Kolkata, Mar 17 (PTI) The disciplinary committee of the Trinamool Congress is not satisfied with party MLA Humayun Kabir’s reply to a show cause notice over his controversial remarks against BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, the TMC said on Monday.
The panel summoned Kabir on Tuesday to seek clarification about the issue, senior party leader and West Bengal Parliamentary Affairs Minister Sovandeb Chattopadhyay told reporters after a meeting in his chamber in the assembly.
Kabir, the Bharatpur legislator, had locked horns with Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari and on March 12 slammed him after the BJP leader said that TMC’s Muslim MLAs would be “thrown out” of the assembly if the saffron party came to power.
The TMC MLA, known for his off-the-cuff remarks, dared Adhikari for his comment and demanded that he take back his words or face protests.
Kabir had said that if Adhikari did not withdraw his comments, he would “be treated in an appropriate manner,” and “face protests from Muslim MLAs either in the House or wherever he goes including Murshidabad district.” Kabir had given Adhikari a deadline of 72 hours, from March 12, to take back his comments.
Following this, Kabir was served a show cause notice by the four-member disciplinary committee of the TMC Legislature party.
“We are not satisfied with Kabir’s show cause reply,” Chattopadhyay told reporters.
He said that Kabir in his reply claimed that he had commented as a member of a community.
“But he cannot forget that being a people’s representative, having taken oath under the Constitution, he cannot make comments emphasising his religious identity to criticise someone else’s condemnable remarks, which is equally unconstitutional,” Chattopadhyay said.
“We are not here to speak as Hindus or Muslims,” the minister said.
Chattopadhyay said the committee will take a call on Kabir’s comments on Tuesday.
The state parliamentary affairs minister also said that Kabir has been summoned to his chamber in the assembly on Tuesday to explain, to the committee, his statement to the media on the issue.
Apart from Chattopadhyay, the other three members – Chandrima Bhattacharya, Aroop Biswas and Firhad Hakim – were present at the meeting.
When asked whether any disciplinary action will be taken against Kabir after he appears before the committee on Tuesday, Chattopadhyay said, he will be given certain directives.
“We will take appropriate action keeping in mind party discipline,” he said. PTI SUS AMR SBN SBN
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