KOLKATA: A day after a BJP MLA joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Bengal's ruling party claimed that many from the saffron camp's MPs and MLAs are lining up for jumping ship. The TMC also claimed to have planted the yet-to-be-defected BJP legislators and MPs as moles in the saffron camp.
"At least six MPs and 13 MLAs are ready to join the TMC. Party supremo Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee will take the final call. Many of them already met Abhishek at his Camac Street office and the chief minister during her district visit," said TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh.
Ghosh also made it clear that the party is in regular touch with the BJP’s elected representatives willing to come to the fold of the ruling party.
"We told them to be in their own party, attend all the meetings chaired by their leadership and informed us about the minutes of the discussions,’’ he said.
Elaborating on what is prompting the TMC high command to induct the turncoats, Ghosh said the party is discussing the issue with the local leadership from where the BJP MPs and MLAs were elected.
"We need to understand the pulse of the local leadership and their reaction if the BJP turncoats are given access to our party. We will inform the chief minister about our findings and she will take the final decision,’’ said Ghosh.
Causing a jolt to BJP’s north Bengal stronghold, Suman Kanjilal, an MLA from Alipurduar of the saffron camp on Sunday defected to the Trinamool Congress. With the defection of Kanjilal, BJP’s strength in the Assembly has come down to 69 from 77 as five other MLAs joined the ruling TMC earlier.
Two MPs, who contested in the 2021 Assembly elections and won, decided to function as the representatives in the lower house of the Parliament.
Ghosh, however, refused to comment on how many of the six MPs and 13 MLAs are from BJP’s north Bengal citadel.
BJP’s state president Sukanta Majumdar described Ghosh’s claim as an effort to divert people’s attention from the ongoing issue of corruption by TMC functionaries. "Even if I accept that 13 corrupt MLAs will join the TMC, will they be able to avoid lawful action by law enforcing agencies?’’ he asked.