The trend of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders jumping ship to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) continued on Wednesday, 29 May, as TMC MLA Manirul Islam, along with party leaders Gadadhar Hazra, Mohammad Asif Iqbal and Nimai Das, joined the saffron party in Delhi.
TMC MLAs Subhranshu Roy, Tusharkanti Bhattacharjee and CPM MLA Devendra Roy along with 50-60 councillors had joined the BJP in Delhi on Tuesday. Subhranshu is the son of BJP leader Mukul Roy, and had been suspended by TMC recently.
The switch by the MLAs and the councillors came just days after the 2019 Lok Sabha election results gave the BJP an unprecedented 18 seats and a 40 percent vote share in West Bengal.
“Like the elections were held in seven phases in West Bengal, joinings in BJP will also happen in seven phases. Today was just the first phase,” said BJP National General secretary Kailash Vijayvargiya at the joining ceremony.
Earlier in the day, 16 TMC Councillors of the Kanchrapara Municipality collectively withdrew from TMC Councillor' Party. Subhrangshu Roy also withdrew his membership.
All three legislators represent Assembly constituencies under Barrackpore Lok Sabha constituency.
Two-time TMC MP from Barrackpore, Dinesh Trivedi was defeated by BJP’s Arjun Singh in the Lok Sabha elections. Singh too jumped ship from TMC to BJP, just ahead of the general elections.
Subhrangshu’s Suspension
Subhrangshu, who was suspended by the TMC for anti-party comments, on Friday, 24 May, said he would join the BJP within a few days, a "new innings" in which he will be able to "breathe freely".
"Now, I will breathe freely. Many in the TMC feel suffocated," he said, claiming that several others from the party will "follow his footsteps".
“My father has advised me to be careful, as I may be implicated in a false criminal case, or may be attacked... I will join the BJP within two to three days,” Subhrangshu said. Mukul Roy joined the BJP in November 2017, shortly after his suspension from TMC.
At an earlier press conference, Subhrangshu said he was keen to start a new innings and that he did not get due respect in the TMC.
"Now, I only want peace in Bengal," said the two-time MLA from Bijpur assembly constituency.
‘Like Rats Abandoning Ship Sending Danger’: TMC
Meanwhile, the TMC on Tuesday, 28 May, likened its MLAs who joined the BJP to "rats abandoning a ship sensing danger" and said people will give them a befitting reply, reported PTI.
A senior TMC leader said, "We will expel them from the party. Subhrangshu is already under suspension. We are not bothered about such opportunists. People will give them a befitting reply."
“If some of the leaders join the BJP just because it has won a few seats, they are nothing, but rats who abandon a ship sensing danger. It is good that they have left our party.”Firhad Hakim, TMC Leader
According to The Indian Express, Hakim, appealed to disgruntled leaders to “stand by the party in trying times.”
“There are many leaders who have distanced themselves from the party. I called Sovan and asked him to work with the party again,” Hakim told the newspaper.
Earlier, during the election campaign, Narendra Modi claimed that 40 TMC MLAs were in touch with him and will desert their party once the BJP wins the general elections.
“Forty TMC MLAs are in touch with me and all your MLAs will desert you once the BJP wins the elections. Political ground has slipped from under your feet.”Narendra Modi
(With inputs from PTI, The Indian Express)
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