Trinamul wants Mondal to be disqualified as MP
According to TMC sources, the appeal for Mondal’s disqualification as the LS member appears to be a stricter step by the party than either suspension or expulsion from the party which would not however affect his parliamentarianship anyway.
In a rare instance, West Bengal’s ruling Trinamul Congress has sought Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify it’s two-time MP of Burdwan East Sunil Mondal under the anti-defection law after his switchover to the BJP in presence of Union home minister Amit Shah at Midnapore during his state visit two weeks ago.
Following instructions from party supremo and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, TMC parliamentary party leader in the LS Sudip Bandopadhyay, sources revealed, sent the plea of Mondal’s disqualification as a member of the Lower House in a letter to Birla on Monday to crack a whip on the Shubhendu Adhikari loyalist and also to rein in further defections by the remaining 21 LS MPs of the party ahead of the Assembly election in the state.
The development came a day after Mondal, who was in the CPI(M) but switched to the Forward Bloc in 2011 before joining the TMC in 2014, made a startling revelation claiming that more than a dozen MPs from Banerjee’s party have plans to defect to the BJP in future.
“16-17 TMC MPs will join the BJP. By January
31, the party will become a void. Forget third position, it will not get candidates even to contest the upcoming Assembly polls here,” he said at Kanksa, his home turf, on Sunday morning during a party event.
According to TMC sources, the appeal for Mondal’s disqualification as the LS member appears to be a stricter step by the party than either suspension or expulsion from the party which would not however affect his parliamentarianship anyway.
But the latest move falls in sharp contrast to the party’s stand on the long list of several MLAs including Sovan Chatterjee and Sabyasachi Dutta, who defected to the BJP but have not earned any action under the antidefection law in the state Assembly.
After his induction to the BJP, Mondal came under attack allegedly by the TMC outside the saffron party office in Hastings, prompting the union home ministry to provide him Y+ category security cover by the Central Reserve Police Force with 11 jawans.