Trinamool suspends two Bengal legislators

West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress on Monday suspended two of its legislators - Seuli Saha and Silbhadra Dutta - for anti-party activities.

"They have been suspended from the party for indulging in anti-party activities. They have not been listening to the party and provoking others to quit our party," Trinamool secretary general Partha Chatterjee told IANS.

The suspension comes a day after Saha, who represents Haldia constituency, and Dutta, from Barrackpore constituency, attended an iftar party hosted by sidelined Trinamool leader Mukul Roy.

Perceived to be close to Roy, Dutta was earlier removed from the post of parliamentary secretary.

Both Dutta and Saha said they will comment on the issue only after getting a formal intimation about their suspension.

Speculations have been rife of Roy, a Trinamool Rajya Sabha MP floating a new political party after Eid.

During Sunday's iftar party where both Saha and Dutta were present, Roy's aide and expelled Trinamool leader Dipak Ghosh had claimed the formalities of floating the new party will begin after Eid.

"The draft is ready, we will file the documents for floating the new party with the Election Commission after Eid. Once the formalities are completed we will make the announcement," Ghosh had said Sunday.

Roy remained non-committal, terming Ghosh's comments as personal.

Critical of the Banerjee government for "not fulfilling aspirations of minorities", Roy in the last couple of months, held talks with several leaders from the Muslim community.

Besides holding talks with Pirzada Toha Siddiqui of Furfura Sharif, an influential spiritual leader, Roy met All Bengal Minority Youth Federation general secretary Mohammad Quamruzzaman, and former Left Front minister and expelled CPI-M leader Abdur Rezzak Mollah.

Once the second in command of Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool and credited as the architect of the party electoral success, Roy was stripped of all party posts. His relation with the party fell out following his quizzing by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the multi-crore rupee Saradha scam.

Going against the party stand that the CBI was targeting Trinamool leaders, Roy insisted he would cooperate with the probe agency even if it called it a hundred times.