BJP trying to poach TMC leaders like Subrata Bakshi, Anubrata Mondal: Mamata Banerjee

At a rally in Coochbehar’s Ras Mela Moydan, Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that BJP was trying to poach senior TMC leaders like Subrata Bakshi and Anubrata Mondal. 

Amidst the growing concern of TMC, when several leaders have aired discontent with the party and look set to defect to BJP, Banerjee claimed that the saffron party tried to reach Bakshi and Mondal as well.

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“You all may not know one thing. Many in the press don’t know either. It’s a matter of huge shame. Subrata Bakshi my general secretary and member of Rajya Sabha. They called him the other day. They wanted to meet him. Just see what low BJP has stooped to. No shame, no basic courtesy,” said Banerjee, who is on a three-day tour of North Bengal.

Talking about Mondal, TMC’s district secretary in Birbhum, the party chief said, “Keshto Mondal [the name by which Anubrata Mondal is popularly known] called me yesterday. Our secretary in Birbhum. Keshto said, ‘Didi someone called me from Delhi. He wanted to meet me.’ He said that he belongs to Mamata Banerjee’s party and won’t sit with anyone else.”

For TMC, looking to hold on to power in the 2021 Assembly Elections, the struggle to keep its house intact and leaders at goodwill is proving to be a major headache.

From its agitation leader Suvendu Adhikari to MLAs like Shilbhadra Dutta, Jotu Lahiri, Rajiv Banerjee, Jitendra Tiwari, West Bengal’s governning party seems to be a divided political entity like none other at the moment.

With Mamata Banerjee alleging that BJP called senior and heavyweight leaders like Bakshi and Monday, TMC’s stumble to keep the hindutva brigade at bay is apparent.

A report by CNN News18 on Tuesday confirmed that Adhikari, a TMC MLA from Nandigram, would join BJP on December 19 in presence of Amit Shah.

The 50-year-old heavyweight politician is likely to resign as a legislator and TMC party member in the upcoming days.