Intimidation, false cases & pressure reasons for MLAs joining TMC: BJP

After two of its MLAs joined the ruling Trinamool Congress, the BJP said the state machinery was being used to pressurise and threaten the saffron cadre to leave the party.

BJP national general secretary and West Bengal in-charge, Kailash Vijayvargiya told IANS that Mamata Banerjee was misusing the state administration and police to threaten party MLAs with false cases, and under pressure three joined the Trinamool after winning the Assembly polls on the BJP ticket.

"Intimidation, false cases, pressure and misuse of state machinery are the main reasons for BJP's MLAs joining the TMC," Vijayvargiya said.

In June, Mukul Roy, the BJP national vice president and won from Krishnanagar North Assembly seats, left BJP and joined the Trinamool Congress. This week, BJP MLAs -- Tanmoy Ghosh from Bishnupur and Biswajit Das from Bagda Assembly -- joined the Trinamool.

When asked about the BJP's plan to stop its MLAs from joining Trinamool, Vijayvargiya said, "We are in touch with all our leaders and they are willing to stay in the BJP to serve the people and nation. But they are under huge pressure and some may not stand it (pressure). One can imagine the amount of pressure or threats which had broken people like Mukul da (Mukul Roy)."

Leader of opposition in West Bengal Suvendu Adhikari has written to Ghosh and Das asking them to clarify their positions to reports that they joined the Trinamool.

Adhikari wrote that various news channels telecast the video of their joining the All India Trinamool Congress and participating in a press conference held by the said political party and such news was also published in various newspapers.

"You hereby called upon to indicate your stand apropos the said subject of you joining All India Trinamool Congress within a period of one week from receipt of the instant letter. In the event nothing is heard from you within the period as aforesaid, it shall be presumed that you have defected to the All India Trinamool Congress ," Adhikari wrote to both the MLAs.

--IANS

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