Kolkata, 14 September (H.S.): West Bengal BJP president and Rajya Sabha member Samik Bhattacharya on Monday ruled out any possibility of the 20 Lok Sabha members who recently broke away from the Trinamool Congress and joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) directly joining the BJP. Taking a sarcastic swipe at their reported plans, he said the BJP they want to join is perhaps the BJP on Mars.

Bhattacharya was reacting to a statement by Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, a prominent Lok Sabha member associated with the NCPI, who claimed that 17 of the 20 MPs accompanying him would join the BJP directly next month.

Responding to Basunia’s claim, Bhattacharya said the BJP could not forget what happened to its workers after the 2021 Assembly elections. “What happened to many of our workers after the 2021 Assembly elections is something we can never forget. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that we would accept them if they want to join the BJP. The BJP they want to join is perhaps the BJP on Mars,” he said.

The state BJP president made it clear that there was no possibility of anyone from any faction of the Trinamool Congress joining the BJP, either in the immediate or distant future. He said the people of West Bengal had not forgotten the alleged atrocities during the Trinamool Congress’s rule from 2011 to 2026.

Several Lok Sabha members have now broken away from the Trinamool Congress and extended support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). While welcoming their support, Bhattacharya said this did not mean that they were joining the BJP.

He said joining the BJP might be Basunia’s personal wish, but there was no reason to believe that the BJP leadership would fulfil it.

Bhattacharya also claimed that 56 BJP workers were killed by Trinamool Congress-backed people within 27 days of May 2, 2021. He further alleged that around 200 women BJP workers were subjected to gang rape. He also claimed that the houses of several BJP workers were demolished and many others were forced to leave their homes.

“We have not forgotten this. Therefore, there is no reason to believe that all these sins will be erased so easily,” he said.

Meanwhile, Basunia had also said on Monday that three Lok Sabha members from his faction, Abu Taher Khan from Murshidabad, Yusuf Pathan from Berhampore and Khalilur Rahman from Jangipur, were uncomfortable with the prospect of directly joining the BJP. He said they would therefore not join the BJP but would remain part of the NDA.

However, Abu Taher Khan distanced himself from Basunia’s statement, saying that Basunia should speak only for himself and not take responsibility for others.

“We have not given him any such responsibility. It is his personal opinion and has nothing to do with our views. We are neither with the BJP nor with the NDA. We are thinking of working in our respective constituencies,” Khan said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh