17 NCPI MPs to join BJP before Durga Puja, claims MP Basunia
Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia's claim sparked tension in Sitai, with the local TMC office reportedly vandalised and torched.
Political activity has intensified in West Bengal as assembly elections approach. Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, an MP who left Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress (TMC) for the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), has made a major claim. In an interview to a channel, he said that 17 NCPI MPs would join the BJP before the upcoming Durga Puja.
According to MP Basunia, three of the 17 MPs, who belong to minority communities, will not join the BJP directly. MPs Abu Tahir and Khalilur Rahman will be given separate responsibilities and will support the NDA government from outside. He said these two have a large number of minority voters in their areas, so they cannot join the BJP directly, as doing so could create problems for them locally.
Elaborating on his claim, Basunia said, "It was the BJP that asked us to leave Trinamool and join NCPI. But all of us wanted to join the BJP from the start. If everything goes well, 17 of our 20 MPs will take up the BJP flag before Durga Puja."
The claim triggered political tension in the Sitai area. Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia returned to his home on Sunday under heavy police security. As news of his arrival spread, the atmosphere in the area turned tense. The TMC office near Sitai bus station was reportedly vandalised and set on fire. A group of local residents and BJP workers gathered in front of MP Basunia's house and staged a strong protest.
Notably, 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs had announced their merger with the relatively little-known NCPI on June 14. These MPs had also extended their support to the NDA, which rules at the Centre. Under the anti-defection law, at least 14 of the 20 MPs must join a party together to avoid disqualification, and it is this two-thirds provision that underlies the claim of 17 MPs moving to the BJP.
Basunia also said that three of the 20 NCPI MPs, all belonging to minority communities, will not formally join the BJP. He cited the political and administrative situation in their respective areas as the reason. Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan will support the NDA from outside instead of joining the BJP. According to Basunia, these leaders could be given important responsibilities or ministries in future.
