Kolkata: It’s yet another ‘Ghar Wapsi’ for Trinamool Congress with Bharatiya Janata Party’s Member of Parliament from Barrackpore and its vice president Arjun Singh returned to TMC in presence of its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
With the defection of Singh, the total number of BJP MPs came down to 16 from 18. In September last year, Bollywood singer Babul Supriyo had deserted the saffron camp and left Asansol seat.
Soon after defecting to the TMC, Singh addressed the media and said that his fight is against the poor condition of the jute mill in the state.
“I have learnt that chief minister Mamata Banerjee had written a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in November last year over the poor condition of the jute mills. There were 62 jute mills in the state out of which only 12 mills are operational. With the fight of our chief minister, we have achieved few things and 75 per cent is yet to get about the jute mills from the Central government,” said Singh.
In 2019, before Lok Sabha elections, Singh had joined BJP and won the parliamentary seat.
Joining back to his old party within three years, Singh said that he was with TMC since the party was formed in 1998. He added that due to a certain ‘misunderstanding’ he had defected to BJP.
“Everyone will soon see that the countrywide fight will be led by Mamata Banerjee and keeping her ideology in front we all will fight. I am an organizational person and will look after the organization,” mentioned the Barrackpore MP. He pointed out that he will meet TMC chief whenever she calls him.
Asked whether he will resign from the MP’s post, to which Singh without naming anyone argued that if two BJP leaders who are still TMC MP will resign from their post then within an hour he will put in his papers.
Slamming the Bengal BJP, Singh alleged that BJP in Bengal does politics through social media.
“Elections in Bengal are different in other states. BJP Bengal leaders play politics sitting in AC rooms and on social media. They don’t visit the grassroots. The downfall of the BJP in Bengal has started. If TMC wants, entire BJP Bengal leaders would join the TMC,” claimed Singh.
Significantly, Arjun Singh’s son Pawan is also a legislator from BJP and it will be interesting to watch when he will follow his father’s footsteps.
Countering Singh, BJP’s national vice president Dilip Ghosh said that when BJP became ‘powerful’ in Bengal several leaders from TMC had joined BJP and are now leaving the party as they want to stay close to the ‘power corridor’.
Soon after Singh became vocal against Union Textile Minister Piyush Goyal, the minister had a couple of meeting with Singh and last Thursday the central government revised the price of raw jute.
TMC Jagatdal MLA Somenath Shyam said that those who will understand that Mamata Banerjee is the only alternative in the national politics will join TMC.
“Even Arjun said that Mamata is the only alternative in national politics. We those who are old TMC workers didn’t leave the party and are with TMC, those who went if they want to come back and if Mamata and Abhishek give the clearance then they will be brought back in the party,” said Somenath.
