The Trinamool Congress continued to travel northwards with successfully penetrating the citadels of Gorkha Janmukti Morcha inDarjeeling.
The GJM, which currently controls the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration is likely to witness a vertical split on Wednesday, sources said, adding GTA chairman B Pradhan is among those who are likely to join the Bengal ruling outfit. He is a senior leader from Kurseong.
The GJM had already witnessed a split in its Kalimpong unit with senior leader HB Chetri, a former MlA quitting the party before the Assembly elections. Pradhan is likely to join the TMC in presence of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, who is currently touring North Bengal.
The new development was reported on a day when Justice J Bagchi of Calcutta High Court made a significant observation, stating most defections (in Bengal) are engineered by luring people’s representatives with a pleasure trip to farmhouses in Goa or simply by coercion.
Bengal has of late seen a rapid crossing of floors from the opposition parties to the Trinamool Congress with elected representatives from local bodies joining Banerjee’s team in the name of “development.”
The Trinamool has wrested at least six municipalities and two district boards in the past one month or so with a majority of Congress and left leaders joining the ruling outfit amid allegations of “arm-twisting and forced defections.” The TMC had wrested Malda District board a Congress stronghold and Jalpaiguri from the opposition on Monday, with majority of their members joining the ruling party. In neighbouring Murshidabad also 22 elected members from Congress had joined Trinamool, though they could not topple the Board. Incidentally the TMC could not win a single seat in Malda and managed to win only four out of 21 seats in Murshidabad in the State polls.
“This is a naked game of money and muscle power being played by the Trinamool which is employing all its ill-gotten wealth from chit fund to buy opposition members” said Mausam Benazir Noor Malda Congress MP.