Kolkata, April 27 -- The CPI(M) in Bengal expelled three-time Lok Sabha member, Bansa Gopal Chowdhury, from the party on charges of "highly objectionable" behaviour towards a woman colleague.

However, Bansa questioned the party's discipline and expressed his resentment against the CPM. Chowdhury claimed that the conspirators are secretly colluding with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He reportedly said that after losing power, Trinamool Congress (TMC) never conspired against him unlike what CPI(M) did. "Even when I was a minister, a section of the party conspired against me. When I was an MP, there were attempts to frame me in fabricated women-related incidents," he said.

CPI(M) leadership announced Chowdhury's expulsion through a notification issued on Sunday morning. However, in the notification, the party did not elaborate on the reason behind the decision. The notification stated that Chowdhury refused to get reforms despite sustained efforts by the party leadership to do so. Hence, he had been expelled from the party as per the recommendations of the internal complaints committee.

A state committee leader reportedly said: "In terms of Lok Sabha or Assembly strengths in Bengal, we might be zero but we never nurture such instances of moral degeneration within the party. But I wonder whether, after being expelled, he will become an asset for the Trinamool Congress." On April 20, the woman leader of the party and also a former councillor from Jiaganj-Azimganj Municipality made a post on a social networking site accusing Chowdhury of sending her obscene messages on WhatsApp. She also uploaded the screenshots of those messages allegedly sent to her.

She also sought disciplinary action against Chowdhury, who was also a member of the previous Left-Front Cabinet before becoming a Lok Sabha MP from the Asansol Constituency in the West Burdwan district. He was currently the party's West Burdwan district committee member.

The woman claimed she brought the matter to the party leadership's notice in November last year. The matter was referred to the party's internal complaints committee, which started an investigation.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.