The absence of three BJP heavyweights Mukul Roy, Shamik Bhattacharya and Rajib Banerjee at the recent meeting of the party's West Bengal unit has sparked a buzz in the state politics after the fierce battle between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the recent assembly election.
This comes at a time when several turncoat politicians, who switched from the TMC to BJP ahead of Assembly polls, have expressed regret over their decision to quit Mamata Banerjee-led party.
BJP's Bengal unit held a high-powered organisational meeting on Tuesday where party leaders were required to be physically present.
Speaking on the absence of the three BJP leaders at the meeting, Joy Prakash Majumdar, Vice-President, West Bengal BJP, said: "BJP National Vice President Mukul Roy could not attend the meeting as his wife is unwell and hospitalised. On the day the meeting was scheduled, Bengal BJP chief spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya's father died of COVID-19 and so he could not attend the meeting. Rajib Banerjee could not attend due to personal reasons."
Rajib Banerjee had recently said people elected the government, apparently referring to the TMC which stormed back to power in the state, and added that they will not take it well if the threat of imposing the president's rule is constantly dangled to oppose the chief minister.
"Enough with the criticism. The people elected the government with a majority, they will not take it well if the threat of Section 365 is constantly dangled to oppose the chief minister," Rajib Banerjee had tweeted.
Commenting on Banerjee's tweet, Majumdar said that the BJP does not support the former minister's statement.
"It is completely his personal opinion and in no way the BJP at the state and national level supports his statement. Whatever stand Rajib Banerjee has taken, it is completely his personal opinion," Majumdar said.
The West Bengal BJP Vice-President said those leaders, who want to go back to Trinamool Congress, are greedy for power.
"It is their primary right. Those who want to go to their old party can go back. They can decide whether they want to stay with this party and work for the people or go to the party from where they came. They want to go back to Trinamool Congress because they are greedy for power."
Before rising to prominence in the BJP, Mukul Roy was a founder-member of the TMC which he quit in 2017. Rajib Banerjee left the TMC in January this year and contested the West Bengal assembly polls on a BJP ticket.
Several leaders including Suvendu Adhikari, who once close aid of Mamata Banerjee joined the BJP ahead of Assembly polls. BJP lost the polls but emerged as the second-largest party with 77 seats in the 294-member state assembly. Trinamool Congress registered a landslide victory winning 213 seats.
( With inputs from ANI )
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