KOLKATA: Continuing his tirade against a section of the party leadership, senior BJP leader Tathagata Roy on Monday said those TMC turncoats who were welcomed into the saffron party by neglecting old-timers have shown their "true colours" and will return to their old party one by one.
TMC turncoats Sonali Guha, Sarala Murmu and Amal Acharya, who had joined the BJP before the West Bengal assembly elections, have expressed their desire to return to the ruling party in the state and said they regretted their decision to join the BJP.
"My words have proved to be true. Those who were welcomed into the BJP with open arms, those new entrants who were granted such rousing reception while old-timers of 20-30 years were given short shrift and subjected to total neglect, are now set to return to the TMC one by one," Roy, known for his controversial statements, said.
After the BJP's poor performance in the assembly elections, in which it bagged only 77 seats while the TMC won 213 constituencies, the former governor of Tripura and Meghalaya said that "unwanted elements" from the ruling party in West Bengal had joined the saffron camp ahead of the polls.
On the TMC turncoats' wish to return to their old party, senior leader and MP Sougata Roy said that in his opinion, these turncoats should not be inducted into the Trinamool Congress within the next six months.
"Chief Minister and party chief Mamata Banerjee will take the final decision in this regard. But, in my view, they should not be inducted into the party within six months' time."
"Our grassroots level activists had worked so hard during poll campaigning against the BJP's sustained adverse campaign and money power. We may look into their sentiments," Roy said.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said the party is preoccupied with the fight against COVID-19 and does not have time for other issues.