00:00There's a forged signature controversy that's emerging. The TMC has expelled two MLAs.
00:06That's the top news coming in at 3pm. Sources are telling India today,
00:10Trinamool Congress has expelled two of its MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandeepun Saha.
00:15Now this is very interesting. Remember that there had been meetings also yesterday that had been called of the TMC,
00:20but in fact majority of the MLAs did not show up.
00:25This comes now immediately after Chief Nistar Swendu Adhikari's press conference,
00:29in which he claimed CID investigation over signature fraud that was initiated after formal complaint by the two MLAs to
00:36the Speaker.
00:36So here's the latest that has happened is that two of the MLAs have been expelled by the Trinamool Congress
00:44in the signature fraud case.
00:46So this is already becoming a huge political face-off right now.
00:50The BJP also has been jumped in.
00:52What we are told is that the notice described by sources as summons directing Abhishek Banerjee also to appear for
00:59questioning that is happening.
01:02The Bengal CID on the weekend had served a notice to TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
01:09Remember when also the sleuds had emerged right outside his residence.
01:13But with these two MLAs, the investigation over signature fraud that has been initiated after a formal complaint by the
01:23two MLAs to the Speaker.
01:26Anupam Mishra joining me for the latest on that.
01:28Anupam, first quickly, what is the controversy about and why did the TMC decide to expel the MLAs?
01:34Well, you know, Chief Minister Shubhindo Adhikari had just stated that two MLAs, Ritabroto from Uluberia East and Sundivon Saha
01:48from Intadi,
01:49had complained about the signature mismatch.
01:53And they had launched a formal complaint to the state of West Bengal.
02:00And on that basis, the investigation had started by CID.
02:04So, after disclosing these two names by Chief Minister Shubhindo Adhikari,
02:10the Parliament Congress had expelled these two MLAs because their name had been exposed by CM Shubhindo Adhikari.
02:20So, this is the latest controversy.
02:23You know, the CID investigation is ongoing on the signature mismatch on a letter given by TNC to the Assembly
02:35about the leader of opposition.
02:38And according to the allegations, around 13 signatures are forced.
02:42And out of those 13 forced signatures, three of the TNC MLAs had already accepted that these signatures are forced.
02:54That is what Shubhindo Adhikari had just told in his press conference.
02:59And after that press conference, when he exposed these two names that on the basis of their...
03:04Was there any controversy around Sandeepan Saha or Hrithubhindo Adhikari earlier as well?
03:11Or do you think this may have caught the TNC also by surprise?
03:16You know, a few days back, both Hrithubhindo Bhattacharya and Sandeepan Saha both met Chief Minister Shubhindo Adhikari.
03:24And in the chamber of the Speaker, when Shubhindo Adhikari, Tapos Roy, Jagannath Chattopadhyay and Speaker were present in that
03:36room.
03:36They were holding a meeting in that room.
03:39And suddenly these two leaders, Sandeepan Saha and Ritabroto came and entered in that room.
03:45They had spent around half an hour in that room.
03:47After coming out from that room, they did not disclose anything.
03:53But you know that two TMC MLA's meeting Chief Minister in Hathenry Hall, that's a big thing.
04:00And after that, I think TMC got to know something.
04:03And after disclosing these two names by Chief Minister Shubhindo Adhikari, TMC compelled to expel these two MLA's.
04:14This comes Anupam, also a day after TMC organized a meeting and three-fourths of the MLA's did not even
04:20show up.
04:20So, do you think there's something that's wrong within the TMC right now after their rout from the state?
04:28Well, absolutely something looks very wrong because, you know, this was the third meeting called by Mamata Banerjee at her
04:34residence in Kalighat.
04:36And the first meeting was called on 6th or 7th May, as I remember, and around 9 to 10 MLA's
04:43were absent in that meeting.
04:45And the second meeting was called on 19th of May.
04:48And in that meeting also around 30 to 35 MLA's did not turn up.
04:52And now this time, yesterday then the meeting was called and every MLA was called, around 80 MLA's are there
05:01in the TMC.
05:03Only 20 MLA's turned up, around 60 MLA's were absent.
05:07So, it looks very weird that the Prime Minister Supremo is calling a meeting, but TMC MLA's are not turning
05:15up.
05:15And the absentees, the number of absentees are increasing day by day.
05:20So, this is a clear indication that something is going very wrong inside TMC.
05:25Alright, Anupam, stay on with me because I have more news coming in.
05:28For now, two of the MLAs have been suspended by the Trinamool Congress over anti-party activities over the fake
05:37signature investigation.
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