Bengal BJP Dismisses MP Defection Claims
The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly rejected assertions made by rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, who claimed that 17 of the 20 Members of Parliament aligned with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) were poised to join the BJP.
State BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya stated that the party would not admit individuals based solely on their desire to join, emphasizing that the public has not forgotten the alleged actions of these MPs during the previous TMC government. BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar echoed this sentiment, confirming no information about any such development and clarifying that an expressed wish to join does not guarantee acceptance.
Rebel MP's Assertion Sparks Controversy
Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, the Cooch Behar MP, had publicly claimed that 17 NCPI MPs would transition to the BJP either before or after the Durga Puja festivities. He asserted that with more than two-thirds of the 20 members making the switch, the anti-defection law would not apply to their move.
Other NCPI Members Dispute Claim
Basunia's claims were swiftly challenged by other members of the rebel group. Satabdi Roy, another NCPI-aligned MP, clarified that Basunia had spoken in a personal capacity and that no collective decision had been made by the group. Abu Taher Khan, also part of the NCPI contingent, outright rejected Basunia's authority to speak on behalf of all MPs. Taher explicitly denied claims that he, Jangipur MP Khalilur Rahaman, and Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan would support the BJP-led NDA from outside, stating, “We will not go to the BJP. We will not go to the NDA. This is clear.”
Basunia had previously suggested that the three minority MPs might not formally join the BJP due to political dynamics in their constituencies but could offer external support to the NDA.
The Ongoing Defection Case
This controversy unfolds against the backdrop of an existing defection case involving 20 Lok Sabha MPs who, after the TMC's defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls earlier this year, joined the lesser-known NCPI and extended support to the BJP-led NDA. On June 14, these MPs announced their merger with the NCPI, seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary group, believing their move constituted a valid merger under the two-thirds provision of the anti-defection law.
Despite their claims, Lok Sabha records continue to list these 20 individuals as TMC members, and their request for separate group recognition remains unsettled. TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee has approached the Supreme Court, seeking the disqualification of these 20 MPs under the anti-defection law. The Lok Sabha Secretariat issued notices to the MPs on August 26, requesting their replies to the disqualification petitions, with Speaker Om Birla granting an extension until September 22 for their responses.