Expressing her displeasure over the induction of "opportunist" leaders from other parties into the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and asserting that she did not get "due respect", Sujata Mondal Khan, wife of BJP MP Soumitra Khan, switched over to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday.
This comes two days after TMC heavyweight Suvendu Adhikari, along with several other party leaders, joined the BJP on Saturday.
"The party (BJP) sidelined the grassroots workers like us and gave more importance to opportunist leaders. The party does not have any stand and no clear face to fight the (upcoming Assembly) election," said Sujata, adding she was not an opportunist. "I started working with the BJP when no one could imagine its rise from two Lok Sabha seats to 18 (in the last general elections in 2019). I struggled for the party so much but I did not get my due respect," Sujata rued.
When asked about Adhikari, she said he enjoyed all the facilities in the TMC. "He now aspires to be the next chief minister. He joined the BJP when it is relatively in a better position, unlike me. The man, who leaves a party in challenging times and joins another in its good times, has no credibility. But the good time of the TMC has started as opportunist leaders are moving away from the party. The TMC is getting sacred like the Ganges," she said.
Asked about her husband who is still with the BJP, she said she just wishes good sense prevails in him.
Adhikari joined the BJP on Saturday in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the latter's two-day visit to West Bengal. On the same day, 10 more MLAs from different parties -- Tapasi Mondal, Ashoke Dinda, Sudip Mukherjee, Saikat Panja, Shilbhadra Dutta, Dipali Biswas, Sukra Munda, Shyamapda Mukherjee, Biswajit Kundu and Banasri Maity -- joined the BJP.
Besides, TMC MP from Purba Bardhaman, Sunil Kumar Mondal, and former MP Dasarath Tirkey also switched over to the BJP during Shah's tour.
( With inputs from ANI )
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