occurred on March 20, disregarding party whip.
- Meeting rescheduled from March 29 due to Eid.
- Attendance was high on March 19, driven by Chief Minister's presence.
Kolkata, April 3 (NationPress) The internal disciplinary committee of the Trinamool Congress legislative party in the West Bengal assembly is set to determine the extent of punishment for 30 party legislators, including a member of the state Cabinet, on April 8. This decision comes after their absence on the final day of the second round of the budget session on March 20, despite the party's whip mandating attendance.
Sources indicate that the five-member disciplinary committee will convene at 2 p.m. on April 8, where the 30 absent legislators, including Manoj Tiwari, the cricketer-turned-politician and current West Bengal minister for youth and sports affairs, will be given a chance to explain why disciplinary action should not be taken against them for neglecting the party's directive.
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' legislative party in the state assembly.
Originally, this disciplinary committee meeting was scheduled for March 29, but it was postponed due to the members' commitments related to the Eid festival.
The Trinamool Congress had issued a whip requiring all party legislators to be present on the last two days of the second round of the budget session, specifically March 19 and March 20. This mandate did not apply to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
While attendance was nearly 100 percent on March 19, many legislators, including the minister, were absent on March 20.
“On March 19, the Chief Minister was present and addressed the assembly, likely motivating attendance. However, that sense of obligation seemed to diminish on March 20,” noted a cabinet member.
