A day after Bikash Bhunia joined Trinamool, Congress recommends suspension of Manas Bhunia

KOLKATA: A day after his brother Bikash Bhunia joined the Trinamool Congress, the Congress Legislative Party in Bengal on Friday recommended suspension of party MLA Manas Bhunia.
The CLP held a meeting at the assembly building here and urged state Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury to suspend Bhunia for anti-party activities.

Bikash Bhunia was the president of the West Midnapore district Congress committee. On Thursday, he along with his followers joined the Trinamool and helped the ruling party establish its control over the Sabong panchayet samity.

Congress insiders said Manas Bhunia was instrumental in the defection in the West Midnapore Congress. "Manas Bhunia is hatching conspiracy against our party. He is enjoying Mamata Banerjee's blessings in splitting the Congress. He should be suspended from the party immediately," said a senior Congress MLA, preferring anonymity.

Bhunia had earned the wrath of the Congress high command by ignoring its plea to resign from the post of the public accounts committee (PAC) of the state assembly. The CLP had actually offered the post of the PAC to CPI-M MLA Sujan Chakraborty. But Speaker Biman Banerjee turned down CLP's plea to appoint Chakraborty and gave the post to Bhunia, arguing that the post should go to the main opposition party which the CPI-M is not.

After Bhunia accepted the PAC chairman's post, the CLP had taken up the issue with party vice-president Rahul Gandhi, who had asked the Congress observer for Bengal, CP Joshi, to settle the issue amicably. Joshi held a meeting with state Congress chief Chowdhury, CLP leader Abdul Mannan and Bhunia. It was decided that Bhunia would have to seek permission from Sonia Gandhi to continue as the PAC chairman. Bhunia has since written to Sonia Gandhi, urging her to allow him to continue on the post for a year. A reply is still awaited.

But on Thursday, Bikash Bhunia, along with his followers, joined Trinamool Congress. This has antagonised some Bengal Congress leaders, Abdul Mannan in particular, leading the CLP to recommended Manas Bhunia's suspension.