30,000 TMC, CPM men in Junglemahal to join: BJP

There would be a “mass joining” with most belonging to the minority community, claimed a senior BJP leader.

Significantly, TMC won all the three seats in the district with a record margin in the recently-concluded Lok Sabha elections.

The district, dominated by tribal voters, has long been a Left bastion.

When contacted, Sinha said, “My district leaders have told me that at least 30,000 people from other parties are going to join us, several of whom would be minority leaders with their followers. I have been briefed by my district leaders about such a  mass joining.”

Meanwhile, former CPM’s Jhagram MP Pulinbehari Baskey denied rumours about him joining BJP that had been making rounds throughout the day, terming them as “baseless news”. Sinha, too, denied any such development.

CPM district secretary Dipak Sarkar, however, admitted that several party workers would be joining BJP but maintained it “would not affect the party”.

“I have heard about it. But the Communist party is a train and it has a destination to reach.

“On the way, several people deboard while others hop on the train. Some while deboarding also meet with accidents. But these incidents do not affect the train’s movement and the train keeps on moving. Our party is like that train.”

Meanwhile, a central BJP delegation, including MP Balbir Punj, MP Kirti Azad, central observer Siddharth Nath Singh, and president of National Minority Morcha Abdul Rashid Ansari, will be going to Illambazar in Birbhum to take stock of the situation post the murder of BJP worker Sk Rahim.