20 BJP leaders quit party in Jalpaiguri

darjeeling: The ripple effect of MP Arjun Singh's defection from the BJP to the TMC could be felt in the heartland of North Bengal also. The saffron brigade suffered a major jolt with 20 leaders resigning from the party in the Jalpaiguri district.

The twenty include the president of the Dakshin Mandal of the Maynaguri Assembly constituency, youth president and general secretary of the Yuva Morcha. The leaders alleged that district leaders have constituted a new committee on their own without consultation with them.

The veteran leaders have been left out in this committee, complained the dissident leaders. They have further alleged that posts have been handed out in lieu of money to the newcomers. The BJP district leaders however abstained from commenting.

Earlier, in a major embarrassment and yet another jolt to the beleaguered saffron camp in Bengal, ending weeks of speculation, BJP vice-president and MP from Barrackpore, Arjun Singh on Sunday rejoined the Trinamool Congress (TMC). Singh joined the party in presence of Trinamool Congress national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who welcomed the leader into the party fold.

Abhishek in a tweet said: "Extending a warm welcome to Shri Arjun Singh, who rejected the divisive forces at BJP and joined the TMC family today. People across the nation are suffering and they need us now more than ever. Let's keep the fight alive!"