One supporter said “we want TMC to take us back, by joining BJP, we have stalled development in our villages”
About 300 BJP supporters, who sat on hunger strike in front of a Trinamool Congress office in Birbhum, demanded to be taken back into the party. They were finally taken back on Friday after being sprinkled with ‘Gangajal’ and the TMC told they needed “to cleanse their polluted minds.”
BJP supporters have been staging protests across the state for many days, demanding to be taken back into TMC. The latest incident in Banagram, part of the Sainthia assembly constituency, witnessed such protests by defectors now keen to return to Trinamool. Trinamool’s Tripura unit head claims almost 15,000 BJP supporters have joined them.
Asoke Mondal, a protester, said: “We want TMC to take us back. By joining BJP, we have stalled development in our villages. The constant protests (by BJP) have done more harm than good. We want to return of our own free will. We will continue with the strike till we are taken back.”
The protest began at 8 am and ended at 11 am when the protesters were sprinkled with Gangajal and taken back into the party.
Banagram’s Trinamool panchayat pradhan Tushar Kanti Mondal, handing the party flag to new entrants, said: “These people had been requesting for the last couple of days to join our party. I had talked to our leaders and included them again in our party.”
On sprinkling Ganga water, Mondal said: “BJP is a communal party. They have injected their poisonous thoughts into their minds and spoiled their mental peace. So Shanti Jal (holy water) was sprinkled on them to rid them of all Ashanti (evils). It was not meant for their purification, rather purification of their minds that BJP polluted.”
A district BJP leader said: “All these are drama. Everywhere, our party workers and supporters are forced to join TMC. Such drama is arranged to show there is no post-poll violence. In some areas, t
situation is so dangerous that BJP workers have no option but to join TMC.”
Earlier, a similar incident was witnessed in Illambazar, when villagers sat on a dharna at the TMC office with appeals to be taken back.
In places such as Nanoor, Bolpur and Sainthia, several people who claimed to be BJP workers were seen using a microphone mounted on a vehicle to seek “apology” and plead to rejoin TMC.
