Kolkata: The Congress party, which ruled West Bengal for 20 years since Independence, lost its lone MLA in the state assembly, Byron Biswas, as he switched over to the ruling TMC on Monday, joining the party in the presence of its general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Have become. , At a ceremony to join the ruling party at the Ghatal in Medinipur, Byrne claimed that the Congress to which he had long owed allegiance had played no part in his victory, which he said he won ‘due to my goodwill’ ‘
Byron, a local ‘beedi’ businessman, had won the Sagardighi seat in the by-election earlier this year, shocking the ruling camp. He said, “If the Congress organization in Sagardighi assembly constituency was so strong, the party would have won the seat in 2021 (state general elections). But it did not happen. I won the seat because of my goodwill.” For good measure, he felt that the Congress in Bengal was “opposite” to fight against the BJP and that was the reason he preferred to join the TMC.
during running today #jonosanjoyatra in the presence of Mr. @abhishekaitcCongress MLA from Sagardighi Byron Biswas joined us. We wholeheartedly welcome him to the Trinamool Congress family!
To strengthen our resolve to fight against divisive and discriminatory… pic.twitter.com/CyCaUKTyRs– All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) May 29, 2023
Expectedly, Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Monday lashed out at Byron Biswas for unleashing his wrath, saying, “If we were not with you (Byron Biswas), you would not have been what you are (MLA) today.” Are”. TMC’s Banerjee claimed that with Biswas joining, the “rainbow alliance of BJP and Congress” to oppose TMC has been defeated in the state.
“We all know about the unethical rainbow alliance that was forged between the BJP and the Congress in Bengal in a tacit understanding. With Biswas joining, this rainbow alliance is now defeated. Congress has to decide who they want to fight.” Can’t claim that they are fighting against BJP at the Center by opposing TMC in Bengal. This double standard must stop,” he said.
Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek also said that “Biswas joined TMC because he felt it was the only force that could fight against the BJP in Bengal”. However, he rejected the allegation that TMC was trying to finish the Congress in the state.
Banerjee also reiterated an earlier claim that several senior Congress leaders and MPs are in touch with the TMC leadership, but the ruling party in Bengal has “kept its doors closed” to opposition unity. Biswas joining the TMC comes at a time when BJP’s rival parties are trying to forge opposition unity in the fight against the saffron camp in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The MLA does not come under the purview of the anti-defection law as he is the sole representative of the Congress in the Assembly and his joining the TMC would mean a merger of the Congress Legislature Party with the larger TMC Legislature Party. Chowdhary, a former mentor of Biswas, said the TMC was scared after losing the Sagardighi bypoll and had used everything at its disposal to poach the Congress MLA.
He accused TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew and party MP Abhishek Banerjee of poaching MLAs from other parties. “Sagardighi proved that Mamata Banerjee is not invincible. She and her party can be defeated. I would say you will suffer the most from the game (to pick up fugitives from other parties) you started… But, Didi), don’t forget, what goes, comes,” he said.
BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar said his party had felt for a long time that Congress MLAs might cross over to TMC and urged voters not to waste their votes by voting for Congress or CPI(M) candidates.