The Bengal BJP on Monday lost yet another MLA to the Trinamool Congress as a saffron legislator from Bishnupur left the party to join the State ruling outfit saying that he left the saffron party because of its divisive and unethical politics.
Accepting the TMC flag from Bengal Minister Bratya Basu Bishnupur Legislator Tanmoy Ghosh said, “the reason why I am in the Trinamool Congress is: I was inspired by the developmental works being carried out by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee … I invite others also to do the same … I want the members of other parties also to join the Trinamool so that they can also take part in the work of Mamata Banerjee’s public welfare programmes.”
Attacking the BJP he said “After going to that party I found that they are only into vindictive politics which is evident from the way they are using the central agencies against their political opponents … they follow no ethical norms and indulge in dividing the people for narrow political gains.”
Ghosh also said that the BJP had no organizational strength at the booth-level and only thrived on the votes transferred by the other parties like the Left Front. “They will soon lose whatever they gained because they have no organizational strength at the booth level,” he said.
Ghosh had joined the BJP before the April-May Assembly elections in which Mamata Banerjee’s party returned to power with a huge tally of 213 seats.
The Monday’s development brings down the BJP’s strength in the State Assembly to 73. Earlier former BJP national vice president Mukul Roy too left that party to join the TMC where he was instantly made the party’s national vice president. The JP had won 77 seats in this year’s Assembly elections.
Two MPs Nisith Pramanik and Jagannath Sarkar who had successfully contested the Assembly elections later resigned the Assembly post.Soon after he left the party Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh alleged “Tanmoy Ghosh is yet another example of how the TMC is arm-twisting the opposition leaders into joining its ranks.”
Curiously a former State Minister and TMC leader SP Mukherjee who had joined the BJP before the Assembly elections was arrested last week on charges of corruption.
State BJP spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said Ghosh’s quitting the party would not make any difference for the saffron outfit in the State. “Everyone is not capable of taking the pressure opposition leaders have to face. Here Tanmoy Ghosh gavein.”
