BJP men flock to Trinamool, blame passive leadership

[sukishan]

With the fledgling BJP unit in West Bengal affected by infighting, several BJP leaders are switching allegiance to the Trinamool, the party which was their partner in the NDA government.

Leading among the leaders switching over to the Trinamool is Nabyendu Nahal, former state secretary, who was the party candidate from Jhargram in the LS polls. Nahal, along with hundreds of his supporters joined Trinamool last week.

Even before him, many district unit presidents and hordes of party members from districts like Bankura, Birbhum, Nadia, North and South 24-Parganas have flocked to the Trinamool. Over the last two years the number of party members in the state has dwindled from 3.21 to 1.75 lakh.

With two groups of the state unit at logger-heads, one faction is led by Satyabrata Mukherjee, former Union minister and the present state unit president, who is accused of passivity and lack of leadership qualities.

The other is headed by Tapan Sikder, another former Union minister and former state unit president, who is now keen to regain his hold in the party.

The election for the party president's post will take place in December.

Sikder rejoined the party last year, three years after he left in 2005.

"The present leadership is lying idle. The party rank and file is looking for direction after the Lok Sabha debacle but there is none from the top," a party leader said.

"There is no programme, and only press conferences are held at the Kolkata party office. If this goes on it will become just a signboard party in near future," the leader added.

Party general secretary Rahul Sinha admitted that hordes of party rank and file are joining the Trinamool and said only unprincipled persons are indulging in such practices.

"There are always such people who do not have principles. It is they who have left our party," Sinha said.