BJP creating 'atmosphere of fear' in Bengal, alleges TMC's Kunal Ghosh

TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh accused the BJP of creating a 'fear atmosphere' in West Bengal. He also criticized 19 rebel TMC MPs, urging them to resign, and dismissed speculation about a TMC-Congress merger amid growing factionalism within the party.

Amid chaos over an FIR against former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Kunal Ghosh alleged that the BJP was trying to create an atmosphere of fear and threat in the state.Speaking to ANI, Ghosh on Friday said action should also be taken against BJP leaders for their remarks during election campaigns in the state. "When big leaders of the BJP were coming here before elections, they indulged in a lot of 'dialoguebaazi'. Action should be taken against that as well. They are now in power, and they are doing this to create an atmosphere of fear, an atmosphere of threat," Ghosh said.On the CID reaching the residence of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Ghosh refrained from commenting on the matter and said Abhishek Banerjee was capable of responding for himself. "Abhishek Banerjee is capable enough to explain his own issues. I have no comments on that," he said.

Ghosh on Rebel MPs and Party Merger

Reacting to reports of 19 rebel TMC MPs sending their names to the Lok Sabha Speaker's Office, Ghosh questioned why the MPs wanted to retain their membership and urged them to follow the example of former Rajya Sabha members who had resigned. "This is a matter of medical science - how can all these MPs have 'heart pain' all at once? They should follow the Rajya Sabha model. Jawhar Sircar, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, and Sushmita Dev have all resigned. These Lok Sabha MPs were not Independent. They were all Mamata didi's candidates, TMC candidates. Mamata didi's supporters voted for them. Why should their Lok Sabha membership continue? They should follow the resignation model from the Rajya Sabha," Ghosh said.Dismissing speculation about a possible merger between the TMC and Congress, Ghosh said both parties remained separate entities. "How can this be possible? TMC is a separate party and Congress is a separate party. To further strengthen the INDIA bloc, Congress and TMC leaderships, as well as the leaderships of all parties, are working together," he said.

Details of TMC Rebellion

According to sources, 19 breakaway MPs, including senior leaders Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Satabdi Roy, submitted their names to the Lok Sabha Speaker's Office on May 18. The list of MPs also includes Bapi Haldar, Dr. Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Jagadish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia, and Partha Bhowmick.Additionally, around 58 MLAs of the TMC expressed support for expelled party leader Ritabarta Banerjee, electing him as the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, claiming the rebel faction to be the real TMC. Additionally, around 58 MLAs of the TMC expressed support for expelled party leader Ritabarta Banerjee, electing him as the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, claiming the rebel faction to be the real TMC.(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)