CPI-M MP Ritabrata Banerjee suspended from party
Kolkata June 2 (IANS) The Communist Party of India-Marxist has suspended its MP Ritabrata Banerjee following allegations about his lifestyle a party source said on Friday.
Banerjee will remain suspended till the completion of an inquiry by a three-member panel set up by the CPI-M to probe the allegations against its Rajya Sabha member the source said.
The panel has been asked to submit its report by August 2.
The party decision was communicated to its West Bengal state committee that concluded a two-day session on Friday.
However CPI-M State Secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra refused to make any comment on the decision while briefing the media about the deliberations at the session.
We do not go public on the party s internal matters. As a party spokesperson I am bound to confine myself to matters that are to be communicated to the public. There are many other internal things that we discussed in the party meeting. I reserve the right to not discuss the same in the press conference Mishra said.
In February the CPI-M issued a public warning to Banerjee for threatening a party supporter who in a Facebook post had pasted a picture of Banerjee watching an East Bengal-Mohun Bagan soccer match in Siliguri on February 12 and pointed to the MP s expensive pen and a smartwatch.
The party supporter had questioned how - despite being a party wholetimer - he could afford such expensive items.
As the post went viral Banerjee took umbrage and threatened to lodge a police complaint against the worker for making hate speeches and maligning him on social media.
The MP further mailed to the Bengaluru-based start-up where the man was employed and asked them to look into the matter.
Banerjee s e-mail was leaked on the social media triggering a wave of protests against his behaviour.
An embarrassed CPI-M central leadership asked the state committee - of which Banerjee is a member - to deal with the issue.
As the matter raised a storm Banerjee apologised to the party s State Secretariat for shooting off a mail to the party worker s employer.
--IANS
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