In the wake of a number of Trinamool Congress leaders defecting to the BJP after the parliamentary elections, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee launched an attack on them by calling them "greedy and corrupt" and said those who want to leave the party should do it at the earliest. Her remarks came on Tuesday when Trinamool legislator from Bongaon Bishwajit Das and 12 other councillors from the area joined the BJP. On Monday, another Trinamool lawmaker Sunil Singh switched over to the BJP.
So far, six Trinamool Congress legislators have joined the BJP. Since the recent parliamentary elections, Trinamool has lost control of five municipal bodies in Bhatpara, Halishahar, Naihati, Kanchrapara and Garulia with the party councillors joining the BJP. And now, Trinamool also may lose its hold over Bongaon civic body.
Mamata said her party is "throwing out garbage" and the BJP is collecting it and that she would be replacing the "traitors" with "dedicated members". Congress spokesperson Prasenjeet Ghosh in West Bengal also joined the BJP. Mamata said "we are not bothered about a few corrupt and greedy leaders who are switching to some other party. They joined the BJP as they were afraid they might face consequences for their activities."
After the BJP secured a 18 parliamentary seats in West Bengal in recent poll, a number of from Trinamool switched to the BJP last month. The exodus came weeks after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said at an election rally in Bengal that 40 Trinamool legislators were in touch with the BJP. As more switches followed led by BJP leader Mukul Roy's son Subhransghu, the party expressed its displeasure and likened its legislators who joined the saffron party to "rats abandoning a ship sensing danger".
Mamata said she would want to restructure her party ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections. "One person will leave and 500 more will be inducted in his or her place. We want to restructure our party and replace corrupt and greedy workers with dedicated cadres," she added.
