Rajya Sabha MP Ritabrata Banerjee has reportedly been sacked by the West Bengal unit of Communist Party of India (Marxist) for three months over complaints about his ‘luxurious’ lifestyle. According to media reports, Banerjee came under the radar of party officials after CPI(M) workers spotted him with an Apple watch and expensive Montblanc Meisterstiick pen.
According to a India.com report, the complaint against Ritabrata Banerjee was filed by CPI(M) member Sumit Talukdar in February after he spotted him with the luxurious things. Talukdar had reportedly expressed his dissent on Facebook as well. In one of the Facebook posts of Ritabrata, Talukdar expressed his dissent by writing in the comment box about the former’s use of luxurious products.
Irked by the comments of Talukdar, the CPI(M) MP reportedly tracked his employer and wrote a mail seeking action against him. This reportedly alleged Talukdar to write a complaint letter to West Bengal CPI(M) chief Surjya Kanta Mishra.
Both the allegations – the use of luxurious products, along with misuse of official position, were taken up for probe by the party’s disciplinary panel.
The incident involving Ritabrata allowed political opponents to take jibes at CPI(M), and accused it of not practicing what they preach. Following the controversy, party general secretary Sitaram Yechury said that the party “disapproves” the action of the parliamentarian. He had further added that stern action would be taken if Ritabrata Banerjee was found violating the principles of the party.
Notably, As per the principles laid down by the party, the CPI(M) lawmakers retain only a fraction of their salaries and donate the rest to the party.
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