Fake signature row: TMC expels two MLAs after Suvendu Adhikari's allegations

Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress on Monday expelled two of its legislators soon after the chief minister of West Bengal’s new Bharatiya Janata Party government, Suvendu Adhikari said the duo had alleged that their signatures had been forged on a document the opposition party submitted to the Speaker of the state’s Assembly.

The TMC suspended Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Bandopadhyay, who were elected from the Entally and Uluberia Purba constituencies, respectively, in the recent assembly elections in West Bengal.

The party acted against Bandopadhyay and Saha after Adhikari told journalists that the BJP government had ordered an investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department of the West Bengal police after the Speaker of the state’s Legislative Assembly received a complaint from the two legislators.

The duo, the chief minister revealed, alleged that their signatures had been forged on the resolution appointing veteran TMC legislator Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of the party in the state assembly.

Ritabrata, then a member of the Rajya Sabha, was expelled by the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 2017. The TMC had sent him to the Rajya Sabha again in 2024.

“I thank the CPI(M) for expelling him. Our mistake was giving him a ticket after he came and fell at my feet seeking an opportunity. We trusted him and even denied tickets to others to accommodate him. He has now betrayed the party and the people who elected him,” said Mamata.

Sandipan is the son of TMC leader Swarna Kamal Saha, who had won from Entally thrice since 2011, before the party had decided to field the veteran leader’s son this year.

“We are happy that they have left. We will rebuild the party. Such people were never our assets,” said Mamata.

The CID of the state police had sent officials to the residence of Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC general secretary, on Saturday, but he was not available at home. He had also been summoned to the CID headquarters for questioning on Monday.

But after being assaulted, allegedly by BJP workers at Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas on Saturday, he had cited health concerns while conveying his inability to turn up for questioning. The CID now issued a fresh notice to him to appear for questioning on June 8. The investigating officials visited his residence again on Monday.

Abhishek wrote to the office of the Speaker on May 9, seeking the appointment of Chattopadhyay, who had been elected as the TMC legislative party leader, as the leader of the opposition.

The assembly secretariat, on May 18, asked Abhishek to submit the resolution supporting the election of Chattopadhyay as the TMC leader in the assembly.

The TMC general secretary, on May 20, submitted the May 6 resolution, which had signatures of 70 of the 80 legislators of the party, Adhikari told journalists on Monday, alleging that the names of more than 10 legislators had been written in block letters, raising questions over the authenticity of the document.

Bandopadhyay and Saha subsequently approached the Speaker, claiming that no resolution selecting the Leader of Opposition had been adopted on May 6. The complaint further alleged that the document had been fabricated. The Chief Minister said that an FIR has been filed on the instructions of the Speaker. Thirteen TMC MLAs have been questioned by the CBI, with three reportedly stating that the signatures attributed to them on the resolution were not theirs, said the Chief Minister.

"The TMC defrauded not only the people of West Bengal, but also its own legislators," Adhikari said, adding that "whoever had sent the resolution with forged signatures, would be held accountable."