Sabyasachi Dutta returns to TMC from BJP

Kolkata: BJP leader Sabyasachi Dutta, the former Mayor of Bidhannagar, returned to Trinamool Congress on Thursday after spending two years and four days in the saffron camp.

It is interesting to note that the BJP faced the setback of losing its "most crucial" leader in the Bidhannagar area on the day when the party gave space to six leaders from Bengal, including "disgruntled" Rajib Banerjee in its National Executive Committee.

Dutta returned to the Trinamool Congress family in the presence of senior party leaders and ministers Partha Chatterjee and Firhad Hakim. They handed over the party flag to him at Chatterjee's office in the state Assembly.

It needs mention that Dutta had joined BJP ahead of Durga Puja in 2019. He had contested against state Fire minister Sujit Bose from the Bidhannagar constituency in the 2021 Assembly elections and was defeated by a margin of 7,997 votes.

Trinamool Congress chairperson Mamata Banerjee spoke to Dutta in the presence of party's secretary general Partha Chatterjee and Krishnanagar Uttar MLA Mukul Roy at her state Assembly office.

The news of Dutta's possibility of returning to Trinamool Congress was circulating for the past couple of days. The final decision in this regard was taken during Thursday's meeting.

Chatterjee later announced that Dutta, the two-time MLA (2011 to 2021) from Bidhannagar and former Mayor of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, has been allowed to return to the party only after clearances given by the party's chairperson. "We are happy that he has realised his mistake. It is called 'ghore phera'. We welcome him and expect that Dutta will be playing a crucial role in strengthening the party further."

After accepting the party's flag from Chatterjee and Hakim, Dutta said: "I was a representative in Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation. Then I became Mayor and was also MLA from 2011 to 2021. Whatever I have got is just because of Mamata Banerjee. It is true that I had joined some other political party and it was just because of certain misunderstandings that had driven me to join the other party. Today, it is a new beginning for me and I am grateful to Banerjee for giving me the opportunity to return to Trinamool Congress. I will work as per the guidance of the party."

In connection with his joining, BJP leader Rahul Sinha said: "It is a sigh of relief for us. We were sure that when his guru Mukul Roy had left the party, it was just a matter of some days for Dutta also to jump the boat again."

He added: "Animals brought from jungles cannot be tamed." In connection with this statement, Chatterjee said: "He has actually returned to society of human beings from a jungle where he went two years ago. It is BJP only that creates a jungle-like situation in our society. Is it Yogi-Raj or jungle-Raj in Uttar Pradesh?"

Meanwhile, BJP has come up with six new faces in its National Executive Committee. Besides the actor-turned-politician Mithun Chakraborty, former MP Dinesh Trivedi is also there. Dilip Ghosh, Swapan Dasgupta, Mukutmani Adhikari, Bharati Ghosh and Anirban Ganguly are also on the list.

Among the invited ones, Raiganj MP Deboshree Chowdhury, Jalpaiguri's MP Jayanta Roy, Rajya Sabha MP Rupa Ganguly and Mafuja Khatun are there.