Kolkata: Continuing its process of suspension for anti-party activities, Trinamool Congress (TMC) has again shown the door to more than 100 party leaders and workers for either contesting as Independent candidates or rebelling against the ones selected by the party.
The axe is learnt to have fallen on another 106 party workers and leaders across eight to nine districts. Even as the Opposition has termed such furloughing as “hogwash”, the ruling party is going ahead with the orders of its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Just a few days back the party had suspended over 100 leaders and workers, mainly at the block level in districts East and West Midnapore, Howrah and Hooghly. But the district leadership announced that there could be more names coming in the following days.
Now, another 106 are learnt to have been suspended from the party from districts, Bankura (23), East Midnapore (08), Hooghly (04), Cooch Behar (37), South Dinajpur (05), Jalpaiguri (12), Jhargram (43), among others.
Abhishek has been repeating his warnings that no worker who chose to contest Independently shall be taken back into the party and that he will personally stand in the way in case they try to regain entry by appeasing any district leader or party MLAs. Banerjee has said that contesting independently is openly defying the party’s decisions.
During the Nabajowar campaign, he held a programme known as “Gram Banglar Motamoth” where people were asked to write the name of the candidate they think the party should field and put it inside a box.
Abhishek had said that the party will consider these names and choose the candidate.
However, what became apparent was that after being refused tickets the disgruntled workers either defected to another party or decided to file nominations as Independent, openly declaring a rebellion against the party’s chosen candidate.