Shillong, September 21: Trinamool Congress has decided to crack down on MLAs who were absent without valid reasons in the last two crucial sessions of the West Bengal Assembly, failing to inform the party’s chief whip.
As per IANS, Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee will personally initiate disciplinary measures against such non-compliant legislators in the future.
This decision was reached during a meeting of the party’s interdisciplinary committee on Wednesday evening, chaired by State Parliamentary Affairs and Agriculture Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, as reported by party insiders.
The meeting included the presence of State Finance Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya, State Power Minister Aroop Biswas, Kolkata Mayor and State Municipal Affairs & Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim, among others.
Party insiders revealed that the Chief Minister was particularly displeased by the absence of several party legislators during the debate on the significant motion to declare Bengali New Year’s Day as West Bengal’s Statehood Day.
A member of the state cabinet stated, “The chief minister noted with ire that 167 out of 216 party legislators were present during that debate.”
He further highlighted that while five legislators had valid reasons for their absence, such as medical emergencies and had informed the leadership, the rest simply skipped without providing any explanation or seeking the party’s legislative team’s consent.
State Parliamentary Affairs Minister expressed his disappointment, stating that it’s regrettable when legislators merely sign in and leave without participating in the debate. He emphasized that elected legislators are obligated to address their constituents’ issues in the Assembly and engage in discussions, and such behavior will no longer be tolerated.