Bengal panchayat polls: Trinamool MLA vows to 'finish' own party in his district

Kolkata, June 27

As Trinamool Congress national general secretary and the party Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee is all slated to address twin campaign rallies for the panchayat polls in Murshidabad district on Tuesday, a heavyweight party legislator from that district has vowed to his "finish off" his own party’s organisation network in that district.

"Currently there are 20 Trinamool Congress MLAs in Murshidabad. I promise to bring down that number to two in the coming days. I do not care what disciplinary action the party takes against me in the coming days," said Humayun Kabir, the party legislator from Bharatpur Assembly constituency on Tuesday morning just hours before Banerjee’s two rallies there.

Since the dates for the forthcoming polls for the three-tier panchayat system was announced, Kabir had been vocal against the party leadership over the selection of candidates in the district.

He even threw a direct challenge to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and threatened to campaign on behalf of candidates contesting as independents after being denied party tickets.

He also accused Trinamool Congress district president Saoni Sinha Roy of allotting candidature to those who are infamous in the district as extortionists.

Sinha Roy, however, refused to react to the latest war-cry from Kabir on this count. "I am unable to comment on the matter. Let the state leadership of the party decide on the course of action," she said.

Kabir has also alleged that despite being a senior leader and MLA from the district, he had not got the invitation to attend the twin rallies to be addressed by Abhishek Banerjee on Tuesday afternoon.

He also alleged that although he was supposed to address a separate meeting at Baharampur demanding the change of district leadership of the party, the district administration denied permission to hold that meeting. "But I am determined to hold and address the meeting and if necessary standing on the streets,"Kabir said.