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Bengal Congress makes legislators to sign loyalty bond

by IBNS 24 May 2016, 10:21 pm

Kolkata, May 25 (IBNS) In a move that has kicked up controversy, the Congress in West Bengal has made its 44 legislators sign an undertaking swearing unqualified allegiance to party president Sonia Gandhi and vice president Rahul Gandhi.

According to reports, the Congress, which finished a distant second in the state Assembly elections, results for which were declared on May 19, has also asked its legislators to put on  a Rs 100-stamp paper that they will not  “get involved in any anti-party activity”. 

The decision to make MLAs give signed undertakings was taken at meeting between PCC President Adhir Chowdhury, party legislators, district presidents and other state party leaders. 


The first of four points in the two-page stamp paper states: “I do swear my unqualified allegiance to Indian National Congress led by Hon’ble Congress President Smt Sonia Gandhi Ji and Hon’ble Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi Ji.”

The second states: “I, as a member of the legislative assembly, will not get involved in any anti-party activity. Even if I do not agree with any party policy and/or party decision, I will not make any negative comment thereon and/or I shall not take any negative action to the detriment of the party. In such a scenario, I shall resign from my post of MLA before making such comment and/or taking such action.”

The third point speaks about  MLAs abiding by party guidelines and obeying the chief whip. 

The last point says that the first three statements are “true to my knowledge”.

Defending his decision, Chwdhury said,  “It is not a bond which we have forced people to sign. It is more of a voluntary pledge by them as a gesture of their allegiance."

Chowdhury claimed that  there is ‘enough scope’ within the party to express disagreements and concerns.

Senior Congress leader Abdul Mannan, who won from the Champdani constutuency, however, admitted that Congress legislators defecting to the Trinamool Congress was a major concern for the party, hinting that this was the reason the legislators were made to give undertaking.