Agartala, Oct 19 In an important development, the ruling BJP on Sunday served a show-cause notice to its sitting MLA, Tafajjal Hossain, for making adverse comments against former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb and former Union Minister Pratima Bhoumik.
The show-cause notice stated that disciplinary action would be taken if the MLA’s reply was not found satisfactory. While speaking during a football match at Boxanagar in Sepahijala district on Saturday, Hossain accused both Deb and Bhoumik of not providing funds for the construction of a gallery at a playground.
“We have voted for Pratima Bhoumik and Biplab Kumar Deb to elect them to the Lok Sabha. I had approached both of them to provide funds for the construction of the gallery of a playground, but they did not. When I requested Rajib Bhattacharjee for it, he readily agreed and sanctioned Rs 50 lakh from his MPLAD fund,” the 51-year-old legislator had said.
Rajib Bhattacharjee, who is also the state BJP President and a Rajya Sabha member, was present on the dais when Hossain made the remarks. As the BJP MLA’s accusations against Deb and Bhoumik sparked a controversy both within political circles and inside the party, the BJP promptly served a show-cause notice to Hossain.
Tripura state BJP General Secretary Amit Rakshit, in the notice to Hossain, said: “You made critical remarks against senior party leaders, the ex-Chief Minister of Tripura and the ex-Union Minister of State, during a public speech on October 18, alleging that they did not sanction public funds on your request.” The notice said that such public criticism of senior party leaders amounted to gross indiscipline and a deliberate violation of the party’s code of conduct.
“As a public representative and a responsible member of the party, you are expected to raise any grievance or administrative issue through proper channels rather than in the public domain. Your conduct has not only tarnished the image of the party but has also caused embarrassment to the party leadership,” it said.
Rakshit further stated that, as directed by the state president of the BJP Tripura Pradesh, “you are hereby directed to reply to the show cause within five days of the receipt of this notice as to why disciplinary action should not be taken against you for such acts of indiscipline and deliberate violation of party norms.
“Failing to submit a satisfactory reply within the stipulated time period will entail appropriate disciplinary action as deemed fit and proper by the competent authority,” the notice added.
Earlier on Sunday, state BJP President Bhattacharjee said that he strongly condemned the statement made by the MLA.
“I have already spoken to the central leadership about the matter. Strong action will be taken against Hossain. Every party member must remember that Biplab Kumar Deb is a former chief minister of the state and now a Lok Sabha member, and Pratima Bhoumik is a former Union minister. They are senior leaders and an integral part of the party,” Bhattacharjee told the media.
Hossain, who was elected to the state Assembly from the Boxanagar constituency for the first time in the 2023 Assembly elections, told IANS that he would abide by any decision taken by the party in this regard.
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