Kolkata:
Rifts have emerged within the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, a little-known political outfit in Tripura that recently absorbed 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs.
Just weeks after two rebellions stripped the Trinamool of most of its parliamentarians and MLAs, three Muslim NCPI Lok Sabha MPs have expressed unease about the outfit’s alliance with the BJP, sources said. The faction loyal to former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, however, has described their defiance as an attempt to “mislead” the people of their constituencies.
Trinamool rebels and NCPI MPs Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman, and Yusuf Pathan are averse to the bloc’s close ties with the BJP and have been skipping meetings of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA). They are worried that proximity to the ruling party may result in the loss of their traditional voter base, the sources added.
On Saturday, Khan and Rahman met Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and alleged that people in Murshidabad were harassed during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise.
Also Read: Close To Suvendu Adhikari, Away From NDA: Curious Case of 3 Trinamool Rebels
“We have already made it clear that we won’t go with the BJP and will not be part of the NDA,” said Abu Taher Khan on Saturday.
“There is a need to pay special attention to the Muslim community, particularly those who are lagging. He has agreed to take measures regarding this matter,” he added.
Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee, one of the few leaders still loyal to Mamata Banerjee, slammed the rebel MPs, claiming they were “misleading everyone”.
“They are misleading everyone. They had submitted a letter stating that they were partners of the NCPI – a letter that is also with the Speaker. Furthermore, leaders of their party have already declared that the NCPI is an ally of the NDA. The reality now is that, after joining the NCPI, they are unable to enter their constituencies. Minorities make up 60 to 65 per cent of the voters in Murshidabad, and they have been betrayed. Now, these two leaders are trying to downplay the situation,” he said.
MLA Kunal Ghosh, another Mamata Banerjee loyalist, took a jibe at Abu Taher Khan and Khalilur Rahman.
“These people are confused. This is the B-team of the BJP. Now, what is happening in their area, the public is saying that you won here with anti-BJP votes. You won as Mamata Banerjee’s candidate… So, to maintain their equation, to keep the Lok Sabha seats, these people are roaming around the houses of BJP leaders,” he said.
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the MP who leads the NCPI faction, downplayed the rift.
“We held a lengthy discussion with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday. We spent over two hours inside and received many suggestions from him for the development of West Bengal. Abu Taher was present there. I don’t know what he said just now,” she said.
Despite their stance on alliance with the BJP, the three MPs had travelled to Delhi with Birbhum MPs Satabdi Roy and Asit Mal to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. They also attended a breakfast meeting at PM Modi’s house on Friday morning.
Also read: Centre Signals Recognition Of NCPI With Trinamool Rebels, Triggers Row
The three MPs have maintained that they don’t align with the BJP’s politics but will cooperate with the central and state governments for the benefit of the people of their constituencies.
Last week, when the NCPI MPs attended the ‘Mangal Milan’ – a meeting of NDA MPs — their count remained at seventeen because Khan, Rahman and Pathan skipped the huddle.
Amid the row, senior Trinamool Congress leader Saugata Roy had claimed that some of the rebel MPs were in touch with him, seeking a return to Mamata Banerjee’s faction.
