In a jolt to the BJP after its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Alipurduar district president joined the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday accusing the saffron party leadership of ignoring the district leaders.
Ganga Prasad Sharma joined the TMC along with eight other leaders in the presence of party MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Education Minister Bratya Basu and national vice president Mukul Roy.
Speaking to reporters at the TMC headquarters, Sharma said that he left the BJP because the party leadership was ignoring the grievances of the district leaders.
“The background of our leaving the BJP was already prepared when the Central leadership totally ignored the district leaders while inducting leaders from other parties in Kolkata and Delhi. They did not even bother to inform the district leaders about it. It was since then that we started to distance ourselves from the party,” said Sharma.
Sharma added that he did not leave the BJP before the Assembly elections as then he would be labelled as a “gaddar” ( traitor).
“But we were demoralised and hence we joined the TMC,” said Mukul Roy.
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The development comes as a blow to the BJP as the Alipurduar district is considered to be a stronghold of the saffron party where it won all five seats in the Assembly elections.
Sharma also took a dig at the Alipurduar BJP MP John Barla for demanding that a separate Union Territory be formed out of the districts of North Bengal. He accused Barla of resorting to politics by inciting the sentiments of the people of North Bengal.
"It has been two years since he became an MP. BJP performed well in North Bengal but the MP did not do anything for North Bengal and now he is resorting to politics by playing with the sentiments of the people of North Bengal,” said Sharma.
Sharma had earlier said that he was feeling suffocated in the BJP as the party was expanding in size but did not bother to establish links with the grassroots workers.
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