Jalpaiguri/Kolkata: Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Basunia, who defected from Trinamool Congress and joined an outfit called Nationalist Congress Party of India after Trinamool’s defeat in this year’s assembly poll, created a flutter in state politics when he claimed that 17 rebel breakaway MPs would be joining BJP next month before or right after Durga Puja .
The BJP leadership had arranged for 20 rebel Trinamool MPs to join NCPI (a little-known outfit that suddenly shot to prominence after the defections), Basunia said. But the 17 others will join BJP. “All 20 MPs decided to join BJP. What happened to BJP workers after the 2021 election (the violence) must not be forgotten. Earlier reporting noted: 17 of 20 rebel TMC-turned-NCPI MPs to join BJP next month, claims Cooch Behar MP As many as 17 of the 20 Trinamool Congress-turned-Nationalist Citizens’ Party of India (NCPI) Lok Sabha MPs from West Bengal are set to join the BJP directly next month, Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claimed on Monday. Earlier reporting noted: Basunia, one of the prominent members of the NCPI MPs’ camp, said the 17 MPs would join the BJP before or around the time of the forthcoming Durga Puja.
Because three minority MPs were not willing to join directly, but a problem arose.
The rebel MPs had originally planned to switch to BJP straight from Trinamool, Basunia said. Delhi (BJP) seniors then facilitated our merger with the NCPI,” he said, adding: “We did not even know about going to NCPI. Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said she had no comment and Mathurapur MP Bapi Haldar said he did not know “anything”. Earlier reporting noted: However, three MPs in the group — Abu Taher Khan of Murshidabad, Yusuf Pathan of Baharampur and Khalilur Rahman of Jangipur do not want to join the BJP directly, he said.
Basunia’s statement coincided with the fight at Election Commission between two different factions of Trinamool MLAs (one led by former Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee and the other by rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee) over the control of the party’s official name and symbol. “Three minority MPs, who are with us, do not want to join BJP directly. Our plan is ready. The remaining three (Abu Taher, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan) will be given various portfolios. They will stay with and support NDA but will not join BJP directly,” he added. It is a registered but unrecognised political party. Bengal BJP seniors debunked Basunia’s claims, with state president Samik Bhattacharya saying: “He (Basunia) is probably referring to BJP on Mars. The party will not admit anyone who wants to join. State BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar, too, dismissed Basunia’s statement: “I do not have any such information. These people are not little children for BJP to hold their hands, take them away, admit them to a school somewhere. Things like this do not happen in our party. What he is saying cannot be reconciled with our party’s ideology. Other NCPI MPs distanced themselves from Basunia’s claims.