Suspended Trinamool MLA threatens defamation suit

Suspended Trinamool Congress legislator Swapan Kanti Ghosh on Sunday threatened to file a defamation suit against party secretary general Partha Chatterjee who announced his suspension for anti-party activities.

A legislator from Suri in Birbhum district, Ghosh was suspended on February 25 after he staged a demonstration at the assembly premises alleging that the Trinamool-run Suri municipality siphoned off Rs.10.36 crore meant for central schemes including a drinking water project.

"Chatterjee publicly announced my suspension, but I am yet to get a formal order of suspension. I will wait for seven days and send a legal notice seeking the suspension order. Still if I don't get it, then I will move the Calcutta High Court against Chatterjee for defamation," Ghosh told media persons.

"Chatterjee's act is tantamount to defamation because there is no legal proof of my suspension, yet he has made a public announcement. So I will move the high court," Ghosh said.

"The party's disciplinary committee has unanimously decided to suspend Ghosh forthwith pending inquiry from the party. Despite being repeatedly cautioned, he acted at the behest of other political parties and made allegations against his own party," Chatterjee, the head of the party's disciplinary committee, had said on February 25.