Trinamool leader censured by party for 'pregnant' barb

Temperamental Trinamool Congress leader Sonali Guha on Saturday was censured by her party for calling leader of the opposition Surjya Kanta Mishra, of the CPI-M as "nine month pregnant".

As political opponents went all guns blazing against Guha, the Trinamool rushed to distance itself from the comments.

Party secretary general Partha Chatterjee said the party has censured her.

"Our party does not support her remarks and she has been censured," Chatterjee, also the state education minister, told media persons.

While addressing a rally of the students' wings of the Trinamool on Friday, Guha, also the deputy assembly speaker, had even threatened to "pull out the baby" to teach the CPI-M politburo member a lesson.

"Mishra every now and then caresses his stomach as if he is nine months pregnant. Seeing him, it seems he wants to be careful so as not to trip and fall and harm the baby," Guha had said about the Communist Party of India-Marxist state secretary.

She even went on to add: "If I see him in assembly talking while caressing his stomach, I will pull out the nine-month old baby."

But the opposition was not satisfied with Trinamool's response.

State Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said: "There is a race within the Trinamool on using filthy language against political opponents. They feel the more obnoxious are the remarks, the happier will be their supremo Mamata Banerjee."

CPI-M state secretariat member Sujon Chakraborty said it was "unfortunatea that such comments had come from a person holding the high office of deputy speaker."

"The chief minister may swell in pride over Guha's utterances, but the people are shocked and embarrassed. It only shows her taste. The count of such leaders is increasing in Trinamool," the former MP added.

A close aide of Chief Minister Banerjee, Guha had earlier too courted controversy.

In 2014, she was caught on camera threatening and manhandling residents of an apartment in Howrah district.

In 2008, she allegedly abused a police officer of Nodakhali police station in South 24 Parganas.