'Turncoats were given undue importance': Bengal BJP MLA hits out at party

KOLKATA: With four BJP MLAs returning to the Trinamool Congress in four months, the saffron party's Cooch Behar South legislator Nikhil Ranjan Dey on Monday said the top leadership had erred by inducting TMC leaders into the BJP before the assembly polls in West Bengal.

The party would have fared better had they been not taken into the party fold, Dey claimed.

"The BJP top leadership made a mistake by taking those TMC leaders into the party fold. They had never been integral with the BJP ideology," Dey told reporters in Cooch Behar town.

"These leaders had joined the BJP as they were swayed by the perception that the BJP will take over power in West Bengal. And they were given much importance by our party. Now they are leaving," he added.

BJP vice-president Mukul Roy had returned to the TMC in May, days after being elected on the saffron party ticket.

He was followed by three other BJP MLAs.

Taking a dig at Dey, TMC Coochbehar district president Partha Pratim Roy said, "By his logic, leader of the opposition in assembly Suvendu Adhikari is also not integrated to the BJP ideology as he was with the TMC one year back. Is Dey raising fingers at Adhikari as well?" Adhikari joined the BJP in December last year.

Mukul Roy told reporters on Monday that several BJP MLAs are waiting to be inducted into the TMC in the coming days.

Raiganj BJP MLA Krishna Kalyani on Sunday announced he will not attend any party programme, triggering speculations about his future move.