Bidhannagar Mayor Sabyasachi Dutta's fate likely to be decided

Miffed over Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation mayor Sabyasachi Dutta's recent comment against the party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership has convened an emergency meeting of councilors on Sunday to decide Dutta's fate. The party leadership was annoyed with Dutta, an MLA from Rajarhat-Newtown after he had participated in an agitation against the TMC government in Salt Lake on Friday.

Dutta, however, dared the party leadership to act against him. "This cannot continue. Being a member of the party, you cannot violate its rules and regulations. It is for Sabyasachi to decide what he wants," state minister and senior TMC leader Firhad Hakim said.

"Those who don't follow the party's ideals should stay out of the party. Tomorrow, we have convened a meeting of Bidhanangar councilors and we would take a call on the matter," Hakin added. Reacting to Hakim's comment, Dutta said he had done nothing wrong by supporting the cause of workers.

"I am following the footsteps of our party supremo Mamata Banerjee. Our party always stands by farmers and workers. Being a trade union leader, I did the same thing. I have nothing more to say," he told PTI. On Friday, Dutta had joined a protest program of a TMC-backed labor union in the state-run power sector in Salt Lake and criticized the state government for not fulfilling the longstanding demands for an increase in salaries in the sector.

This is not the first time that he had rubbed his party the wrong way. Ahead of Lok Sabha polls, BJP leader Mukul Roy met Dutta at his residence in Salt Lake, fuelling speculations of his switch-over to the saffron camp.

But Dutta had then dubbed it as a courtesy meeting, which had "nothing to do with politics". Following this, TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had then asked senior party leaders Hakim and another state Minister Jyotipriyo Mullick to convene a meeting of councilors of the Bidhanagar Municipal Corporation to discuss the matter.

Dutta had then apologized for hosting Roy at his residence...

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