Trinamool suspends Pande for backing Tata car project

KOLKATA: West Bengal Trinamool Congress on Thursday suspended its MLA Sadhan Pande who had defended the Tata Motors small car project in Singur in violation of the party’s stand on the issue.

Opposition leader in the state legislature and Trinamool Congress MLA Partha Chatterjee announced the party’s decision to suspend Mr Pande on Thursday. “Mr Pande has been suspended as he violated the party’s instruction and issued statements contradicting the party’s stand on the issue of farmland acquisition by the state government,” said Mr Chatterjee.

Mr Pande, who attended the inaugural day of the budget session on Thursday, however, sat with Trinamool Congress MLAs. “I don’t care about the party’s decision. I wasn’t show caused by the leadership for issuing the statement. Suddenly, they have suspended me. I’m not bothered.

I have talked about setting up industrial units in West Bengal as I felt it is high time for the government to industrialise West Bengal and solve the problem of unemployment,” Mr Pande told reporters at the Assembly lobby after the governor’s address ended.

Asked whether he would join Congress, Mr Pande said “No. I am with Trinamool Congress and am not thinking about joining any other political party. If necessary, I will go to the people and explain my stand on the issue of industrialisation and land acquisition.

I have been in politics for 30 years and people elected me in the state legislature six times. I will go to my electors and explain why I favoured the Tata Motors project.”

Mr Pande also criticised the Trinamool Congress leadership and said: “The legislative party had never discussed the issue of land acquisition and industrialisation. There is no democracy within Trinamool Congress. No decision is taken on the basis of discussion within the party forum. The only leader in the party takes all decisions and others are there to follow.”

Meanwhile, Mr Chatterjee also informed Assembly Speaker Hasim Abdul Halim about the party’s decision to suspend Mr Pande. Asked whether he would attend the budget session, Mr Pande said: “Of course. I will attend the budget session and speak in favour of the government’s drive to industrialise the state. There was inordinate delay on the part of the CPIM and its government to industrialise West Bengal.

Now, the chief minister has admitted it and taken up the initiative to bring more investment and set up more and more industrial units to solve the problem of unemployment. As a responsible opposition party, I feel, we should support the government’s recent drive to industrialise West Bengal.”