The meeting of BJP MP Raju Bista and party MLA Shankar Ghosh with senior CPI(M) leader and former Siliguri Mayor Ashok Bhattacharya at the latter’s residence on Monday raised speculations about the saffron camp’s plan to rope in the Left leader ahead of the upcoming panchayat elections next year. Though both BJP and left leaders described it a “courtesy visit”, the ruling Trinamool Congress sees a conspiracy to “destabilise” the Mamata Banerjee government by December.
Describing the meeting as a “courtesy visit” by the BJP leaders, Bhattacharya on Tuesday told reporters, “If an MP pays a visit on the occasion of Diwali, then I cannot shut the door on his face. It was also the death anniversary of my wife and everyone was invited. The speculations that are doing rounds are baseless and unjust.”
Calling it a “courtesy visit”, BJP Darjeeling MP Raju Bista said, “Ashok Bhattacharya is a former minister, MLA and mayor of Siliguri. I came here to extend my Diwali greetings to him. It was also the death anniversary of his wife. Therefore, I wanted to meet him at his residence.”
BJP’s Siliguri MLA Shankar Ghosh, who was previously with the CPI(M), said there was no reason to describe the visit as a political event.
“Our party MP Raju Bista wanted to meet the Left leader to inquire about his health. So, yesterday (Monday) was an auspicious occasion, therefore, I went with him. It is wrong to draw a conclusion based on this. It is also not right to consider it a political meeting,” said Ghosh.
The TMC, on the other hand, claimed that there was “a tacit understanding” between the CPI(M) and the BJP.
The party’s mouthpiece ‘Jago Bangla’ on Tuesday even published an editorial, claiming that the BJP is seeking Bhattacharya’s support to destabilise the Mamata Banerjee government by December.
TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said, “There is a conspiracy going on to destabilise the government, especially in the northern part of the state. It may be noted that BJP leaders have been demanding a separate state for the people in north Bengal.”
“We have information that the BJP wants to destabilise the northern part of Bengal and plan to make it a Union Territory with some parts of Bihar. We have said this before and are saying it now that the Left and the BJP are trying to destabilise the state government. They will, of course, say that it was a courtesy visit but we know what is happening. They are seeking Bhattacharya’s support to execute their plans,” alleged Ghosh.
