Rabindranath Chatterjee joins TMC in Bengal

Congress today suffered another jolt in West Bengal as its veteran leader and MLA Rabindranath Chatterjee today joined the Trinamool Congress.
"Rabindranath Chatterjee has decided to join the TMC as he feels that TMC is the only party which works for the development of the state under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee," state Education and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Partha Chatterjee said.
"He too wants to take part in the development of our Maa Mati Manush government and work for the people," the minister said.
Along with Chatterjee, who was elected from Burdwan's Katwa constituency in 2011, several councillors and panchyat members of Congress from Katwa also switched over to the ruling party.

When contacted, the newly inducted TMC leader told PTI, "I have joined the Trinamool Congress because I think it would be easier for me to work for the masses if I am a member of the ruling party. In Congress I was having a problem in working for the people".
Chatterjee had last week met West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee fuelling speculation of a switch over.

With Chatterjee joining TMC, the total number of Congress MLAs who switched over to the Trinamool Congress since the 2011 Assembly poll reaches 10 reducing the strength of the over century-old party in the West Bengal Assembly to 32 from 42.

Congress had won 42 Assembly seats in 2011 when it contested the election in alliance with the TMC, but the alliance broke in September 2012 when Trinamool Congress withdrew support to the then UPA II government at the Centre and Congress in turn withdrew its ministers from the state cabinet.
Former state Congress President and Rajya Sabha MP Pradip Bhattacharya termed the decision of Chatterjee as unfortunate.