Tripura speaker issues fresh notice

FROM A CORRESPONDENT

Agartala, August 1: The Tripura Legislative Assembly speaker Ramendra Kumar th has issued fresh notice to all the six controversial former Congress MLA’s who joined Trimool Congress, to appear before him or to submit in writing on or before August 6 why their membership will not be forfeited under Anti-Defection Law. The fixation of the date on August 6 for the fresh hearing appears to be significant as the Trimool Congress is going to demonstrate their first show of strength on August 9 when the party supremo and Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee will address a public gathering at Stable Ground here.

Sources in the Trimool Congress feel fixing the date for fresh hearing close to Mamata Banerjee’s visit appears to be part of CPI(M)’s tactical move to inflict confusion among the Trimool workers.

However, the party officially refused to say anything about it. Sudip Roy Barman, one of the six controversial MLA’s and former leader of the opposition Sudip Roy Barman said that won’t make any comment on this.

It may be recalled that all the six MLA’s had earlier appeared before the speaker and submitted their statements after which the speaker had reserved his verdict.

Meanwhile, the Tripura Pradesh Congress president Birajit Sinha submitted a fresh letter to the speaker explaining why the membership of these controversial MLA’s should be forfeited. He also enclosed various judgements on similar issues. The TPCC president claims that one of the six MLA’s Biswabandhu Sen was expelled from the party before he joined Trimool Congress. So he must be treated as an uttached member.

However Sen rejected the claim and said he never received any expulsion order or show cause notice which is a mandatory requirement before any expulsion as per Congress constitution. Now the fate of the other five MLA’s will depend on Sen. If his expulsion is treated as valid than the group’s strength will come down to five which is one less than the minimum requirement of two third for causing split in the 8 member Congress Legislative assembly and will be liable to fall under anti defection law.