Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday slammed party parliamentarian Aparupa Poddar and other party leaders for their "conduct in public life" and asked them to "mend their ways" or they would not get nominations in the next elections.
Banerjee, during TMC's decision making committee meeting, also asked party leaders to prepare themselves for the 2018 panchayat polls in the state.
The chief minister rebuked Poddar for her conduct at a toll plaza where she had reportedly slapped someone.
Banerjee clearly said she will not tolerate any such activities by public representatives as this kind of a conduct will adversely impact the image of the party.
"She also said if a public representative misbehaved with the common man, he or she will not get nominations," a senior TMC leader, who was present at the meeting, said on condition of anonymity.
Poddar is an MP from Arambagh Lok Sabha constituency in Hooghly district.
Banerjee directed the state's ministers to keep their cell phones switched on 24x7 and receive calls at "all hours". She expressed her anguish over the factional fight in Guskara Municipality in Burdwan district and gave a few days time to end it or the civic body board would be dissolved.
"Mamatadi asked the councillors and party leaders of Guskara Municipality to stop factionalism and instead, stress on developmental work. She said she would not tolerate factionalism and the party would not interfere in the developmental projects," another leader who also did not wish to be named said.
The TMC leader added that Birbhum district TMC president Anubrata Mondal has been given the responsibility to mediate and solve the problem in the next few days.
