Mamata warns ‘corrupt’ TMC councillors

Kolkata, Jun.18 (HS): West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee today cautioned the Trinamool Congress Councillors of ‘strong action’ if they were caught with stealing public property and amassing huge unaccounted wealth in their own name and in the names of their relatives.

Addressing a meeting of party councillors here today, the first time after the party’s poll debacle, the Chief minister made it clear that such dishonest leaders had no place in TMC and would soon be barred from party.

‘I have asked the concerned minister Firhad Hakim to personally investigate all such complaints and take action by throwing out these people from the party lock stock and barrel.

‘We do not need such dishonest and corrupt politicians in out party’, she said and asked all the 500 odd councillors either return all these unaccounted wealth to their proper places and prove their honesty, or leave the party at once’.

‘We do not need you as each one of you who would be thrown out or allowed to leave the party,will be replaced with garnering the support of at least 500 people’, she roared.

Reminding the party Councillors about their duties and responsibilities, the Chief minister said since they were the face of the ruling party in their respective localities, it was a must for them to be honest and hard working, so that all government  facilities and projects could reach to the lowest rung of the people’, she said and added that if they did well it would help the party to improve its image,but in case of any misdeed of these councillor, it was the party and as the head of TMC ‘I suffer most’.

In this connection she said, she herself also made a grave mistake once a few years ago by not offering party ticket to the wife of slain TMC leader of Kancharapara about two decades ago.

‘It was a great mistake by not offering party ticket to Bikash Basu’s wife about 18 years ago after his murder who was an honest and hardworking party leader at Kancharapara in North 24 Parganas’,she said and urged everybody present there to follow the party principals as did by Bikash Basu.

At the end she once again reiterated her demand to re introduce the system of paper ballot in every elections from now on, instead of  the Electronic Voting Machines(EVMs) which, according to her, were wrongly modified and played a ‘dirty role’ in the last Lok Sabha poll to ensure unprecedented victory of BJP in every state including West Bengal.