150 BJP workers undergo 'sanitisation' before joining TMC

Nearly 150 BJP workers crossed over to the TMC on Thursday in Bengal's Birbhum district after local leaders of the ruling party sprayed sanitisers on them.

A dais was erected in Ilambazar area, where the saffron camp workers were "sanitised", following which local leaders handed them the TMC flag, said Dulal Roy, a block- level member of the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

"Those working for the BJP were virus-infected... Before taking them back, we had to ensure they were sanitised as we aim to get rid of the virus," he added.

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District BJP president Dhruba Saha, however, claimed workers of his party were "coerced" into joining the TMC.

"No one has willingly switched over to the TMC from the BJP," he maintained.

Saha further said that local TMC leaders, in a bid to avoid allegations of post-poll violence, were organising such events and "forcing" BJP activists to join their party.

"Thousands of workers are still with us, resisting TMC's torture," the BJP leader said.

Two days ago, in Hooghly district, another set of 200 BJP men, who made a beeline to join the TMC, had to shave their heads to "atone their sin" of having switched over to the saffron party ahead of the assembly polls.