'BJP can be defeated under guidance of Mamata Banerjee'
KOLKATA: Ending all speculations, son of former President Pranab Mukherjee and former two-time Congress MP from Jangipur constituency in Murshidabad district, Abhijit Mukherjee, joined Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the presence of veteran leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Partha Chattopadhyay at Trinamool Bhavan on Monday.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay, party's Lok Sabha MP and Partha Chattopadhyay, party's secretary general, handed over the flag to Mukherjee and welcomed him to TMC.
After joining the party, Mukherjee said Mamata Banerjee had set an example that divisive and communal politics of BJP could be resisted by defeating the saffron party in the Assembly elections. "She has earned everybody's respect including some senior Congress leaders and I believe that under her guidance and with the cooperation from all political parties BJP can be defeated," he added.
Referring to Mamata Banerjee as the most credible secular leader in the country who can fight and defeat the communal BJP, Mukherjee said he had left one Congress to join another and was sure of resisting the saffron camp across India in the future. Mukherjee became MP twice from Jangipur in Murshidabad. Earlier, Mukherjee had met Abhishek Banerjee, TMC's all-India general secretary, and had expressed his desire to join the party. Finally, he joined after getting a nod from TMC chairperson Mamata Banerjee.
"Leaders and workers of different political parties have joined TMC as they believe that to carry out steady development in Bengal, Mamata Banerjee has no substitute," said Chattopadhyay, adding that TMC would like to use Mukherjee's services appropriately to fight the communal, undemocratic and fascist forces.
Meanwhile, about 520 families from Kushdweep area off Patrasayer in Bankura district joined Trinamool from BJP at a function on Sunday. Shyamal Santra, Trinamool Bankura district president handed over party flags to them. Earlier, hundreds of BJP workers from Sonamukhi block had joined TMC.
In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, BJP had won the Bankura and Bishnupur seats. There has been massive erosion in BJP's support base after the Assembly election results were announced and many leaders and workers have expressed their willingness to join TMC, Santra said.
More than 500 BJP leaders and workers including Anindita Jana, vice-president of BJP Mahila Morcha (Tamluk district) joined Trinamool at a function on Sunday. Swadesh Das, president of TMC Nandigram Block I said more than 2000 BJP workers from different blocks in Nandigram were likely to join TMC soon.
