Trinamul lynchpin joins BJP Switch at first Mukul rally in North Bengal

Dilip Ghosh and Mukul Roy hand over a BJP flg to Sikha Chatterjee in Siliguri on Thursday. (Passang Yolmo) 

TT, Dec 28, 2017 Siliguri: Over hundred supporters from various parties, including former Trinamul state committee member Sikha Chatterjee, joined the BJP at Mukul Roy's first public meeting in north Bengal on Thursday.

Chatterjee, a member of Rajganj Panchayat Samitihad severed all her ties with the party on Wednesday.

Observers said the defections could be a major blow to the ruling party ahead of the panchayat elections next year. Chatterjee's areas fall under the constituency of state tourism minister Gautam Deb.

"She was one of the founder members of Trinamul and won from he Rajganj seat during the Left Front regime. But after she had raised her voice against land mafias, she was attacked by a section of Trinamul supporters," an observer said.

Roy, addressing the rally at Siliguri's Bagha Jatin Park, handed the BJP flag to Chatterjee and several others.

"She (Chatterjee) was loyal to Trinamul from the very beginning and won from the Rajganj seat when few dared to contest elections in the Left regime. Her joining the BJP will create big impact in the rural polls. We will win all rural bodies in the Rajganj block," Roy, who joined the BJP last month, said.

Roy, touring north Bengal with state BJP president Dilip Ghosh ahead of the rural elections, lashed out at chief minister Mamata Banerjee over the unrest in hills and the statehood agitation.

"The chief minister had signed a tripartite accord with Bimal Gurung and is now trying to promote Binay Tamang. She has to take the responsibility for the recent unrest in the hills," the BJP leader said.

Ghosh said: "We have formed three committees under the leadership of Rahul Sinha, Mukul Roy and myself. Its members are travelling across the state to consolidate the party's support base."