Five more TMC rebels join BJP
KOLKATA/NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah welcomed former Trinamool Congress (TMC) minister Rajib Banerjee and a group of rebels into BJP at his Delhi residence on Saturday, less than 24 hours after cancelling his two-day trip to West Bengal because of the IED blast outside the Israeli embassy in Delhi.
Those who joined the BJP alongside Banerjee are Vaishali Dalmiya, the MLA from Bally in Howrah who was expelled by the TMC recently; Prabir Ghosal, the MLA from Uttarpara in Hooghly district; Rathin Chakraborty, former mayor of Howrah town; Partha Sarathi Chatterjee, former MLA from Ranaghat in Nadia district and actor Rudranil Ghosh, who recently started speaking against the TMC. Banerjee, who was Bengal’s forest minister, resigned from the Domjur assembly seat in Howrah on Friday.
Shah welcomed the TMC leaders with the party’s saffron scarves. A chartered flight was arranged to ferry the rebel TMC leaders to the Capital and send them back at night so that they could attend the rally that Shah was scheduled to physically address in Howrah on Sunday afternoon. It was announced that Shah would address the rally virtually. Banerjee and his co-passengers told the media they felt “extremely honoured” by Shah’s gesture. The small plane that took off from Kolkata airport at 4.10pm became a topic of discussion on social media in Bengal, with images of the rebels posing in front of the plane getting shared by the thousands with comments. Only Ghosh, the actor, missed the special ride but he managed to reach Delhi on a commercial flight.
“It is a day of great honour for us. The home minister called us here as he had to postpone his trip. He took the initiative and sent a chartered plane. Bengal has suffered for years by fighting with the Centre. The state cannot have all-round development without the Centre’s help and participation,” Banerjee said while leaving Shah’s house.
The BJP announced that since Shah cannot leave Delhi, Union minister Smriti Irani will address the rally in Howrah on Sunday where more people are expected to join the BJP.
Senior TMC leader Subrata Mukherjee made light of the exits, saying, “It is not a matter of honour if someone leaves the TMC for no definite ideology.”