Rajib Banerjee, other TMC leaders may join BJP in Delhi today

Former West Bengal ministerRajib Banerjee, who recently quit the Trinamool Congress, onSaturday flew with four other disgruntled leaders and aBengali actor to New Delhi where they are expected to join theBJP, sources in the saffron party said.

Banerjee and MLAs Prabir Ghosal and Baishali Dalmiya,who was recently expelled from the TMC, and former HowrahMayor Rathin Chakraborty, flew to the national capital on aspecial plane, and meet central BJP leaders.

Former TMC MLA Parthasarathi Chattopadhyay and actorRudranil Ghosh also accompanied them.

BJP national vice-president Mukul Roy and nationalgeneral secretary and the party's Bengal minder KailashVijayvargiya went to Delhi with them.

The TMC, which has been facing dissent from a numberof leaders ahead of the assembly election due in April-May,said that those who are leaving do not have long politicalhistory.

Banerjee said he had a word with Union Home MinisterAmit Shah who called him to the national capital.

''After I resigned from the TMC, I received a call fromthe BJP leadership.... Amit Shah ji told me to come over toDelhi. He also requested me to pass on the information to fiveother important public figures who wanted to serve people in abetter way to accompany me.

''If I get an assurance on the state's development, ifI get an assurance that I can work for the betterment ofpeople, I will join the BJP,'' he told reporters at theairport.

When asked what role does he expect to play in theBJP, Banerjee said it is for the party to decide.

''I want to work for the people. So whatever role isassigned to me, I will accept,'' he said.

Instead of mudslinging at each other, the Centre andthe West Bengal government should work together for the peopleof the state.

Actor Rudranil Ghosh, who has recently been voicinghis discontent over the issue of governance in Bengal andalleged corruption in the distribution of monetarycompensation to cyclone Amphan affected people last year, saidhe wants to work for people and play an important role in thestate in future.

Uttarpara MLA Prabir Ghosal, who recently alleged thatrepair work of a road in his constituency was not beingallowed by a faction of the party to harm his poll prospects,told reporters that he will join the BJP.

They all are expected to be inducted into the saffronparty on Saturday in Delhi or at a programme in Howrahdistrict of the state on Sunday.

According to BJP sources, these TMC leaders weresupposed to join the saffron party during Union Home MinisterAmit Shah's rally at Dumurjula in Howrah on Sunday. However,Shah's two-day visit to West Bengal was cancelled at the lastminute following a blast outside the Israeli Embassy in thenational capital.

Union minister Smriti Irani will now deputise for Shahat the programme.

The ruling TMC in West Bengal was rocked by a freshbout of desertions on Friday with Rajib Banerjee quitting theparty and several other leaders rallying behind him.

Reacting to the development, senior TMC MP and partyspokesperson Sougata Ray said, ''Those who left don't have along political history and most of them were inducted into theparty by (Chief Minister and party supremo) Mamata Banerjee.

In future, the TMC will be careful.'' Another senior TMC leader and minister SubrataMukherjee said, ''What can we do if anyone wants to go? Ours isa big party. We cannot prevent dissenters by deployingmilitary.'' PTI PNT SUSNN NN