<p>A Congress MLA from the Baduria Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas district joined the Trinamool Congress on Saturday along with his supporters. Qazi Abdur Rahim joined the ruling party in the state in presence of Education Minister and TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim.</p>.<p>Speaking to journalists, Rahim said that he joined TMC to be part of the “development drive” initiated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “She is the only force which can stop BJP in its tracks in Bengal,” he said.</p>.<p>Senior Congress MLA Manoj Chakraborty responded to the development by accusing TMC of trying to weaken the secular forces in the state by poaching the MLAs of Congress and the CPI(M).</p>.<p>Since the 2016 Assembly elections, 18 out of 44 Congress MLAs have joined TMC. But with the exception of Manas Bhunia, who later became a TMC Rajya Sabha MP, none of them resigned from their post.</p>.<p>State BJP Mahila Morcha vice president Moumita Basu Chakraborty also joined TMC during the day.</p>
<p>A Congress MLA from the Baduria Assembly constituency in West Bengal’s North 24 Paraganas district joined the Trinamool Congress on Saturday along with his supporters. Qazi Abdur Rahim joined the ruling party in the state in presence of Education Minister and TMC secretary general Partha Chatterjee and Urban Development Minister Firhad Hakim.</p>.<p>Speaking to journalists, Rahim said that he joined TMC to be part of the “development drive” initiated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. “She is the only force which can stop BJP in its tracks in Bengal,” he said.</p>.<p>Senior Congress MLA Manoj Chakraborty responded to the development by accusing TMC of trying to weaken the secular forces in the state by poaching the MLAs of Congress and the CPI(M).</p>.<p>Since the 2016 Assembly elections, 18 out of 44 Congress MLAs have joined TMC. But with the exception of Manas Bhunia, who later became a TMC Rajya Sabha MP, none of them resigned from their post.</p>.<p>State BJP Mahila Morcha vice president Moumita Basu Chakraborty also joined TMC during the day.</p>
