Unlike Trinamool, Bengal BJP decides not to encourage defections from other parties

Bharatiya Janata Party in West Bengal has decided to stop encouraging defections from other parties and warned against takeover politics, while also urging restraint and legal action against post-poll violence following recent assembly election results

Kolkata: The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has decided to refrain from promoting defections of elected representatives from other political parties and to avoid accepting them into its ranks.

This approach is opposite to the strategy employed by the outgoing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress when it assumed power after ending the Left Front’s 34-year rule in 2011.

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In fact, a strict instruction has come from the state committee of the BJP that any leader from other parties, whether an elected public representative at any level or a prominent leader, approaching any BJP leader or legislator or MP with a plea of joining the camp should be replied with a firm no.

“Trinamool Congress in 2011 just opened its gates for anyone. As a result, those bad elements in the previous Left Front dispensations joined the new ruling party and started the same atrocities on the common people as they did during the previous Left Front rule,” said a state committee member of the BJP, who refused to be named. According to him, Trinamool Congress did not stop at that.

“The leaders of non- TMC forces who refrained from joining the ruling party were first lured to join the ruling party with promises of important posts and cash awards. Those refusing that allurement were then subjected to severe implications through harassment and false police cases. Our stand is clear. We will not adopt the same rotten path of encouraging defection,” the state committee member added.

He also said that opening the floodgates of defection also carries along with it the possibilities of internal feud within the party involving the old and new lobbies, and hence, adopting the path of encouraging defection is strictly prohibited.

At the same time, BJP’s state president in West Bengal and the party Rajya Sabha member, Samik Bhattacharya, has sent a strong message down the party lines that the leadership will not tolerate the trend of revenge politics because of the change of regime in West Bengal.

“Be it the Trinamool Congress or CPI(M) or any other party. Not a single incident of forceful takeover of their party offices and hosting BJP flags there will be tolerated. The party will take strong disciplinary actions against those who are involved in such practices. At the same time, I urge the administration to take strong action against them without caring for their party affiliations,” Bhattacharya said.

Already, the Election Commission of India (ECI) has directed West Bengal Chief Secretary, Director General of Police and CAPFs deployed in the state to ensure zero tolerance towards post-poll violence.

The directive from the ECI came following reports of several incidents of violence that had taken place across the state since Monday evening, after the West Bengal Assembly elections results were declared.