TMC expels 2 MLAs for exposing fraud, lawyer calls it a ‘crime’

Senior Advocate Biswajit Deb on Monday slammed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership over its decision to expel leaders Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee, calling it a “wrong decision” that protects the real culprits while punishing them. The controversy erupted after a document, allegedly carrying forged signatures of MLAs, was sent to the West Bengal Assembly Speaker as an official resolution. Instead of acting against those who created the fraudulent paperwork, the TMC high command expelled Saha and Banerjee, the two legislators who had exposed the fraud and flagged it to the Speaker.

Deb Calls Expulsion a ‘Crime’

Speaking to ANI on the matter, Deb asserted that the document forwarded to the Speaker of the Assembly was fraudulent and argued that the party leadership has committed an offence by not penalising those responsible for the forgery. “Signatures have been forged, and that particular document or resolution has been used as genuine, which has been forwarded to the Speaker of the Assembly. They should have taken action against the perpetrators of the alleged offence. Not doing so, the leadership itself has committed a crime. It’s a wrong decision, and the persons who are responsible should be brought to book,” Deb said.

He further revealed that the state government is treating the situation with utmost priority, and a formal investigation is currently underway. “The CID is already investigating the matter. The matter has been taken very seriously by the state government,” Deb added.

According to the Senior advocate, the two affected MLAs have already approached the Assembly Speaker to present the ground realities of the situation. “These two MLAs brought the facts before the Speaker,” he stated.

Notably, Deb is a prominent political figure in West Bengal. He worked with the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for four years after stepping down from his earlier stint as Advocate General. In late May 2026, he publicly distanced himself from the AITC/TMC, citing grievances regarding the handling of West Bengal politics, state corruption, and the RG Kar hospital case.

TMC Cites ‘Anti-Party’ Activities

Earlier, Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said on Monday that Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee were involved in “anti-party” activities, which led to their expulsion from the Trinamool Congress. “They have been expelled due to their involvement in anti-party activities,” Ghosh stated.

Suvendu Adhikari Details Timeline, CID Probe

Meanwhile, the updates come amid a sharp political escalation, with Suvendu Adhikari launching a scathing attack on the TMC leadership over the case. Addressing a press conference, Adhikari asserted that the law will take its own course under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and warned that “nobody who forged signatures will be spared.”

Detailing the timeline of the controversy, Adhikari said that on May 9, the AITC National General Secretary sent a letter to the Assembly Speaker proposing Shovondeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP, Nayana Bandyopadhyay and Ashima Patra as deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim as the chief whip. This was followed by another letter on May 20 bearing 70 signatures. However, the process was challenged when two TMC MLAs, Rithabrata Bandhopadhyay and Sandipan Saha, lodged a formal complaint alleging that no such resolution had been adopted by the legislative party.

Following the Assembly Speaker’s intervention, an FIR was registered at the Hare Street Police Station, and the case was subsequently transferred to the CID.

“CID took signature samples from some MLAs whose names were in that letter. Three TMC MLAs, Baharul Islam, Arup Roy, and Subhashish Das, have confessed before the CID that they did not sign that document,” Adhikari revealed, adding that the Investigating Officer will determine the next steps of the probe based on statutory guidelines. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)