Trinamool Congress Disciplinary Committee to Address MLAs Ignoring Party Whips

Synopsis

On March 24, the Trinamool Congress's internal disciplinary committee in West Bengal will convene to address the attendance issues of MLAs during the budget session, following a whip that mandated their presence. This meeting aims to understand the reasons behind the absences and determine appropriate actions.

Key Takeaways

Trinamool Congress internal disciplinary committee meeting.
MLAs absent despite issued whip.
Over 50 legislators failed to attend.
Consequences for ignoring party directives.
First-time offenders may receive a warning.

Kolkata, March 24 (NationPress) The internal disciplinary committee of the Trinamool Congress legislative party in West Bengal is set to convene on Monday to address the conduct of MLAs who failed to attend the House during the recently completed second phase of the budget session, despite a whip being issued.

According to party insiders, the meeting will be presided over by the state Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay and facilitated by the chief whip of the party’s legislative group in the state Assembly, Nirmal Ghosh.

It has come to light that the whip was directed by the party’s chief whip, mandating all legislators to be present during the last two days of the budget session on March 19 and March 20.

Nevertheless, more than 50 legislators were absent from the House on March 20, and many did not provide reasons to the chief whip to explain their absence.

Insiders indicated that the disregard for the whip has provoked the party leadership, prompting them to hold a meeting of the disciplinary committee to seek explanations from the absent legislators regarding their decision to ignore the whip.

“Decisions will be made by the disciplinary committee based on the explanations given by the concerned legislators. While some, particularly those who are first-time offenders, may receive a warning for future behavior, others could face serious reprimands, and in rare cases, disciplinary action may be suggested against a few,” noted a party legislator and member of the state cabinet, who chose to remain anonymous.

Last week, a controversial party MLA from the Bharatpur Assembly constituency in Murshidabad district had to appear before the disciplinary committee due to his alleged inappropriate remarks about the Leader of the Opposition in the House, Suvendu Adhikari.

However, instead of recommending disciplinary measures against him, he was merely advised to exercise caution and avoid making similar comments in the future.