Trinamool's 'parivarvaad' jab after Arjun, Suvendu bro formally join BJP
Times of India | 16 March 2024
KOLKATA: BJP Barrackpore MP Arjun Singh, who had joined Trinamool in May 2022, and TMC Tamluk MP Dibyendu Adhikari, the younger brother of Bengal leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, joined BJP at the party headquarters in Delhi on Friday. BJP national secretary Dushyant Gautam and party co-in charge of Bengal Amit Malviya were present.
Pointing out that Singh's son was a BJP MLA and Soumendu, the youngest of the Adhikari brothers, was BJP's Contai candidate, Trinamool asked PM Narendra Modi what he had to say now on 'parivarvaad'.
Singh on Friday claimed he could not voice his protest against the torture of women in Sandeshkhali when he was in Trinamool.
"There is a Sandeshkhali in every assembly segment in Bengal. I am thankful to BJP that the party has accepted me despite my staying away for some time," the Barrackpore MP said.
He said he had distanced from BJP to protect his followers. "I can withstand the attack, but my followers were scared. I had to come to a temporary understanding to save them. I distanced myself from BJP... But that was a mistake," Singh said.
Adhikari said he would like to serve the party as a karyakarta with his feet on the ground. "The Sandeshkhali incident has happened in a state where people worship Maa Durga, Maa Kali, Maa Saraswati. It happened in a state where the CM is a woman. There is no rule of law in Bengal," he said.
While leaving for Delhi a day earlier, Adhikari had said he had distanced himself from Trinamool Congress after 2021.
Trinamool spokesperson Shantanu Sen said: "What is there to say about Arjun Singh? He is a BJP MP. A BJP leader has returned to BJP. Dibyendu had an extra-marital affair with BJP illegally for a long time. Now officially Dibyendu has married the one he had an extra marital affair with. Nothing to be surprised by. They had surrendered to BJP long back."
"But the question is Arjun is a BJP MP, his son is a BJP MLA. Suvendu is an opposition leader; his younger brother is BJP's Contai candidate, and another joined BJP today. What will PM Narendra Modi now say about 'parivarvaad'? Modi's guarantee has zero warranty," Sen added.
Sources close to Singh hinted that he took the plunge after getting confirmation from BJP brass that he would be getting the Barrackpore ticket.
A section within the party, however, is not comfortable with his flip-flop. BJP Bengal Mahila Morcha leader Falguni Patra wondered how BJP ranks in Barrackpore would receive Singh, who had dumped the party to join Trinamool in 2022 after being elected on a BJP ticket in 2019.