The Trinamool Congress on Friday suspended two leaders who were part of two of its teachers’ cells for their involvement in “anti-party activities”, party leader and state education minister Bratya Basu said.

Manishankar Mondal was assistant president of the TMC’s professor cell, WEBCUPA. The other suspended person, Pritam Halder, was a leader of the TMC’s Madhyamik teachers’ cell.

Asked about the party’s move, Mondal, hit out at Basu. “This decision is for not listening to him (Basu). It was (MP) Abhishek (Banerjee) who played an important role in the party’s handling of the Sandeshkhali issue and he strongly countered the BJP allegations. I put up banners all over Kolkata in support of Abhishek. After this, Bratya Basu warned me in various ways. Then too, I was threatened with expulsion from the party,” claimed Mondal.

A senior TMC leader said, “… One can’t do anything without the consent of the party leadership. These two leaders repeatedly did that. Thus, the party leadership decided to take action against the two leaders.” ENS