BJP turncoat MLAs-Didi meet fuels rumour mill

ARITRA SINGHA / KOLKATA: Fuelling new speculation 2 turncoat legislators to BJP met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the West Bengal Assembly on Monday.

Sunil Singh, MLA of Noapara and Biswajit Das of Bongaon North in North 24 Parganas, along with Kolkata Municipal Corporation Mayor Firhad Hakim and West Bengal food and supplies minister Jyoti Priyo Mullick held a closed-door meeting for 20 hours with Mamata at her chamber in the West Bengal Assembly where she was attending the budget session. Das was seen touching Banerjee’s feet to seek her blessings.

Asked about their return to the ruling TMC, Das of Bongaon North claimed he met Banerjee to discuss pending development projects in his constituency.

“I met her because she is the leader of the ruling party,” said Das, refusing to elaborate on his return to TMC.

Incidentally, the speculations started over Jyoti Priyo Mullick’s presence in the closed-door meeting as Mullick is also the president of the TMC’s North 24 Parganas and has earlier records of successfully getting back defectors. Sunil Singh, the brother-in-law of BJP heavyweight and MP Arjun Singh did not comment about the meeting and left the assembly after flashing a victory sign.

Notably, a month after the 2019 LS poll results, the MLAs, Singh and Das, had joined BJP in Delhi in June.

Sources said later they were summoned to BJP office where Kailash Vijaywargiya held a closed-door meet.